Tire Wholesaler to Secure New Headquarters
(Akron/Tire Review) Tire Group International Inc. (TGI) has acquired a 600,000-square foot warehouse facility in Miami that will be converted into its new headquarters.
Wheels
(Akron/Tire Review) Tire Group International Inc. (TGI) has acquired a 600,000-square foot warehouse facility in Miami that will be converted into its new headquarters.
Dr Peter E Rieth, head of Advanced Engineering for the Automotive Systems division of Continental AG, has been honoured with the US Government’s Award for Safety Engineering Excellence in Washington DC. The award, presented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is traditionally awarded at the International Technical Conference on Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) every two years.
Wide and super wide tyres are developing into the first choice tuning accessories for cars, usually in combination with trendy light alloy wheels. One out of every four people interested in tuning fits their vehicle with alternative wheels, and a majority of these bump up the size of their wheels by one or two inches. Of these there are two kinds of customer – those that upgrade their rims but keep the same tyre size, and those that ‘tune’ their alloys, switching for more modern designs, while replacing tyres like-for-like.
Cooper Tire has launched its latest high performance tyre the Zeon XTC to the European market.
Aimed at a range of vehicles from a Ford Focus to a Jaguar X-type the tyre is designed to offer a quiet, comfortable and confident drive in both wet and dry weather.
An unnamed 19-year-old man has died after a tyre exploded while he was inflating it at his workplace. The man was working at a tyre firm in Cleland, Lanarkshire when the tyre threw him backwards into a wall, the BBC has reported.
(Akron/Tire Review) Alcoa Wheel Products said it has been granted a US patent on its Dura-Flange aluminum wheel surface treatment, a product that the company said: “Guards against excessive rim flange wear on commercial vehicle wheels.” Alcoa said it developed the treatment “trucking applications where loads are heavy and prone to shifting, such as logging, tanker and heavy hauling.
Size does matter. Well that’s what Cobra Technologie & Lifestyle say. And in keeping with this philosophy the company now offers the new Cobra Sahara 10Jx22 light-alloy wheel for premium off-road vehicles such as the BMW X5, the Mercedes M-Class, the Mitsubishi V60, the Porsche Cayenne, the Volvo XC 90 and the VW Touareg.
Penny Hydraulics has appointed Martin Oke as its new Area Sales Manager for the Midlands & North of England. Martin has extensive experience of the commercial vehicle and materials handling sectors and joins the company from secure in-vehicle storage specialist Sortimo. He will deal with customers
across a range of industries including the local authority, brewing and tyre supply sectors.
Tyrexpo Asia 2005 has stepped up a gear following the organisers’ announcement that the show is now officially open for pre-registration on www.eci-international.com.
The exhibition currently has 100 exhibitors from over 45 different countries highlighting the international nature of the show. Exhibitor numbers and square metre take-up have exceeded all other previous Tyrexpo Asia events, the organisers report. Industry sectors represented include: new tyres, wheels, retreads and retreading equipment, fast fit and tyre repair equipment, tyre changers and balancing equipment, buffing and grinding equipment, disposal and recycling equipment and other tyre accessories. Tyrexpo Asia will run from the 13 to 15 September, Hall 2, Singapore Expo Centre.
Toora, the Italian alloy wheel manufacturer, has announced that its new UK distributor is to be Exclusive Tuning & Design. Established in 1993, Toora have modern facilities based in Bergamo, and have a range of popular designs which have sold well throughout the UK.
Exclusive Tuning are based in Exeter and have a management team with decades of experience in the UK’s aftermarket industry. Paul Normington of Exclusive Tuning said: “We are delighted to have been selected by Toora to supply their well designed range of wheels. We will be holding large stock levels to ensure we can cope with the strong demand.”
Performance Alloys.com has introduced three new alloy wheels designs, the SC-18, SC-22 and the SC-33. When asked about the latest alloy wheels and tyres sales manager Garry Higgins said: “We are continually asked by our customers for an ever increasing range of larger and more unique alloy wheels for their cars. Some companies would not look at supplying such high performance vehicles with after market wheels but our company is leading the way in supplying exclusive and custom wheels for the more discerning customer.”
When the new Airbus A380 finally took off yesterday it caused quite stir, with media reports beaming the event all over the world. But what you might not have noticed when the world’s largest passenger aircraft made its maiden voyage yesterday it did so on Michelin tyres. The new aeroplane uses 22 wheels and, of course, all of those will require tyres from either Michelin or alternative tyre supplier, Bridgestone. The wheels and brakes were developed by Honeywell and Dunlop Aerospace in a cooperation that saw Honeywell take the lead.
According to Michelin, each the tyres is designed to operate at a lift-off speed of 378 km/h carrying 33 tonnes. The new tyre’s special lightweight construction reduces the A380’s total weight by 360 kilograms, compared with conventional tyres.
Motor Wheel Service Group launched a full range of forged alloy wheels at the recent Commercial Vehicle/Automotive Trade Show. According to the company, the new forged alloy wheels are exclusive to the MWS Group and will increase the range of wheels already stocked by the company. MWS is remaining tight lipped about which company is responsible and where the new wheels are being produced, but was keen to point out that the MWS forged alloy range will include both polished and machine-finished wheels and will be available through the company’s MWS Wheel Systems (OEM source) and MWS Aftermarket divisions.
This year Trelleborg is 100 years young. The company’s name is fairly well recognised in the UK market but there is still room for improvement. Ask where the company comes from, what it’s up to on the UK market, or how Trelleborg Wheel Systems (TWS) fits into the picture and the response is often vague. However the manufacturer is addressing these brand awareness issues and is beginning to focus more and more on its agricultural division as well as marketing itself as a specialist in agricultural tyres. Tyres & Accessories spoke to Ian Gillespie, managing director of Trelleborg Wheel Systems UK, to discern its UK market approach.
It would be something of an understatement to say that high raw material costs, the weak dollar and unprecedented competition from the Far East is affecting UK alloy wheel manufacturing. But, in the cases of the selection of companies that Tyres & Accessories spoke to, it is more a question of ingenuity triumphing over adversity. So, in the face of such pressing circumstances, how are UK manufacturers holding firm? Work smarter, not necessarily harder, they say.
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