Wheels
The Ronal Group, a global leader in manufacturing light alloy wheels for automobiles and commercial vehicles, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The milestone will thus be a central theme at the company’s stand at this year’s IAA in Frankfurt am Main.
MWheels has launched its next generation Xlite and Xbrite forged aluminium wheels for rigorous heavy duty application vehicles, including tipping, walking floor, logging and plant trailers. The 11.75 x 22.5 wheel has been redesigned to reduce stress on the disc and flange profiles, with field testing showing a reduction of between 55-66 per cent against previous versions.
General Motors has announced that it is equipping the new 2020 Camaro range with its Tire Fill Alert System.
Xlite forged aluminium wheels have been selected as the OE fitment for a new lightweight tri-axle Clearspan Curtainsider trailer from Tiger Trailers, which is 500kg lighter than its conventional equivalent. The trailer will allow operators to carry a greater payload of up to 29.5 tonnes. Reducing weight on vehicles is a key factor for increasing the sustainability and profitability of fleet operations.
The Association of European Wheel Manufacturers, or EUWA, shares that STARCO has become its latest member. The EUWA officially welcomed STARCO at its 31st General Assembly, which took place in Valencia in May.
Don’t Touch Racing Team win the last race of the recent Truck Racing Championship event at the Hungaroring. The winning vehicle was equipped with Speedline Truck wheels. Speedline Truck, Ronal Group’s truck wheel brand, is the official sponsor of the Berlin-based “Don’t Touch Racing” team in the current FIA European Truck Racing Championship season.
When tourists visit Croatia, they don’t come to Beli Manastir. The sleepy town of around 8,000 inhabitants is about as distant as you can get from Croatia’s bustling beach resorts and still stay within the country’s borders. But Beli Manastir’s lack of package holiday cred doesn’t matter a jot to STARCO – instead of bringing the world to Beli Manastir, it is taking Beli Manastir to the world.
Donghyun Jin has always been a big city lad, but of late he’s downsized. From Seoul and its population of ten million to a village of 3,850 in Germany’s Black Forest. Donghyun Jin, senior director of the Manufacturing division at NICE Holdings (majority shareholder of the BBS Group since 2015) arrived in the village of Schiltach as interim chief executive officer of BBS in order to navigate the alloy wheel manufacturer through the turbulent waters of Dieselgate and the introduction of WLTP.
During the first half of 2019, Manchester-based commercial wheel services company MWheels has been implementing an evolutionary process to change its target. The company has sought to position itself differently within its markets; from a UK wheel distributor campaigning for legislative input on wheel safety, to a European provider of wheels and wheel services designed to make commercial operators more aware of the safety and business implications of fitting and maintaining the most suitable products for their fleets. “The last four months,” chief executive officer Matthew Mardle tells Tyres & Accessories, “have been a big success in following through on the strategies” implemented since the changes in leadership at the helm of the company in January – Mardle was appointed CEO, while company founder John Ellis took up a new position as chairman – and, in the longer term, since the company opened its European operation, MWheels GmbH, in Germany.
The USA has determined the rate of anti-dumping and countervailing duties it will charge on steel commercial vehicle wheels imported from China, and the levels set are high. This month, the US Department of Commerce announced final anti-dumping duties of 231.7 per cent and countervailing duties of 457.1 per cent.
MWheels has launched the Wheel Awareness and Security Fleet Training programme. The classes will be delivered by renowned industry instructor, Phil Thirsk. The Manchester-based wheel services provider said that the new programme represents a new phase for its approach to commercial vehicle wheel safety. For many years, MWheels (formerly known as Motor Wheel Service Distribution) has campaigned for greater legislative support in ensuring the safety of wheels fitted to commercial vehicles, culminating in a change to EU law, which saw wheels categorised as a safety critical item. It has also collaborated with Michelin Training Centre to improve wheel safety knowledge within the industry. The announcement of the programme coincides with a wheel-loss incident receiving front-page coverage on the BBC website, in which a loose lorry wheel collided with a vehicle on the opposite side of the M6 Motorway in Lanacashire.
The Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) has welcomed The Wheel Specialist on board, as it becomes the latest in a recent flurry of aftermarket names to sign up.
Aluminium wheel manufacturer Superior Industries International, Inc. has appointed a permanent successor to Don Stebbins, who retired as the company’s president and chief executive officer at the end of last year. Majdi B. Abulaban will start in both roles on 15 May 2019, taking over from executive chairman, Timothy McQuay, who assumed all Stebbins’ duties once the latter’s departure was announced.
MWheels has launched a new generation of 9.00×22.5 Xlite and Xbrite forged aluminium wheels. The wheels are available in two ten-stud variations, designed for 295/60R22.5, 315/60R22.5, 315/70R22.5 and 315/80R22.5 tyres. Both have a load capacity of 4,125kg, have been TÜV tested, and gained KBA approval. The 26mm stud hole variant weighs 25.9kg and the 32mm 25.7kg. Like all Xlite and Xbrite wheels the new models carry a five-year warranty.
A 7.2-million-euro investment will lift capacity at the STARCO wheel manufacturing facility in Croatia by 75 per cent over the coming four years. This demand-driven increase covers a range of wheel types, including pressed, spun, made-to-measure and dual wheels. The company comments that most of the investment will take place during the first year.
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