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Winter Tyres

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Van den Ban – ready for the next 40 years

In August 2009 Dutch wholesaler Van den Ban Autobanden opened its new ‘Logistic Tyre Centre’ in the town of Hellevoetsluis. Those seeking a detailed description of the hi-tech warehouse facility can find it in the March 2010 edition of Tyres & Accessories, yet it is definitely worth mentioning that the material handling system used is without parallel in the tyre industry and enables the fully automated and mechanised internal transport, sorting and order picking of all tyres housed within the 24,000 square metre building; last year it smoothly dispatched more than 5,0 million tyres to customers throughout the region. Back when the centre opened, construction work on Van den Ban’s new administrative headquarters was underway on an adjacent greenfield site; last October this new head office building officially opened, marking the conclusion of Van den Ban’s two-stage expansion project. The wholesaler says it is now fully equipped to take on the ever evolving market and any challenges it may bring.

4th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear introduces UltraGrip 8 winter tyre at Brand Event

Alongside the launch of the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 at Goodyear's brand event in Seville was the introduction of the eighth generation of Goodyear's UlraGrip cold weather tyre range. “The confusion surrounding winter tyres must be resolved,” says Gerrit Huysmans of Belgium’s Association of Tyre Manufacturers, FederAuto, a statement that Jean-Pierre Jeusette, Goodyear’s director of tyre technology for consumer tyres in EMEA, agrees: “What the consumer often doesn’t know is that winter tyres are developed using very specific rubber compounds that perform much better at lower temperatures… Add to that the fact that the tread pattern of winter tyres is also optimised for maximum grip as well as water and slush evacuation, and you begin to understand why there is a very real difference in performance.” A search for “winter tyres” on tyrepress.com would suggest that the fierce European winters of the last two years have increased knowledge of speciality cold weather considerably; the latest figures suggest the market volume has risen 20 per cent in that time, with a marked increase in the UK – often considered to have more growth room than any comparable country.

3rd March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Deldo ready for the coming year

We’ve just emerged from a season that saw winter tyre sales go through the roof, and the word from many within the wholesale and retail industry is that if you couldn’t make a profit selling tyres during the winter of 2010/11, you really should find yourself a new vocation. Belgium based wholesaler Deldo Autobanden N.V. needn’t worry; it says that the winter season and 2010 in general was “very good” for the company – and not just because of its strong winter tyre sales. When speaking with Tyres & Accessories, Deldo international sales and marketing manager Rutger Veerman shared that last year the wholesaler built upon a recent pattern of growth, and is continuing to do so.

3rd March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Euromaster: pan-European cold weather tyre demand reaches “all time high”

It was widely predicted that the winter, or cold weather tyre market would experience growth in Europe this winter; indeed, the question turned from whether there would be growth to how much of a leap this winter would see. The Euromaster Group has now announced that demand for cold weather tyres across Europe saw volumes reach an all-time high. Its sales alone of the high-grip seasonal car and van fitments exceeded 1.5 million units for the first time, rising by 20 per cent from 1.4 million in 2009 to 1.68 million in 2010. In the UK, volumes sold by ATS Euromaster have risen over the past two winters by 955 per cent.

2nd March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti reports global growth in winter, OEM sectors

On March 3 Continental AG will hold its annual press conference, at which it will provide detailed information on its performance in 2010, a year in which the automotive supplier says it emerged from the crisis “in impressively good shape.” The company has already reported an increase in annual sales from 20 billion euros in 2009 to “at least” 25.5 billion euros last year, a figure helped by the “positive performance” of the company’s car tyre division.

2nd March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental: Car patterns to feature on 4×4 tyres

When it comes to the development of the 4×4 tyre segment, there are still two sides to the market, according to a Continental UK analysis. But on one side at least there are clear signs of the car-ification of 4×4 tyre line, something that has developed in parallel with continued purchase of SUV type four wheelers.

25th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Latest Nokian WR aimed at growing Central European market

According to Nokian Tyres, around 50 million winter passenger car tyres were sold in Central Europe in 2010 – 16 per cent more than the previous year. The Finnish tyre maker’s latest product – the third generation of its ‘WR’ series – is targeted directly at this growing market. This time round two versions of the Nokian WR, each with its own tread pattern, are available: the economy focused WR D3 is intended for medium-sized and small family cars, while the WR A3 is optimised for larger and more powerful vehicles and places a stronger emphasis on driving response at higher speeds.

18th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

ATS-E pledges winter tyre stock for customer support

ATS Euromaster has released a statement saying that it will continue to have winter tyre stock, in contrast with reports elsewhere that the UK’s supplies have run dry. ATS-E has committed to “ring-fencing supplies to support existing fleets using the high-grip seasonal fitment”, according to a statement made today. “We will not sell every cold weather tyre on our shelves by the end of March – and that’s deliberately so,” says Peter Fairlie, group sales director at ATS-E.

17th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook, Goodyear, Yokohama winners at Tire Technology awards

The products and activities of three tyre makers have been acknowledged at the Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence 2011. This year’s awards were presented at a ceremony in Cologne, Germany on February 16 and saw Hankook Tire take the Tire Manufacturer of the Year award and Goodyear the award for Tire Technology of the Year. Last but not least was the Yokohama Rubber Company, whose award was for Environmental Achievement of the Year. Also acknowledged were Oerlikon Saurer and CureSense, who respectively received the Tire Industry Supplier of the Year and Tire Manufacturing Innovation of the Year awards.

17th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

MSP calls for Highland community nurses to get winter tyres

Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has called for community nurses working in rural parts of the Scottish Highlands to be provided winter tyres as standard in the colder months.

Currently the nurses have to pay for the tyres themselves under car leasing agreements. Ms Grant, the Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Highlands and Islands said it was "ludicrous" nurses were having to foot the bill.

16th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Sumitomo Rubber warns on earnings, to raise prices 7%

Sumitomo Rubber Industries announced full year 2010 results and issued a profit warning on 9 February, but analysts warned that while positive sales projections look conservative the firm may have underestimated raw material costs as well. During the last financial year, higher raw materials prices reportedly cut earnings by 30.6 billion yen year-on-year and yen appreciation had an adverse impact to the tune of 5.0 billion. While higher selling prices boosted profits by 8.9 billion yen and volume/composition is said to have given a 39.8 billion yen boost. Higher productivity also contributed to earnings.

16th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Parry’s International reports reduced sound, increased mileage with Continental tyres

Walsall based Parry’s International’s transport manager Mark Ramsden has reported a marked reduction in noise levels and a softer ride from coaches fitted with Continental’s HSL and HDL tyres, took careful note. Parry’s International runs an 11-strong fleet is made up of 14-metre, tri-axle Van Hool T917 Astron touring coaches specified to the highest level of luxury and its latest investment is worth in the region of half a million pounds.

“We had been using another premium tyre brand but supply problems led Van Hool to ask us if they could fit Continentals,” Ramsden explained, adding: “This provided an opportunity to compare performance and we were immediately impressed. Our drivers said that they noticed a significant lowering of noise levels and they also felt that the overall ride was better.

10th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Don’t put tyre purchases on the backburner – Delticom

Online tyre retailer Delticom has referred to passenger car tyres as the new “black gold” and comments that these guarantors of vehicular safety and mobility can now very often only be obtained at far higher prices than in 2010. Discussing the issue, Delticom AG CEO Rainer Binder makes it clear that “car drivers are likely facing drastic price increases in 2011.” Binder elaborates that “raw material prices are virtually exploding. Many manufacturers purchase the raw materials needed for tyre production months in advance. The drastic increase in raw material prices in the last few weeks will thus become noticeable in retail prices after a time lag. But further substantial price increases are expected in the course of the year. Against this backdrop I can only urge drivers who need new tyres to buy them now and not put purchasing tyres on the back burner.”

10th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Survey points to wide support for winter tyre laws

A survey carried out by car supermarket Motorpoint indicates a healthy level of support for mandatory winter tyres in the UK. More than 1,400 people responded to the online study and 46 per cent of these expressed support for the introduction of legislation that would compel motorists to fit winter tyres. Commenting on the subject, Motorpoint managing director David Shelton said “while Government legislation may be a step too far at present, given the shocking state of our roads during the recent bad weather, winter tyres could be a sound investment for many people in the future.”

9th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Japanese Consumers Facing Fresh Bridgestone Price Rise

On February 9 Bridgestone Corporation announced an additional price increase for the tyres, tubes and flaps it sells in the Japanese replacement market. These increases will take effect on June 1 and come on top of the December 2010 announced truck and bus tyre price rise to be implemented on March 1, 2011. The latest increases apply to both summer and winter tyres and are eight per cent for passenger car, light truck and motorcycle tyres, 15 per cent for OTR tyres for construction and mining vehicles, ten per cent for other kinds of tyres (including those used on industrial vehicles and agricultural equipment) and ten per cent for tubes and flaps.

9th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors