Atlas Copco on Forbes innovation list
Atlas Copco has been included on a list of the world’s 100 most innovative companies, published by business magazine Forbes.
Atlas Copco has been included on a list of the world’s 100 most innovative companies, published by business magazine Forbes.
Corghi aimed to fuse form and substance when it launched the REMO clampless wheel aligner at the recent Automechanika exhibition in Germany. According to the company, the flagship product “sets a new technological benchmark for the entire segment.”
The automated capabilities of the Artiglio MasterCode also reportedly received acclaim, acknowledged as a decisive step towards automating the entire tyre mounting and demounting process.
In a recent press release, Italian machinery manufacturer Corghi declared that ‘revolution’ is occurring. This particular upheaval is taking place in the alignment business; on 21 January this year, after a six-year development period, Corghi released the R.E.M.O. – short for Robotic Equipment for Measuring by Optics. The R.E.M.O., whose name is also a nod to Corghi co-founder the late Remo Corghi, was conceived in response to the need to avoid all contact between a vehicle’s rim and an aligner’s clamps during measurement. Corghi says R.E.M.O. meets this goal completely, using artificial vision technology to measure toe-in, and complete 3D scanning of the wheel. This new product will be on display at Corghi’s Automechanika 2012 stand next week.
This year's Tyre & Fast Fit Awards are proving as popular as ever, with votes reaching the NTDA thick and fast, both by post and online. Voting ends on 14 September, so if you haven't yet voted for the main categories click on the link below, or copy this link into your address bar: http://www.ntda.co.uk/taff_voting_form.html.
The Independent Garage Association (IGA) is offering to help its members set up websites in order to increase trade. Stuart James, RMI IGA Director, explained: "Offering our members a website is helping to bring additional business into their workshops and is an opportunity to market their garage to the modern consumer."
A recent IGA survey discovered that thousands of garages are missing out on one of the most effective, efficient and up-to-date ways of promoting their business due to not having a website.
With European tyre labelling set to become mandatory on truck tyres in a matter of weeks, Tyres & Accessories published some 20 pages of in-depth coverage on what this all means for the market in last month’s August edition. Nevertheless we barely scratched the surface and one has to admit that the majority of tyre labelling reporting leans towards the passenger car side of things.
Those interested in getting to grips with the latest advances in Hunter alignment and wheel balance technology may do well to give Pro-Align a call. The wheel equipment specialist says it will soon hold a series of regional events; titled ‘A Service Vision of Tomorrow, Today!’, these are aimed at demonstrating the newest additions to the Hunter range in a workshop environment.
Wheel alignment specialist Pro-Align says it is enjoying one of its most successful years ever, and to accommodate this it is expanding its administration and sales departments. Five new employees have joined the team at Pro-Align’s Towcester head-office which serves as a hub for its UK operations. They are; aftersales administrator Sophie Yeates, sales administrator Claire Simpson, accounts assistant Beverley Shepherd, marketing assistant Alastair King, while regional sales support is boosted by Stacey Hawkes.
ATS Euromaster is placing a major emphasis on growing its service, maintenance and repair sector skills for cars and light commercial vehicle technicians. Partnering with the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) – a professional association for individuals working in the automotive sector – ATS-E’s technical services team has designed a range of new courses in the sector. The IMI has fully accredited the new courses, which cover subjects such as car and van tyre fitment, air conditioning servicing, vehicle diagnostics, battery fitment, wheel alignment, scheduled maintenance servicing, brakes, steering, suspension and exhausts.
Ceat Ltd says it has “aggressive growth plans” for its Indian retail network, and as part of this the tyre maker opened its first outlet in the country’s largest city yesterday. The first Ceat Shoppe to enter operation in Mumbai was officially inaugurated by controversial politician Abu Azmi, Maharashtra Samajwadi Party state president, along with Ceat executive director Arnab Banerjee.
Tyre, fast-fit and service, maintenance and repair (SMR) specialist, ATS Euromaster has appointed Peter Tye to the role of Group Operations director – Retail, and Columba Zaal as Group Operations director – Comprehensive. The company describes the appointments it’s a restructuring of its senior operations team, with Tye and Zaal replacing former Group Operations director Chris Hufflett, who has left ATS-E “to pursue opportunities outside the tyre industry”, according to the company. Tye has a strong record with franchises, joining the company having held senior franchise and operational roles within the Volkswagen Group at Audi and SEAT, and more recently at Goodyear Dunlop, where he was responsible for the development and growth of the HiQ franchise network from 20 to 150 sites. Zaal joined ATS-E in July 2009 on the retail side of the Group’s Operations; his new role will shift his focus to the commercial vehicle side of the business.
Now that its part of the MOT to fail cars that have warning lamps showing garages stand to gain extra work by not only diagnosing the problem but fixing it. That’s why Butts of Bawtry have released a new tool designed specifically for this task – the MOTpro.
Leading garage suppliers including Apaseal/Pang, DQN, Haweka UK, Hofmann Megaplan, Rema Tip Top Automotive and Supertracker will be demonstrating their latest technology at Brityrex in October.
Continental says it has expanded its research and development centre in Hanover-Stöcken and installed a new facility that can inspect the insides of passenger car and commercial vehicle tyres more quickly and efficiently. The advantage offered by the LINAC (Linear Electronic Accumulation) computer tomography facility, says Conti, is that it enables internal tyre components to be tested under conditions that replicate on-road driving conditions.
Continental Tyres has introduced new visual alignment indicators (VAI) on two long distance truck tyre sizes; the first time such indicators have become available on truck tyres in Europe. The VAIs aim to show operators incorrect wheel alignment on trucks and trailers more easily and without the use of expensive electronic measuring systems. Conti says the system should help fleet operators to spot excessive positive or negative camber angles or too much toe-in or toe-out, all of which can decrease tyre life through uneven wear and increase fuel consumption. Early detection through a simple visual check can be carried out as part of a routine maintenance inspection.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.