Tyres & Accessories | October 2013 by Tyres Industry Publications Ltd

Tyres & Accessories October 2013

October 2013

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Ready to move the Earth MITAS ERL-30 / ERD-30

EXCELLENT TRACTION & GRIP > DEEPEST TREAD PATTERN

PUNCTURE RESISTANCE > ALL STEEL CONSTRUCTION

HIGHER DRIVING COMFORT > EXTRA STABILITY

EXCELLENT SELF-CLEANING CAPABILITY > IMPROVED TREAD PATTERN DESIGN

LOWER FUEL CONSUMPTION > REDUCED ROLLING RESISTANCE

Mitas ERL-30 for loaders, dozers and graders

Mitas ERD-30 for dumpers and scrapers

Mitas ERL-30 / ERD-30: innovative radial tyres for wheel loaders, dozers, graders, dumpers and scrapers designed for stone, gravel and sand surfaces. e deepest and most resistant tread pattern in the L-3 / E-3 category, with a large contact area and new tread pattern design ensuring improved traction and excellent driving comfort. Furthermore lower fuel consumption and a resistant construction suitable for retreading also make Mitas ERL-30 / ERD-30 tyres a positive beneﬁt for your business. Find out more at www.mitas-tyres.com Mitas Tyres Ltd., Unit 6, Bergen Way Business Park, North Lynn Industrial Estate, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 2DD, UK Phone: +44 1553 817 741, E-mail: sales@mitas-tyres.com

EDITORIAL

@ sign of the times NO ONE CAN DENY that computers are now an integral part of the way we live and work. With the advent of mobile Internet connectivity – especially in the context of social media – they have become a central part of most of our lives. With this comes both an Orwellian suspicion of what people/corporations/ governments might do with this data and the biggest opportunity yet to put your products and services in front of the right people. While the purpose of wellestablished media gatekeepers has been challenged by easier than ever information sharing, new quality and relevance measures have entered the market to help navigate the informational maelstrom. These track and evaluate what is somewhat ironically called “social influence”. Of course it is not a literal measure of either real social interactions or by the same token “real” influence (whatever that is). It is rather a collation and calculation of our online lives. Understand how popular, interacted with and far reaching these are and you have a fair idea of the “value” of a particular contact – all summed up in between two and three significant digits. So how is the tyre industry fairing when it comes to social influence? Regular readers of Tyres & Accessories will know that we produce an annual feature analysing developments in the online tyre business. This is usually published in the October edition. True to form, our coverage of the latest research into online brand equity as well as discussions and analysis of the latest trends in the market begins on page 32 of this issue. For the last two of three years, this feature also included our appropriately “meta-” analysis of the available analyses. This has meant collating and averaging the results of between two and three of the best known social influence metrics – Klout, PeerIndex and Kred. In essence we adopted a kind of “big data” approach in order to get both a broad and fair representation of how some of the best known names in the tyre business are reaching customers. This year, new data privacy policies from one of the three companies and tighter data governance at a second has made this much more difficult. Add in the fact that our previous reports ruffled feathers amongst some who couldn't understand why one brand's low budget approach outperformed that of an agency retained to connect with the right people and you even more reason to obfuscate the data from interested eyes such as ours. As a result the 2013 research could not completely collate results from all three metrics in every case. Indeed we could only get reliable measurements

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

across the board using the Klout system this year. Therefore we are left with a set of data that is more indicative than it is empirical. However it does provoke an interesting discussion when you see that last year's winner @Goodyear_UK appears to have fallen back to fourth place. Sure, the fact that neither its PeerIndex nor its Kred scores can any longer be validated means its doesn't have the inflating factor offered by Kred to the other competitors, but the strong sowing of this year's one and two (@MichelinTyres and @ContiUK) look likely to have most to do with it. Across the same two metrics, this year's leading social tyre brands averaged 71.65 and 67.3 respectively when our research was conducted in July. Both were some way off next best @DunlopLive with 62.6 and further still away from @Goodyear_UK (53). Considering the size and scope of the world's largest tyremaker, it was surprising to see @BridgestoneTyre follow on after these with 52.25. However, it has to be said that this is marked improvement on last year (although it must be noted that we used a different combination of metrics this time). Nevertheless, when comparing Klout alone it is clear that @BridgestoneTyre has improved by over 20 per cent from its score of 36 in 2012 to 44 in 2013. With our own research showing that more than half of the respondents to our December 2012 “Question of Month” saying they use social media for business purposes, we at Tyres & Accessories have been aware of the relevance of this phenomenon for some time. And that's why we can't help but throw in a plug for our newly re-launched tyrepress.com. However, while any such investment is by its nature – and indeed like any Fourth Bridge painting endeavour – ongoing, we cannot call it complete without the input of esteemed customers, subscribers and readers. So, thank you to all those that have offered support and feedback already. For any more that would like to add to this, our mailbox is always open: theeditor@tyrepress.com. Or there's always, to practice the social media significance I have just preached, @tyrepress

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October 2013

Contents

80 Features

News • EDITORIAL @ sign of the times

• NEWS IN BRIEF • NTDA NEWS

• MOTORSPORT 3 6 12

• UK TYRE MARKET NTDA, mytyres labelling survey ATS-Euromaster flagship centre

Has Pirelli secured 5 years in F1

• ONLINE TYRE BUSINESS 40

• PRODUCT INFORMATION All-rounders top winter tyre test OE business update

66 68

• INTERNATIONAL TYRE MARKET 18 22

• COMPANY NEWS

Hankook opens Indonesia plant Yokohama US groundbreaking

• CAREER TRACKS

84 87

Michelin prominence dominance Can B2B and B2C be compared?’ Delticom buys Tirendo

32 34 36

• WHOLESALE KRT adapts brand strategy 46 Micheldever Kumho brand manager 50 Shipping costs continue to fall 62

• IAA MOTOR SHOW REVIEW

• CITEXPO REVIEW

Pirelli Calendar anniversary 24 Conti, Bridgestone Euro investments 26

93 Classifieds – 94 Advertisers’ Index – 95 Web Directory – 98 Preview – 98 Impressum

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TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

Feel safe. Feel free. Feel Apollo tyres. Choose for the safety of Apollo premium winter tyres with 2 years of unconditional warranty*. *Conditions apply

apollotyres.com

NEWS IN BRIEF

Michelin launches agri tyre pressure calculator Michelin has launched an optimum tyre pressure calculator for tractors, harvesters, sprayers and trailers, which is available at www.michelinagricultural-tyres.co.uk. Michelin reports that it has developed the tool to help farm machinery operators get the maximum performance out of their tyres. Mike Lawton, commercial director of Michelin’s Agricultural tyre division in the UK and Ireland, says: “Everywhere in Europe, farm machines must be adaptable. Throughout the crop cycle, they have to operate with different attachments and trailers under weights and conditions of use that differ considerably from one season to another. It is little wonder, therefore, that tyre pressures can vary significantly depending on the type of use or configuration.” cja

STL announces 2013 Tire Technology Seminar Standards Testing Laboratories (STL) will host Tyre Technology 2013, between 15-17 October at the company’s Massillon, Ohio headquarters. According to the company, STL’s Tire Technology Seminar is twoand-a-half-day educational program providing a basic yet comprehensive overview of the tyre industry’s technology, including compounding and manufacturing, tyre and wheel design and construction, tyre testing and evaluation, materials, tyre nomenclature and application. It is designed to benefit attendees ranging from those seeking general knowledge of the design, construction, materials and performance of tyres to advanced tyre engineers. cja

Pirelli tops tyre sector in sustainability index for 7th year PIRELLI HAS BEEN NOMINATED THE WORLD LEADER in the ATX Auto Components sector of the Dow Jones Sustainability World and Dow Jones Sustainability Europe indices, with a score of 85 points compared with a sector average of 51 points. It is the seventh consecutive year that Pirelli has topped the tyre sector in this respect. The results of the annual Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) review were announced today by S&P Dow Jones Indices, one of the world’s largest providers of financial market indices, and RobecoSAM, the investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing. Launched in 1999, the DJSI were the first global indices to track the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. The DJSI follow a best-in-class approach, including companies across all industries that outperform their peers in numerous sustainability metrics. The sustainable performance evaluation comprises the 2,500 companies with the largest free-float on the S&P Global Broad Market Index and 59 relative sectors in 25 countries. cja

Uniwheels OE on new Audi A8 Hybrid Uniwheels’ has been selected to provide OE wheels for the new Audi A8 Hybrid. The contract sees Uniwheels provide its “19-inch hybrid aluminium wheel”, which is said to offer an exclusive aerodynamic design. According to the company, the most advanced technologies are used to manufacture this alloy wheel in a turbine-style design. This means the weight-reducing flow-forming method and the challenging undercut machining to the classy 4EE-bicolor gloss finish. With its aero-dynamic efficient design and with its slanted spokes this high-tech wheel also contributes to the improved consumption in premium hybrid vehicles thanks to a favourable cw-value. Volkswagen Group obviously recognises the efforts that go into Uniwheels’ products as the company has been a supplier to the well-known German carmaker for some time. As Ralf Schmid, CEO of Uniwheelss says: „We expect to deliver over a million alloy wheels to Audi for almost all car models this year and thus our existing leading position in the challenging OEM market will continue to consolidate“. cja

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TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Hankook OE on BMW 5 series Hankook’s high performance Ventus S1 evo2 tyre is being fitted as OE on BMW 520i, 528i, 530i, 535i and 520d models. The size of tyre is 225/55R 17W. This is the fourth model from the BMW group which has Hankook as original equipment; the others are: Mini, BMW 1 series and 3 series and the fact that Hankook are equipping such high-end vehicles „confirms our position as a globallyrecognised manufacturer of high performance premium tyres“ says Jin-Wook Choi, Hankook Tire President and COO for Europe. The Ventus S1 evo2 is designed for drivers of high performance cars, who expect sport performance with no compromise in road noise, comfort or rolling resistance. In producing the tyre, Hankook drew on the experience it has gained as exclusive tyre partner to the renowned DTM touring car series. It features what Hankook calls its ‘Kontrol Technology’; derived from ‘Kinetic Control’, this is described by the tyre maker as „reflecting the best possible controllability of the interaction between the driver, the vehicle and the road by the tyres during the journey.“ pg

Finalists chosen in Miss Yokohama contest The Miss Yokohama beauty pageant has a long tradition in the Swiss automotive industry and 2013 marks the 12th year of the contest.The winner not only spends a year as brand ambassador for the tyre brand, attending various functions and trade shows, but also wins a car and other prizes, such as a photoshoot. Auditions were held a week ago and 15 finalists were selected. Miss Yokohama 2013 will be chosen at an all-star event at the PostFinance Arena, Bern, on September 14th. pg

Trax supplying OE wheel weights for new US Ford Transit British firm Trax JH Ltd, the second largest wheel balance weight manufacturer in Europe, has been selected to supply wheel weights for the new Ford Transit to be built in Kansas City, USA. Widely known in Europe, the Transit will be new to North America and is expected to be sold as the “T” series. The model will be launched in 2014. According to the company, product design is what gave Trax the technical advantage over its US-based competitors. To this end the Transit weight incorporates the CAM-BACK feature, which was invented by Trax to significantly improve balance weight retention. Company representatives explained that balance weight retention reliability is essential to ensure no warranty claims caused by weights sliding on the rims or falling off in use. Trax has been a supplier to Ford in Europe for over 10 years and is reportedly pleased to have been selected to now also supply weights in North America. Managing director, John Hallé, said that the company has always been at the forefront of balance weight design and it is excellent news that investments in product design are leading to new global markets. cja

Bridgestone OE on Ferrari F12berlinetta Bridgestone has developed a new super sports car tyre, the Potenza S007, as original equipment for the 2013 Ferrari F12berlinetta. The tyre size is 255/35 ZR 20 and the S007 will be fitted on the F12berlinetta in conventional and Run-Flat Technology tyres.. The S007 tyres have been developed especially for high speed sporty vehicles, requiring extreme levels of lateral force due to their sporty setup. The pattern features rigid pattern blocks for superior steering response and optimum grip on dry surfaces. The wide outside tread, in combination with specially tuned carcass construction, provide maximum cornering grip, even under the most severe load conditions. The new Ferrari F12berlinetta certainly throws up challenges for tyre designers. It goes from 0-200 km/h in 8,5 seconds and has a top speed of over 340 km/h. Bridgestone engineers developed the Potenza S007 using construction and materials technologies developed during Bridgestone’s 14 seasons as official FIA Formula One tyre supplier. To meet Ferrari’s specifications for improved fuel efficiency, these technologies were combined with Bridgestone’s advanced knowledge of tyres at the molecular level, helping to optimise the mixture ratio and reaction between carbon, silica and rubber, which reduces rolling resistance and fuel consumption. “Bridgestone is very proud to continue its long-standing partnership with Ferrari and be selected to develop a tyre for the most powerful Ferrari series road car ever produced” says Edwin Van der Stad, Director Sales, Consumer Business Unit, Bridgestone Europe.

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TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

NEXEN TYRE Corporation London Branch 17 Douglas Road - Kingston Upon Thames - Greater London KT1 3PX - UK Tel: 0208 546 9948 - Phone: 07919 222 837

Distributor Stapletonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tyre Services Ltd. - Fourth Avenue Letchworth - Herts - SG6 2TT - U.K. Tel: 0870 60 54321

NEWS IN BRIEF The hardest P Zero Orange and White F1 tyres were most recently allocated at Monza for the Italian grand prix

Pirelli nominates F1 tyre compounds for Korea, Japan and India

THIS?

REMEMBER

Stories from the past 20 years of T&A

October 1993 Bad economic news; the half-year results from Continental, Michelin and Yokohama Rubber all revealed a fall in turnover and profits. Renault and Volvo announced that the two groups were to merge.

October 1998 J. J. M. Baudoin and R. H. Oudshoorn were appointed joint managing directors of Vredestein NV, following the retirement of Peter Wiersema. Michelin bought Colombian tyre manufacturer Icollantas.

October 2003 Indian manufacturer MRF signed up three cricketing legends to promote its tyres; Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh and Brian Lara. Still waiting: the NTDA called on its sister associations in Europe to campaign for a change in tread depth legislation. The proposed change was a minimum of 2mm for, S, T and H-rated tyres and 3mm for faster speed ratings.

October 2008 Bothe Goodyear and Michelin announced plans to increase their tyre production in Poland. Sumitomo Rubber was set to buy the Thailand tyre manufacturing plant of Taiwanese manufacturer Hwa Fong Rubber for the equivalent of £12.5 million.

PIRELLI HAS ANNOUNCED its tyre compound nominations for the forthcoming grands prix in Korea, Japan and India. The P Zero White medium tyre is present for all three events – it seems likely that Monaco will remain the only grand prix of 2013 at which it was not amongst Pirelli’s allocation. Each of the other three compounds will feature once, with the two hardest compounds deployed for the seventh time this season at Japan’s Suzuka. For Korea, the medium and supersoft tyres will be used. Pirelli says the surface tends to be slippery, with a wide variety of corners and some heavy braking areas. The medium tyre copes well with the wide-ranging demands of the circuit, while the supersoft is capable of generating the highest possible levels of traction on the slippery surface. At the Suzuka circuit in Japan, one of the most popular and historic tracks on the whole calendar, the P Zero Orange hard and P Zero White medium tyres have been chosen. These are designed to soak up the high-energy demands of rapid corners such as 130R and Spoon, which characterise the famous Japanese circuit. In India, which was new to the Formula One schedule in 2011, the P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft tyres are nominated. Pirelli says this combination has been selected to provide the best possible compromise between performance and durability at the Buddh International circuit, which is well-known for its big elevation changes and technically demanding corners. akb

Yokohama-equipped takes Malaysian endurance race hat-trick A car equipped with Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.’s global flagship „Advan“ racing tyre won the overall championship at the 12-hour Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race 2013 (MMER 2013) held during 29-31 August. This marks the third straight year that the race has been won by a car equipped with Yokohama tyres. The winning No. 7 car was a „Clearwater Racing“ Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 driven by Mok Weng Sun, Craig Baird, and Hiroshi Hamaguchi. In the preliminary race, the Yokohama-equipped Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 that won MMER in 2011 and 2012 came in first, with the runner-up spots taken by other Yokohama-equipped cars. In the final, the Yokohama-equipped No. 007 Aston Martin Vantage V8 GT3 and the No. 1 and No. 28 cars, both Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s set the pace in the early stages but those cars soon fell down the leaderboard. The race then became a threeway contest between the No. 7 car, the No.3 car, also a Ferrari 458, and the No. 23 Lamborghini LP560-4. The No. 3 car led for most of the night, but the No. 7 car took the lead shortly after dawn, built a big lead and took the chequered flag after completing a record 323 laps, beating the last years’ record. After the race, winning team driver Hiroshi Hamaguchi said, „The machine had great fuel efficiency and ran trouble-free. We installed soft tires for the night race, and they worked great. I felt very little grip loss even after running for 40 minutes.“ The Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race has been held each summer since 2000 as part of the celebrations commemorating Malaysia’s Independence Day on August 31. The race has drawn greater international attention each year and since 2012 has been open only to full-fledged racing cars, such as those meeting FIA GT3 standards. Participants include racing teams and drivers active in the world’s top-class endurance races. This year’s race included 13 cars, mostly FIA GT3-class, equipped with Yokohama tyres. cja

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TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

Yokohama HPT Ltd Dawson Road, Mount Farm, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK1 1QY Sales: 01908 625601 / 01908 625603

info@yokohama.co.uk www.yokohama.co.uk

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UK TYRE MARKET

RAC offering universal spare in conjunction with Dynomec and ATSE Following a rise in the number of manufacturers that fit emergency tyre inflation kits instead of spare wheels (not to mention those that fit run-flats as OE), Dynomec has introduced a 'universal' spare wheel in conjunction with the RAC. In addition the AA is said to have had a number of the wheels on a trial basis. Many cars now come with a tyre inflation kit as standard, as this saves a significant amount of weight and therefore helps overall CO2 emissions. Those with runflats often arrive without even this. Either way, the problem remains for the many drivers with inflation kits that some punctures or a complete blow-out can't be fixed with the tyre sealant systems. According to the RAC, in the 12 months up to August 2012, it responded to 87,000 breakdowns involving a puncture on a vehicle with no spare, and in the 12 months ending in August 2013 this increased to approximately 120,000. However the RAC claims Who has a spare tyre nowadays? its ‘universal’ spare wheel, which fits the majority of cars that don’t A recent AA-Populus sought to answer this have a spare wheel fitted as stanquestion and also revealed: with breakdowns more quickly and dard. RAC patrols will fit the wheel effectively. We are already seeing very quickly and liaise with the nearest • Only around half (54 per cent) have a full-size positive results from the trials and we ATS Euromaster centre on their spare in the boot expect the universal wheel to become behalf to find out what replace• 29 per cent have a space-saver ‘skinny’ spare an increasingly common sight on our ments are available. Payment can • Around one-in-ten (9 per cent) have a tyre roads.” be taken at the roadside by the sealant/inflation kit RAC patrol, ensuring the customer • 3 per cent have run-flat tyres can drive straight to ATS AA trials universal spare wheel too • 522 respondents (2 per cent) didn’t know Euromaster, or book a mobile fitwhat, if anything, they have in their boot. ting at their convenience. The RAC Following the launch, the AA reported will then arrange collection of the that it had become the latest motoring spare directly from ATS, avoiding any further hassle. organisation to be trialling the use of a 'universal spare wheel'. At Developed with specialist manufacturer Dynomec working the same time the company revealed data relating to spare tyre in partnership with tyre expert ATS Euromaster, the five-stud, usage. A survey of 22,827 AA members found that close to a 17-inch lightweight alloy multi-fit wheel fits a high proportion fifth (17 per cent) of members do not have a spare wheel in their of vehicles and will significantly cut down the time spent by car. Punctures and other tyre-related issues are the AA’s secondmembers at the roadside, often in potentially dangerous situati- most common call-out – after batteries – averaging 35,000 a ons such as on the hard shoulder of motorways. Trials are taking month or more than one in ten breakdowns. place in South West England and Northern Ireland with some Donald MacSporran, the AA’s head of technical, says, 200 patrols carrying the new wheel. “Although punctures are thankfully rare for most drivers, you Head of RAC technical operations Phil Ryan said: “The can’t beat the convenience of a spare wheel. If your car doesn’t Dynomec universal spare wheel demonstrates how the RAC is have one, we can sometimes perform a temporary repair at the at the forefront of providing innovative solutions to help our roadside or take the damaged wheel to a local tyre fitter but this individual members and business customers get back on the can take time. The ‘universal’ spare offers a more convenient road as quickly as possible after they break down. alternative by allowing you to drive to a local tyre depot yourself “We understand why motor manufacturers need to reduce or continue your journey with the minimum of fuss. The patrol the weight of their vehicles in order to make them more fuel will reclaim the spare from the tyre depot or it gets couriered efficient and to meet EU carbon dioxide emissions targets and back to us after you’ve finished with it.” removal of the spare wheel helps them to achieve this. “But The AA reports that, in the last 12 months alone, it has investdrivers should not suffer as a result, and in order to minimise the ed around £15 million in patrols’ training, equipment, technology disruption and inconvenience that punctures can cause, the uni- and vehicles. pg/cja versal spare wheel provides additional options for patrols to deal

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TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

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UK TYRE MARKET

More write-offs than ever on UK roads THOUSANDS OF MOTORISTS are driving potentially dangerous cars as the number of vehicles on the road that have previously been written off increases. The National Association of Bodyshops (NAB) has previously called on the Competition Commission to review their position on write-offs during an investigation into the private motor insurance market. However the Competition Commission say that they have no plans to review this further stating that despite the evidence they received during the investigation, they judged that writeoffs were an issue relating to the supply of used cars and not related to the provision of Private Motor Insurance and related goods and services. Frank Harvey, Head of NAB, commented: "The dangers caused by written-off vehicles making it back on to the road are very real and understandably cause great concern to all road users. NAB submitted evidence to the Competition Commission indicating that the consumers of used cars are often unable to detect when a vehicle has been in an accident,

This BMW has clearly seen better days, but according to the National Association of Bodyshops, thousands of motorists are on the roads in cars that have been in a similarly written-off state

or are able to assess the quality of repairs which have been conducted. As the insurance industry is responsible for the sale and disposal of most write-offs to vehicle salvage operators and also all repaired write-off vehicles must be insured before they are returned to the road, NAB believes that this is an issue that should fall under the Private Motor Insurance investigation. "NAB believes consumer detriment extends beyond the purchase of previously written off vehicles that have been subject of 'ringing' or those that have been The Institute of Advanced Motorists has issued a tyre maintenance warning to UK unsatisfactorily repaired. Ringing is when drivers after a total of 3,852 tyre-related incidents were reported on England's motora vehicle is stolen that matches the details ways between April and the end of June 2013. This average of 1,284 per month is a of a written off vehicle and the written off result of motorists often putting off tyre repairs to save on costs, IAM says, though it is vehicle's identity is used to mask the stoactually cheaper to replace worn or damaged tyres where necessary, rather than wailen vehicle's identity, thus attempting to ting to face a burst tyre and having to be towed off the motorway. legitimise the stolen vehicle which is then As part of its Motorway Month campaign, the IAM offers the PACT – standing for sold to an unsuspecting purchaser. Performance, Air Pressure, Condition and Tread depth – advice for motorists on how to Written-off vehicles not only place other keep their tyres in check. IAM chief examiner Peter Rodger said: “Regular tyre checks motorists and pedestrians at risk but also are the best way to keep on top of maintenance and avoid those nasty surprises both result in further insurance claims which to your vehicle and to your wallet. then lead to an overall escalation in insuBut one day you could become one of the thousands unlucky enough to experience rance premiums. a tyre-related breakdown, so having a dry-run of changing your tyre at home can prove "NAB urges the Competition very useful and will mean you needn't rely so heavily on breakdown services, getting Commission to undertake further investiyou back on the road quicker.” gations into write-offs to make certain that Incidents contribute to delays which cost the economy billions of pounds each year. consumer safety is protected by ensuring According to the Highways Agency's national satisfaction survey, carried out between a history of vehicles that have been repairApril 2012 and the end of March 2013, only 53 per cent of respondents say they regued is made available. If the Competition larly check their tyre pressure. Commission still feels that this does not Stuart Lovatt from the Highways Agency said: “Nobody wants to start their holiday fall within their remit we would welcome off by having a breakdown that leads to them having to extend their journey time. By any guidance on which government checking that tyres are still in good condition, drivers are helping to avoid incidents and departments would be best placed to the risk of delays, not only to their own journey but to those of other drivers.” akb investigate these matters." pg

IAM: 3,852 tyre-related motorway incidents in 2Q 2013

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TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

THE UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE You support your team, and Hankook Tire supports your spirit

The premium UHP tyre for dramatic performance Ensure optimum balance on both wet and dry surfaces through triple layered block design and cooling system.

Hankook Tyre UK Ltd, Fawsley Drive, Heartlands Business Park, Daventry, Northamptonshire NN11 8UG Tel: +44 1327 304 100 Fax: +44 1327 304 110

www.hankooktyres.co.uk

UK TYRE MARKET

NTDA and mytres.co.uk announce labelling surveys Are labels trumped by price concerns? ALMOST

A YEAR AFTER POINT OF SALE TYRE LABELLING BECAME MANDATORY IN EUROPE, the NTDA has revealed that it

res.co.uk explained the background to tyre labelling before going on to explain that company is interested in learning more about what consumers themselves think of it. “To allow us to evaluate what significance Labelling has been with us for a year, so soon two surveys will report what – if any – affect this legislation you attribute to the has had on the market label's three criteria when deciding which summer and all-season tyres to buy, we kindly ask you to share out a total of 10 stars across these criteria in the following assessment form. Give the most points to the criterion that is most important for you. The assessment scale runs from "0" for irrelevant to "10" for very important,” the email read. It is interesting to note that company asked about consumers’ views on labelling with regard to the purchase of summer and allseason tyres. Winter tyres, which routinely perform poorly in labelling assessments due to the ambient temperatures required for the test environment being above winter products’ optimum levels, are noticeable by their absence. cja

plans to release the details of a survey into attitudes towards labelling at the association’s annual dinner in October. Nearly 12 months since the labelling of tyres at the point of sale became mandatory across the EU and the UK, the NTDA wondered what effect, if any, it has had on the way tyres are sold – have customers become better informed and more knowledgeable? Are they aware of the introduction of the label? Do they appreciate the information on it? And how important is this relative to price? According to the NTDA, some sections of the tyre industry were enthusiastic about the introduction, hailing it as something that would fundamentally change motorists’ attitudes towards tyres. The survey’s questions asked whether or not the customer asked for the information in the first place and what value he placed on the information on the label and on the advice given by the tyre dealer. While the headline figures will be revealed in October, one detail has been released. The first question asks ‘what is the most important factor for a customer to buy tyres?’ and early results are that more than 70 per cent of respondents indicated that price was more important than both safety or fuel consumption. Speaking of the survey, NTDA director Richard Edy was pleased at the level of response, saying: “With still a few days to go, we have had a reply from more than 25 per cent of our members’ Head Offices, which is an unusually high response rate.” He added that a more typical response rate for questionnaires like these tends to be in single figures, so the comparat- Trust My Garage (TMG) has experienced a boom in membership since the ively high level of interest shows the import- announcement that the scheme has applied to become a Government backed TSI ance that tyre dealers place on the labels. code. Richard concluded: “We at the NTDA firmFollowing the announcement at the Trading Standards conference in June the ly believe that tyre labelling represents a fan- number of independent garages wishing to become a TMG member has increatastic opportunity for the tyre retailer to enga- sed by an unprecedented 20 per cent. ge with the customer and discuss which tyre Backed by the Independent Garage Association (IGA), the largest independent best suits his driving style and requirements. garage voice in the industry, TMG is rapidly becoming a household name and a It will be interesting to see what the survey byword for quality and great service for consumers around the country. results tell us about whether attitudes to buyStuart James, IGA Director commented "The IGA is extremely pleased that ing tyres have changed since the introduction independent garages have embraced TMG in such a positive way, a scheme put of labelling.” together for independents by independents can only be good for consumers. "All of our members have insisted on the high standards set by TMG and through becoming a TSI code our members can offer their customers piece of Mytyres.co.uk conducting labelling mind when it comes to the quality and service they will receive by using a TMG research too garage. "As a clear voice for the independent sector TMG members want us to drive Just a day after the first details of the NTDA’s national tyre labelling survey mytyres.co.uk out the cowboys and stand up for all the good independent garages that do a announced that it is also conducting a survey great job for their customers every day. "We are currently working towards gaining 3000 members next year and as on a very similar subject. Writing in a customer email dated 2 September 2013, myty- things stand we will most certainly achieve that objective." pg

Sharp growth in Trust My Garage membership

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TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

UK TYRE MARKET

CoinAppleyeard.com survey reveals UK ignorance of continental road laws Driving across Europe requires drivers to conform to a number of different local laws and regulations – the legal requirement to fit winter tyres in northern European countries including Germany in cold season conditions will be a familiar one to readers of Tyrepress.com. However a new survey by the ColinAppleyard.com car dealership chain suggests that nearly every British driver would break at least one national motoring regulation.The chain said that many British drivers are not only unaware of speed limits on foreign roads, but also of other vital regulations such as mandatory safety equipment. "Everybody knows that ignorance of the law is no excuse," said ColinAppleyard.com Robin Appleyard, "And it only takes a few minutes' research to find out what steps you need to take before setting out on a foreign driving trip. "Unfortunately, we found out that many people are leaving these shores quite unaware of the risks they're taking." ColinAppleyard.com blamed mixed messages and inconsistent information about that lack of knowledge about foreign driving rules. "Unfortunately, people seem to think the headlight converters requirement was phased out years ago," said Robin, "but it's very much in force to this day." Ignorance about driving conditions in France is especially worrying, especially as looming on-the-spot fines could put a dent in any family's holiday budget. "As most drivers heading for the continent make landfall in France, it's a shame that there's so much confusion over the local driving laws there," said Robin Appleyard. "While you probably won't be fined for not having a breathalyser, the fine for having a speed camera-enabled satnav can be up to an eyeAt a time of year when many families are taking their cars onto watering 1,500 euros. the continent for holidays, the likelihood an on-the-spot fine has "Drive safely, and study local driving laws before you go." increased as new powers mean police in France can ask for the akb money immediately instead of transferring the offence to the UK. Figures obtained by the ColinAppleyard.com survey include the following: • 98 per cent didn't know that the law in France and Spain demands you carry a spare bulb kit • 95 per cent of drivers didn't know it is illegal to drive in France with a satnav that shows the location of speed cameras • 94 per cent of drivers didn't know that you have to carry a breathalyser kit whilst driving in France • 82 per cent of drivers did not know local speed limits, or were unable to convert them into miles per hour • 35 per cent unaware that headlight converters are required by law across the continent • 18 per cent didn't know that hi-viz jackets are required in some European countries in case of roadside breakdowns • 6 per cent were unaware that a GB sticker or a "Europlate" number plate with the UK flag is compulsory • 1 per cent of those surveyed didn't know to drive on the right on the continent, and 20 per cent had accidentally driven on the wrong side whilst abroad

Win a Citroen DS3 in Primewell competition Stapleton's (Tyre Services) Ltd has teamed up with Giti Tire to launch a consumer competition featuring the exclusive Giti brand Primewell. Any customer who buys a pair of Primewell tyres from a participating key dealer and answers a tyre safety question will be entered into a prize draw to win a new Citroen DS3 Sport, fitted with Primewell Sport 910 tyres. Stapleton’s Head of General Wholesale, Nigel O’Hara said: “The competition marks our biggest idea and largest investment for Primewell to date and is befitting of brand that is making massive inroads through the trade and to customers.

“Over the last 12 months we have promoted Primewell through 12 weekly iPad draws and launched the new website (www.primewell-tyres.co.uk), both of which have been very well received and resulted in increased sales. The timing couldn’t be better to push forwards once more.” Speaking at the Primewell Sport 910 launch in April, Brian McDermott, Giti Tire’s Country Manager UK hailed the product as ‘a true ultra-high performance flagship tyre for the quality sector’.

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The main characteristics of the tyre include a new asymmetric tread pattern, exclusive compound and manufacturing advancements which deliver excellent handling and ride comfort. The Sport 910 was introduced in 37 sizes ranging from 195/55R15 to 255/35R20, with speed indexes from V to W.

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

COMMAND PERFORMANCE

www.kumhotyre.co.uk To find out more about selling KUMHO tyres through the ECSTA Performance Centre programme, contact: Neil Schmid at Micheldever Tyre Services on 07775 676929 or Bonnie Adams on 01926 816826 For Kumho sales in Northern Ireland, contact Modern Tyre Service on (028) 6632 2299/3025 9300

UK TYRE MARKET

ATS Euromaster opens flagship centre ATS Euromaster has opened what it calls a flagship centre in on the Gatwick International Industrial Estate in Crawley, West Sussex following more than £450,000 of investment.The new facility occupies a 7,574 square foot site and is set up to accommodate all vehicle types under one roof, including cars, vans, trucks, buses/coaches and industrial vehicles. Its opening follows the merger of two former centres in the local area; one of which serviced cars and vans, and the other commercial vehicles. Commenting on the opening, Peter Fairlie, group sales director, said: “Our close proximity to Gatwick airport means we support many different kinds of fleet, often operating a diverse range of vehicles. Combining our two facilities in Crawley means local customers can now deal with a single ATS centre, which supports our goal of being easy to do business with. “We have also focused on enhancing the customer experience with one of the brightest, cleanest and most modern reception areas of any fast-fit workshop in the country. At the same time our team benefits from a brand new workshop featuring new equipment which has enabled us to grow our serv-ice offering.” In addition to tyre care designed to save businesses money, the new centre offers a full array of fast-fit services, scheduled maintenance servicing, fault diagnostics, air-conditioning recharging and Class IV MOTs.

The Crawley centre is also home to a fleet of service vans which can be booked by fleet customers for routine tyre replacements, as well as being on standby 24/7 to provide a roadside rapid response service to commercial vehicle operators. cja

Boost for Jaguar Land Rover at Frankfurt show AT THE FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW, Jaguar Land Rover announced an investment approaching £1.5 billion to introduce an all-new technically-advanced aluminium vehicle architecture in forthcoming models.To support this strengthening of the Jaguar product portfolio 1,700 new jobs will be created in the UK at the company's advanced manufacturing facility in Solihull. Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer, said: "Today's announcement signals Jaguar Land Rover's ambitions to push the boundaries and redefine premium car ownership. At Jaguar Land Rover we place the customer at the heart of everything we do and the introduction of a world class all-new aluminium vehicle architecture means we will be more competitive, flexible and efficient delivering exciting new products for our customers around the world." He continued: "Jaguar Land Rover is a business driven by design, technology and innovation and this investment and level of

job creation is yet further evidence of our commitment to advancing the capability of the UK automotive sector and its supply chain." The first new model to utilise this innovative architecture will be an all-new midsized sports sedan from Jaguar. Launched in 2015, it will be the most efficient, advanced and refined premium sports sedan ever seen in the C/D segment. This vehicle will feature the first engine to be built at Jaguar Land Rover's new £500m Engine Manufacturing Centre. The plant will build the new family of high-output, fuel efficient petrol and diesel engines for Jaguar Land Rover.

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The new 1,700 jobs at the Solihull site in the Midlands will bring the total number of UK manufacturing jobs announced by Jaguar Land Rover over the last three years to almost 11,000. In order to fully realise the potential of this vehicle architecture Jaguar Land Rover will significantly increase spend with the supply base. This latest announcement from the UK's largest premium automotive manufacturer builds on a sustained programme of continued reinvestment. pg

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

Impro ved br in wet aking and h and d ry con andling ditions

Enhanced hig h speed stability and endurance

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KEY DEALER PROGRAMME Great Tyres - Great Programme The Beneﬁts of which include: • Imprest stock • Personalised reward scheme • Instore point of sale • Preferred purchase prices • Branded workwear for staff

www.primewell.co.uk

For more information on the Primewell range call 0870 60 54321. www.stapletons-tyres.co.uk

COMPANY NEWS

Fifty years old and still looking good. PIRELLI MAY BE ITALIAN, but its world-famous calendar began life here in the UK, the baby of the company’s British marketing team, which was given the task of producing a calendar for Pirelli’s most valued clients and associates.This year, the British-born ‘Cal’ celebrates its half-century, and Tyres & Accessories spoke with Pirelli Calendar project coordinator Julie Naylor about the origins of the Cal’s success, how it has developed over the course of five decades and what meaning it maintains in Pirelli’s marketing mix alongside the Italian firm’s Formula One involvement. : Pirelli’s Calendar is undoubtedly the world’s best-known calendar and has come a long way over the past five decades. What has been responsible for this success over the years? Was it the photographers, the top models, the locations, its exclusivity and/or the fact that it cannot be bought, or has eroticism played a role? Julie Naylor: The Pirelli Calendar is an iconic piece of art work designed to portray the high standard of prestigious qualities we possess as a brand. From casting world famous models and top class photographers, combined with the trendiest locations, Pirelli has ensured if offers one of the most famous, diverse, yet exclusive Calendars in the world. : Tyres are not a core Cal subject. Why not? Julie Naylor: During a period during the late eighties and early nineties the tyre tread was briefly featured in the calendars. However, the aim of Pirelli was, and is, to promote the creativity and the artistic expression of the photographer without any imposition. To impose the product could be a restriction! So in the 50 year history this is another factor of the calendar’s success.

for Isabeli Fontana being snapped

the 50th anniversary Cal

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: Around the world, there are plenty of companies within the automotive industry that publish calendars of their own. Why do they lack the success the Cal has enjoyed? What do they do wrong? Where and how does the Cal set itself apart from other calendars?

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Pirelli Cal project coordinator Julie Naylor Julie Naylor: Many factors have contributed to the international fame of the Calendar. It is only available as a corporate gift and has never been available for sale. In addition to our key customers, it is distributed to important world figures including royalty, industry, finance and culture. This has transformed the Calendar into a cult object eagerly sought after by aficionados around the world. : What is the image you want people to see when they think about Pirelli and its Calendar? Julie Naylor: The Group’s core message is innovation and this has earned the company its place amongst the leading tyre manufacturers in the world. The Calendar is just one of the key marketing tools Pirelli use to engage with consumers across the full spectrum of cultures, ages and gender around the world.

Julie Naylor: A masterpiece and a work of art. The calendar celebrates the strength and beauty of the female form and the calendar remains a remarkable cultural phenomenon which has illustrated changing attitudes towards the body and femininity over the last 50 years.

continually reiterate the founding elements of the Pirelli brand, power and control.

: While the Cal can be enjoyed as a work of art, Pirelli’s Formula One involvement has a more direct link with your products. How do you think these two : Has this image changed over the engagements work hand in hand? years because of The Cal? Should or will this change in the near future? Julie Naylor: The Cal and Pirelli’s strong presence in motorsport including Julie Naylor: The Calendar continues to Formula One allows communication with evolve as it has done since its concepti- the premium segments of our target on, illustrating the key themes of the market and demonstrate a passion for excellence, performance and top level time. design with which we are synonymous. : Would you call the Calendar your : This year the Cal celebrates its 50th most precious tool in relation to Pirelli’s brand image? Does the Cal deserve cre- anniversary. What do you have planned in regards to the actual launch event, the dit for shaping the Pirelli brand? calendar itself and the accompanying Julie Naylor: Pirelli is synonymous with media campaign in order to highlight this innovation in communication and techno- special anniversary year? logy, and for Pirelli, this means seeking new ways and a new language to trans- Julie Naylor: This is a closely guarded mit a way of being. This also provides secret that Pirelli will unveil on the 21st continuity for Pirelli’s strong sense of November in Milan ab/sg pride in its history and tradition as we

: End consumers often view tyres and tyre companies as unexciting. Pirelli has managed to create a different image for itself and its products by means of the Calendar and is unique in successfully achieving such a transformation. Was that the goal when Pirelli started with its first calendar 50 years ago, or did it all begin as ‘just’ a promotional calendar? Julie Naylor: The calendar was the brainchild of the UK marketing director at that time, Derek Forsyth. He invented a calendar that would stretch the imagination and at the same time become a marketing phenomenon. : What do you think the Cal represents?

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Conti, Bridgestone invest to accommodate European market shift Continental’s Korbach factory

ON THE

LAST DAY OF SEPTEMBER, two of the world’s largest tyre makers separately announced plans to invest in European production facilities; one will see the implementation of the latest production technology to meet growing demand for premium products in our region, and the other offers a reprieve for a factory considered unable to effectively cope with this shift towards the premium segment.

The first beneficiary is Continental’s Korbach site in the German state of Hesse. Around €40 million will be invested in the facility by 2018. Continental’s Tire Division will use these funds to establish a specialist production line for 19 to 22inch passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyres to accommodate growing international demand from both the original equipment segments, as well as for the central development of the process technology required to manufacture these tyres. Continental says the performance characteristics of products such as these are placing ever more stringent demands upon its engineering and production staff when it comes to process technology. “With this investment, we are taking deliberate action to scale up our investment program-

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me in the further development of product-specific expertise in tyre design, tyre tread, tyre contours, and tyre compounds, as well as in the expansion of our global tyre production capacity,” stated Nikolai Setzer, Executive Board member for Continental’s Tire division. “In bundling our expertise at the Korbach site, we will also be taking away some of the burden on our other production sites in a bid to drive forward the development of new high-tech processes for our tyre plants worldwide from a central location,” Setzer added. “Increasing our investment in new, highly efficient tyre testing technology such as the AIBA (Continental’s indoor new test facility at its Contidrom site in Germany), for example, will help us to further improve our technological position.”

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Korbach plant manager Lothar Salokat added: “We are extremely proud of the fact that this internal high-tech project will help set us apart from other international production locations and will also create over 60 new jobs in Korbach by 2018. We will do our best to meet the challenges of starting production in 2016 and ramping up the production volume to around 400,000 U-UHP tyres by 2018. Our Continental team in Korbach, which – when we include the Tire Distribution Center and ContiTech – now totals a workforce of more than 3,000 people, has proven time and again not only that it is highly flexible and extremely motivated but is also capable of responding to immense challenges.” “We see this investment decision as a form of recognition for all the hard work that our employees have put in over recent years,” commented Jörg Schönfelder, head of the Works Council at Continental’s Korbach site. “Furthermore, it also forms an important element of our strategy to secure the site. People have enormous faith in us and this is something we can be proud of. Although this project in Korbach is an ambitious one, I am confident that it will also be a success and play an instrumental part in ensuring the success of the company as a whole.” Although Continental anticipates Europe’s (including Russia and Turkey) replacement passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyre market falling from 313.2 million units in 2011 to 307.9 million units by 2014 and DB Equity Research Automotive estimates that passenger car tyre capacity (both original equipment and replacement) in Western Europe fell by 38 million units in the last five years to 275 million units, Continental has stated the premium ultra high performance tyre segment is an area where it aims to achieve further growth in the coming years.

Conversion to ‘general use’ tyres central to Bridgestone’s Bari plan The ‘death sentence’ hanging over Bridgestone’s Bari passenger car tyre plant in Italy was also officially rescinded on 30 September. A plan to keep the site operational has been announced; in contrast to Conti’s plans for Korbach this calls for the factory to focus its production solely on tyres for general use, while increasing the plant’s competitiveness and reducing its overall conversion cost. Although the Bari plant received upgrades to enable the production of UHP and run-flat tyres from 2009 onwards as part of what Bridgestone says were “repeated efforts” to bring it in line with increased premium segment demand and an overall structural decrease in demand, Bridgestone Europe considered the site the most poorly positioned of its eight European plants to adapt to this changing market situation. On 4 March the tyre maker voiced its intention to close the Bari factory some time in the first half of 2014. Within days of this announcement being made, the Italian government intervened on behalf of the plant’s 950 or so workers. A technical working group chaired by

Ministry of Economic Development undersecretary Claudio De Vincenti met on a number of occasions to discuss issues related to cost containment measures, efficiency programmes and the market positioning of tyres produced in Bari. The negotiations paid off. It is understood that €31 million will be invested in the site over a five-year period. While production capacity will initially fall from 4.5 million tyres per annum to 2.5 million in 2014 and some 377 jobs will be removed from the Bari plant through voluntary redundancies, production capacity is expected to rise again and reach 3.5 million tyres a year by 2016; Bridgestone has agreed to transfer some production currently located in Asia to the Bari site. It is understood that the factory will adopt a five-day production schedule, with four six-hour shifts each day. The agreement to implement the conversion plan was signed in Rome on 30 September by all stakeholders involved in the negotiations – Bridgestone, the Ministry of Welfare, Invitalia (Italy’s national agency for internal development and enterprise promotion), trade unions and local institutions. The signing

Bridgestone’s Franco Annunziato (r) looks on as Italy’s Minister for Economic Development Flavio Zanonato signs the Bari plant agreement ceremony was overseen by the Ministry of the Economic Development. Bridgestone says the agreement “indicates the possibility to maintain important industrial activities in Bari, under conditions to achieve the targeted levels of productivity and cost through the implementation of the commitments made by the above mentioned parties.” “First of all, the group wishes to express its appreciation to the Bari plant employees for having always displayed a constructive attitude, an element that had a considerable impact on the negotiations’ success,” stated Bridgestone Europe CEO and president Franco Annunziato at the signing ceremony. “All parties involved in the conversion plan have acted with great responsibility and today’s agreement is a clear result of the joint efforts during these six months of dialogue.” sg

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New advertising opportunities a highlight of upcoming Tyrepress relaunch

MANY

READERS OF

TYREPRESS will now be aware of the

planned relaunch of the site later in September. While the benefits to readers of the site’s new design will be discussed in articles throughout the week, today we focus on how the new site will enhance the experience of advertisers using Tyrepress’ busy, highly focused traffic as a platform for promotion. “One of the first things we wanted to improve was the choice of adverts available to you, bringing you the best options to suit your particular advertising needs,” explains advertising manager Scott Parker-Copestick. In addition to a wider choice of conventional banner positions, the new Tyrepress can accommodate two major new premium options, while supporting more than just JPG and GIF formats. With the largest amount of space available for a single advertisement, Parker-Copestick explains why Wallpaper offers a premium service to clients: “Wallpaper adverts – large banners on each side of the website with your design – give you maximum exposure on

the Home, News or other page of your choice.” The second new option on the new Tyrepress site is Interstitial advertisements. This allows advertisers to present a banner in a variety of formats as the page loads. “Our interstitial adverts can range from square banners in the centre of the screen up to full screen banners,” ParkerCopestick adds. Finally, Interstitial advertising – and indeed some regular banner

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spaces – will allow clients to integrate audio and video, to present promotional films on Tyrepress. “As well as upgrading the style of adverts, we have now re-designed our banners to meet IAB guidelines, making your designers’ and agencies’ jobs a lot easier,” Parker-Copestick says. “Sizes range from small square buttons right up to full width wallpaper and interstitial banners bringing our range from four up to 11 different sizes

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on the new site. And not only do you have a huge range of sizes researching products. “The tyre test database will initially be presented in three to choose from, but you can now specify if you want your banner broad categories – summer, winter and all-season. This part of the to appear on the homepage, article pages, or other options.” site will not require subscription, making it as accessible as possible to our tyre market readership.” Responsive design improves mobile Tyrepress In 2012-13 record numbers of visitors to Tyrepress have been accessing the site via tablets and smartphones, and with this trend continuing to grow the relaunched Tyrepress website will offer readers an improved user experience through responsive design. The chief benefit of responsive design will be to resize and rearrange elements of the site automatically to present it in a format better suited to smaller screens – whether this is a 10” iPad, a 7” Nexus 7 or a 4” smartphone – making it easier to read and navigate. “Reading articles or accessing information while away from the desk is increasingly beneficial to tyre and wheel professionals – many of whom spend plenty of time travelling,” said Tyrepress editor Andrew Bogie. “While the smartphone market has been growing appreciably for some time now, the addition of tablets in the last few years has had a clear impact on the way readers want to access websites. We want to improve this visitor experience and make it as quick and easy as possible for readers to get the information they want. “The fact that visitors have such a wide range of choices when it comes to the size of the screens they can use to access Tyrepress means that the site needs to adapt smoothly to different screens. The new Tyrepress will achieve this, and we are sure that our mobile readers – from the retailer using our new tyre test database to show customers the benefits of a particular tyre, to the managing director checking for the latest market news and analysis on the go – will enjoy reading and interacting with the site more as a result.”

Tyre tests database A new feature coming to Tyrepress in the relaunched version of the site is a database of European tyre test results. The feature has been a part of German sister site Reifenpresse.de’s service for some time, and as a result the database offers more than 3,500 tyre test results. Tyrepress editor Chris Anthony says that the feature forms “a key part of our newly updated website.” “A few years ago some may have argued that tyre tests represented something of a niche interest,” he continues. “However, with the rise in the popularity of magazine testing and the introduction of tyre labelling, knowing what performance characteristics products offer and how these compare between competitors has never been so important. That’s why Tyrepress and our colleagues at Reifenpresse.de in Germany (reifenpresse.de) and PneusNews.it in Italy have put our heads together to offer our readers the most comprehensive archive of this data currently available. “Now that tyre labelling is established in Europe all new test results will be cross-referenced against their European tyre label scores, giving you all the background you need when selling or

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Better integrated Business Directory The relaunch of Tyrepress will also mark the relaunch of the Business Directory service. This feature, which has been available in two incarnations before this vastly improved third generation, enables tyre and wheel related businesses to direct the website’s 240,000 monthly visitors towards their own websites with a range of listings options available for an annual fee; web URLs are also listed in the back of Tyres & Accessories magazine each month, increasing exposure to print readers too. The Tyrepress Business Directory 3.0 is better connected to the rest of the website, with entries searchable alongside articles. “The Tyrepress Business Directory has been a feature of previous versions of the website,” comments advertising manager Scott Parker-Copestick. “It has always been popular, as the long list of websites printed in Tyres & Accessories each month shows. However we think the new version of the service will increase its popularity as customers see the extra value it offers as a better integrated part of Tyrepress.” The Business Directory stands alongside the new Company Profiles section, which will make financial reports downloadable amongst other features, as a further way for tyre and wheel related businesses to connect with readers of Tyrepress. Improved jobs listings Tyrepress launched a new newsletter product in February 2013 aiming to improve the targeted job advertisement opportunities offered by Europe’s leading English language magazine and website for tyre and wheel professionals. The weekly newsletter, which also collates the most recent Career Tracks news every Wednesday, will continue to link to greatly improved listings on the relaunched Tyrepress website, putting advertisers’ job vacancies in front of the widest possible range of European tyre and wheel professionals. “Our Tyrepress Jobs Newsletter goes to more than 18,000 tyre and wheel professional inboxes already, and this weekly service will continue every Wednesday” says advertising manager Scott Parker-Copestick. “Now the listings page on the website has been improved in terms of functionality, integration with the rest of the website, and aesthetic appeal. In this way, it is clear that we are able to advertise tyre jobs to the largest and highest quality talent pool of professionals with industry experience.” The new listings benefit from an improved index layout, which will allow visitors to connect with advertisements quicker and more easily, and from increased sophistication and variety of options when it comes to presenting employers’ listings as they want to see them. Advertising tyre and wheel professional jobs on Tyrepress and the Tyrepress Jobs Newsletter has never been more attractive. andrew.bogie@tyrepress.com

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ONLINE TYRE BUSINESS

Michelin may have continued its almost decade-long lead, but the gap has been narrowing for almost as long and there were other changes amongst the high fliers

What’s in a name? Michelin continues prominence dominance, but… WHAT’S

IN A NAME? Keeping a good name means as much in business as in life. When it comes to online marketing it arguably means even more. For the last nine years, Tyres & Accessories has surveyed the prominence and sentiment of tyre brand names in the online world. We’re not experts in the very specialist and highly technical research field, so we have spent all this time partnering with a company in silicon fen that knows a whole lot more about this than we do. Previously our research partners were known as Envisional, but in the year since our last report the company has re-branded itself as NetNames. Nevertheless it is the same system and therefore it continues to be comparable with our data archive.

Our 2013 online branding report presents the results of an analysis by NetNames into online appearances of 17 major tyre brands, following similar studies carried out in September 2012, May 2011 and July 2010 and (looking at only 12 of these brands) in September 2009, October 2008, July 2007, August 2006 and September 2005. As with the 2010, 2011 and 2012 studies, this report includes a number of up-and-coming mid-range brands produced in the Far East, in addition to GT Radial, the EU identity used by the Giti Tire, which was featured in the 2010 and 2011 reports. The analysis continues to use NetNames’ trade-marked DEX methodology to provide measures

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of the online penetration of these brands. tyre manufacturer achieved this with “a One difference from our previous studies margin which is considerably decreased is that we have focused solely on the pro- as compared with the 2012 study”. minence measure this time. The remainder of the top six mostprominent brands remain the same brands as observed in all previous stuGap narrows are the top dies, though with notable changes for To cut a long story short, the research Continental and Bridgestone, swapping once again found that, as was observed second and third place with each other, in all previous studies, Michelin achieved and for Dunlop, whose relative promithe greatest degree of online prominence has fallen somewhat. For its part, Continental’s prominence nence. However, something else that we have observed over the last nine years is grew by 0.42 during the course, which is that the leader margin has been consis- roughly equivalent to an entire lower rantently challenged in this period. king tyre brand or two. With Bridgestone NetNames pointed out that, although going the opposite way directly at roughly Michelin may have won again, the French half the speed, this clearly meant the

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ONLINE TYRE BUSINESS

German manufacturer l e a p f r o g g e d Bridgestone. When you look back through the data, Dunlop’s 0.19 point fall is uncharacteristic for one of the oldest names in the business, with the company consistently staying in the 1.81 to 1.91 range between 2005 and 2009. With the exception of 2012, there are signs of decline 2010, 2011 and 2013, the reasons for which are not yet clear. There remains a marked gap in relative prominence between the top six brands and the remainder, amongst which significant decreases in relative prominence have been seen for Kumho and Avon (dropping below Hankook and Toyo) and for Falken and Maxxis (dropping below Uniroyal). Hankook’s performance is also worth pointing out. Although we have only been tracking this brand since 2010, it is notable that it has demonstrated consistent improvement during this period, which puts it on track to break through the onepoint barrier in the next year or two. The significance is that this means it could overtake eighth-placed , which has performed consistently in the 0.85 – 0.99 range for the last nine years. Indeed, with an average annual increase of 0.117, Hankook could even go as high as seventh, overcoming the divide and knocking on the door of the top flight, unless another brand challenges its ascendancy.

NetNames’ Prominence InDEX scores for the 17 brands in 2013, compared with the scores for the brands (where available) from 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005

lysed a sample of those web pages featuring content related to tyres which are most highly-ranked by search engines, and identified mentions of at least one of the monitored brands on over 5,000 pages. This was then passed through the DEX Prominence InDEX, which is a custom metric unique to NetNames. This measures the relative extent of total brand coverage across the Internet, by calculating the number of web pages which feature each brand, as well as the prominence of the brand in each occurrence. This statistic provides a measure

of the relative likelihood of the brands being indexed in a set of search-engine results. According to the researchers, the DEX Prominence InDEX is a rich and nuanced approach to assessing this question. Rather than just counting mentions, it combines the following statistics within a unique algorithm: the number of web pages and hosts which feature each brand, the prominence of the mention of the brand within the page (e.g. higher prominence is granted to the appearance in a domain name; lower prominence for brief mention in page content); brand concentration’ on each host (i.e. the average number of relevant web pages per host) and the total Internet coverage of all brands under consideration. The final scores were ‘normalised’ (by the multiplication of a constant scaling factor) so that the mean score across the 12 brands analysed previously was the same as for all of the previous analyses, to allow comparison of relative prominences between the nine years. cja

How the research is done In order to acquire the dataset we are using here, NetNames used its Discovery Engine technology to identify and classify mentions of the 17 brands. The system crawled the Internet over a three-day period between 12 and 14 August 2013, during which time the system ana-

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ONLINE TYRE BUSINESS

Can B2B and B2C e-commerce approaches be compared? Automotive firms struggle to give the consumer style e-commerce experience buyers expect WHEN IT COMES TO B2B SELLING ONLINE, automotive organisations are struggling to provide the online buying experience that their customers have come to expect. That’s the view published in the 2013 E-commerce Report from Intershop, which also reveals that smartphone usage, social media and the so-called “consumerisation of IT” are driving up B2B customer expectations.The report’s advice? Automotive firms have to adapt to changing customer expectations, driven by trends such as smartphone usage and social media. But how can that be done? In addition to assimilating the research data, Tyres & Accessories asked Chris Barling, chairman of ecommerce system developer SellerDeck for his views.

SellerDeck chairman, Chris Barling

First, the lie of the land: Across the board, respondents in a survey of 400 B2B companies, of which 75 per cent of the respondents were from the automotive, high-tech manufacturing, retail, pharmaceutical, and telecoms sectors, agreed

that the world of B2B commerce is evolving fast, and B2C trends are reflected in the B2B environment. Yet all organisations in the automotive sector are facing challenges. For over two thirds (67 per cent), the biggest challenge is delivering responsive and flexible customer service in order to respond quickly to any customer request. Just over half (53 per cent) say it is difficult to manage complex organisational structures such as different user roles, multiple business models, multiple commerce touch points and multiple data domains. Just under half (47 per cent) find it difficult to provide intuitive and user-friendly interfaces for multiple touch points such as B2B online stores, mobile apps etc. One big challenge is how this change is driven by multiple factors – an average

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of eight in this sector. Over three quarters of automotive respondents cite either customer demands and expectations (77 per cent), developing technologies to permit what was previously impossible (77 per cent) and/or logistics and demand chain (77 per cent) as drivers of change in B2B e-commerce. Yet, over half (57 per cent) agreed that bringing business buyers from offline to online could result in a higher overall bottom line. Over two thirds (67 per cent) drive offline sales online, and 50 per cent said bringing buyers online could result in more return customers and higher brand loyalty. Automotive organisations who either currently sell online B2B products or services (97 per cent) or who plan to do so (3 per cent) were included in the research. Of those already selling online, 97 per cent plan to increase the percentage they sell online, on average by 31 per cent. When it comes to the features their customers expect, more than more fourfifths of B2B automotive organisations understood the importance intuitive search and navigation (83 per cent), online order approval (83 per cent) and category and product pages (83 per

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ONLINE TYRE BUSINESS

cent). This is followed by online store analytics and monitoring in real time (77 per cent), and search engine optimisation and search engine marketing and customised catalogue with pre-negotiated products and pricing (both 73 per cent).

Barling: B2B progress has lagged compared to B2C With all this in mind, we asked Chris Barling for an expert point of view. For Barling’s company, SellerDeck, has purportedly helped tens of thousands of smaller companies start selling on the web. “At SellerDeck (www.sellerdeck. co.uk) we have long sold e-commerce solutions to both B2C and B2B companies, with a fair smattering doing both. However, uptake in the B2B space has noticeably lagged that in B2C. That’s why the Intershop report makes interesting reading,” Barling commented. He continued by pointing out that the fundamental difference between B2B and B2C e-commerce lies in what happens prior to the buying decision being made. B2B customers are hugely more likely to be repeat buyers and much more likely to have accounts, to be given credit etc, so they are just visiting the site to place the order, not to make a buying decision. Conversely, B2C buyers are more likely to be encountering retailers for the first time. This means that the online opportunity is greater and marketing plays a larger part. “To quote an extreme example to illustrate the point, a buyer of commercial jets won’t search online, discover a new type of plane and then place an online order all in the same session. Similarly, most retailers will be repeat buying from wholesalers, not searching anew before every order. Once an auto accessories outlet has established a good relationship with a reliable parts supplier, and maybe has its own discounted price list, why should it look elsewhere?” Barling asked. According to the SellerDeck chairman, the big benefits in B2B ecommerce are around the cost of processing orders (online is cheaper) and subsequent visibi-

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lity and tracking of the status of the order. Online orders both reduce queries and provide a better service to the buyer, so both sides gain. These benefits are most powerful when the cost of processing and tracking orders is high relative to the value of the order, which is less common with B2B transactions where the average order size is higher. The relative cost of an employee answering queries on the telephone or by email (which, of course, is the alternative to answering on the web) regarding two or three £10,000 orders is much lower than the cost of answering many queries about £50 orders. “However, it’s becoming increasingly hard for B2B sites to stop the tide. Most buyers are now also consumers who in their personal life are buying on B2C sites. They expect the same, or better service in their business lives. It is true that B2B sites have lagged the market, but it is also true that there are benefits for B2B sites, as cited by the survey. The most likely outcome is that online ordering, and equally important, online order tracking, will be become a necessary part of doing business in the auto trade in the future, whatever the cost,” Barling concluded. So, while the boundary lines are perhaps not as blurred as the InterShop report makes out; there is clearly a significant degree of crossover between B2B and B2B online business practice, which is as applicable – in general terms – to tyres as to any other business segment. Like the rest of the automotive trade, the tyre business is likely to have work to do before its systems are as attractive and “consumerised” as users increasingly want it to be. In any case it is clear that this method of business remains a challenging enterprise. chris.anthony@tyrepress.com

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Tyres On The Drive secures £1.5 million investment On 11 September Tyres On The Drive announced it had received £1.5 million of investment in a follow-on round of funding led by venture capital firm MMC Ventures. Launched in 2011 by former Michelin manager Dominic Clark, Tyres On The Drive offers its customers a mobile tyre-fitting service. Since the company’s launch it has grown to more than 40 staff with a fleet of 21 vans across the North West and West Midlands regions and is reportedly on course to double its workforce by the end of the year. The £1.5 million investment, which also included backing from EV Group, is said to mark the final stage of a wider round of funding to support expansion across the rest of the UK for the firm and launch a new e-commerce website and mobile offering. Total investment in the company now comes in at £2.6 million, which includes funding from the founders. Dominic Clark, co-founder and chief executive of Tyres On The Drive, said: “It’s a very busy and exciting time; we are on the cusp of a major expansion. Feedback on our service to date has been fantastic, which is testament that we are raising the industry bar very high for value, service and convenience. “Our outstanding customer feedback has placed us first for customer service in the UK on Trustpilot and we aim to continue to set new standards within the industry.” cja

ONLINE TYRE BUSINESS

Strategic positioning? Delticom buys Tirendo for 50 million euros and shares ON 16 SEPTEMBER DELTICOM AG agreed to purchase nies, the purchase price, including acquired shareholTirendo Holding GmbH. The leading European online tyre business announced it will purchase all shares in the Berlin-based online tyre retailer and its subsidiaries. According to a statement issued by the compa-

der loans, amounts to roughly 50 million euros. However it emerged shortly afterwards that the company was also offered significant share options as part of the deal.

Delticom’s rationale for the purchase appears to be that it is acquiring a “rapidly growing company with complementary strengths in IT and marketing”. For Tirendo, Delticom is an experienced, well-funded partner which excels in the areas of procurement and logistics. However the more you look at the deal the, the more the marketing value of the link-up comes to the fore. “Tirendo complements our existing portfolio of shops with another strong brand. The acquisition will allow us to target additional consumer groups,” said Frank Schuhardt, board member of Delticom AG, “Tirendo customers can look forward to more choice and even better service.” Tirendo’s CEO, Dr Martin Kern: “With Delticom’s logistical and sector network, we can deliver even more value to our customers and initiate the next stage in our growth.” Kern laid the foundation for Tirendo’s success thanks to his many years of experience in the automotive sector. He will leave the internet start-up at the end of the year and will remain connected to Tirendo in an advisory role. Markus Bihler, who worked on the transaction on behalf of the sellers, will join the management team of founders Erik Heinelt (Product & IT) and Felix Vögtle (Marketing & HR). Bihler: “I am looking forward to working with Delticom. Together we will continue to write the success story of online tyre sales.”

SellerDeck chairman, Chris Barling

Delti offered shares as part of Tirendo online tyre retailer Tirendo, Delticom executives have also revealed that company deal founders and main shareholders Rainer Following on from the news that Binder and Andreas Pruefer also sold Delticom AG purchased fast-growing around 500,000 Delticom shares to a

Tirendo in brief Tirendo was founded in October 2011 by European Media Holding and launched the tyre portal Tirendo.de in Germany in March 2012. Seed-funded and operationally supported during its ramp-up phase by Project A Ventures, Tirendo has quickly established itself in the market through innovation in IT, marketing and branding. The emerging e-commerce company is now active in eight European countries and, for its second year of business, expects a turnover in the mid double-digit million euro range. Tirendo is well-known not least thanks to Sebastian Vettel. The three-time Formula One world champion will continue in his role as exclusive brand ambassador. Indeed it seems clear that the combined strengths of rapid company growth and strong marketing track record is what Delti is looking to tap into. cja

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TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

ONLINE TYRE BUSINESS

subsidiary of European Media Holding AG (EMH), which itself is a founding shareholder of Tirendo. In addition EMH was granted options to purchase up to a further 1.6 million shares. Apart from increasing the apparent combined value Delticom attributed to Tirendo, it is also likely to have consequential effects on market pricing. Deutsche Bank analysts shared their assessment of the details in an investor’s note dated 18 September: “We understand this share transaction comes on top of the 50 million euros paid in cash and that the exercising of the options depends on specific, non-disclosed conditions with the average price of those stocks already sold and the options being between 34-40 euros.” What all this means is that, if the share purchase option is executed in its entirety, the combined Binder/Pruefer ownership stake would fall to around 35 per cent from roughly 55 per cent at the moment. “In our view, [the share purchase options] significantly increase the attractiveness of the former Tirendo shareholders given the ability to purchase up to almost 20 per cent of the overall market leader’s outstanding shares at a decent discount to current trading levels and after a period of a significant share

price decline over the past year,” the Deutsche Bank analysts continued.

Price pressure a tyre market ripple effect However in addition to these corporation level consequences there are likely to be market level ripple effects too: “We believe the ad-hoc details support our initially stressed view. This deal likely secures Delticom know-how from a well experienced team of online professionals and could help to stabilize pricing in the short-term.” The biggest potential problem appears to be the fact that other companies “could feel encouraged by the fact the market leader buys out a much smaller but very aggressive competitor only 1.5 years in operation with such an attractive deal” and that this could persuade them to pressurise already threadbare online tyre margins, thus putting more pressure on price in the tyre market in general the medium-term. As one online tyre dealer told Tyres & Accessories recently, in the UK at least, margins are already pushed to limit and there is nowhere else to go. chris.anthony@tyrepress.com

Dutch firm combines DriveRight with national number plate database VWE (a provider of VRM license plate search technology in the Netherlands and also a reseller of DriveRight products) has produced a case study demonstrating usage of Drive Right tyre and wheel data. VWE has linked the data from DriveRight directly with the Dutch number plate register. This allows customers to get the correct combination of wheels and tyres for their vehicle by using their number plate in the website search, where the VWE solution is available. Profile Tyrecenter from the Netherlands has become the first company to use this database and, in the company’s own words, take a step ahead of their competitors. Stephen Hendriksen (Category Manager for wheels at VWE) commented: „If a car manufacturer says that a wheel doesn t fit a particular car Drive Right knows if it might be possible,

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

because of the many years of experience information into your own website. they have.“ Drive Right company representatives were also present at the Frankfurt IAA 2013 (IAA). The International Car Motor EC1222.com Show is the world’s most comprehensiWriting in a recent customer newsletter ve, so the presence of suppliers from Drive Right also let the industry know across the whole automotive parts and that new tyre product data is now availa- accessories industry is a real boon to a ble from the following manufacturers: firm specialising in such data. Over 300 StarMaxx and Petlas. Specific products exhibitors from the industry presented their products this year. include the Velox Sport PT741 According to Drive Right, this year’s EC1222.com is DriveRight`s webbased UI solution for tyre product data visit to the IAA show was very successand EU tyre labelling legislation. It allows ful: “We were able to collect a lot of new a user to retrieve attributes such as rolling data for many new models from a large resistance, wet grip and noise ratings for range of manufacturers”. Some examples of the data collected over 90 tyre manufacturers. Label images are available in PNG, JPG and GIF for- include: BMW 4 Series and X5, BMW mats. In addition, tyre images and manu- Electro Series i3 and i8, Corvette facturer specific product information is Stingray, Audi A3 Cabriolet and Peugeot available. All data can also be used over 308. The data is currently being procesthe EC1222 webservices to embed the sed and will soon be available soon. cja

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ONLINE TYRE BUSINESS

Paul Jarrold Tyres chooses MAM TYRE

Paul Jarrold Tyres Ltd is the latest company to deploy MAM Software’s MAM Autopart Tyres to help them expand their business. Autopart Tyres provides an interface for efficient sales transactions and professional customer service, supported by an enterprise-level administration, inventory, accounting and reporting platform. RETAILER

Established in 1983, Paul Jarrold Tyres Ltd is a family run tyre retailers based in Monmouth. The company stock tyres from all major brands in the car, van, truck and agricultural sectors and offer a 24 hour callout service operating 5 mobile service vans. “Autopart Tyres has brought significant benefits to our business,“ said Mike Jarrold, Director at Paul Jarrold Tyres Ltd. “Our staff now have access to instant, in-depth, product information at the point of sale which has helped us to improve our customer service. The onscreen catalogue has made our business operations much more efficient, as we no longer have to flick through paper catalogues to find the stock that we need.“ Autopart Tyres provides a variety of

functions to improve a business’s operational efficiency, such as scheduled repair times, labour allocation, customer postcode lookup and the option of vehicle registration (VRM) lookup. It also has the ability to send scheduled SMS text messages that could include MOT and service reminders to customers which could help to increase profits by providing future sales opportunities. Statements, Quotes and Invoices can also be emailed directly from the system saving on postage costs. “The software is fully compliant with EU tyre label regulations, which our previous system did not cater for,“ Mike continued. “We’re very happy to have chosen MAM Software’s business management solution to help us expand our business.“

“We’re delighted that Paul Jarrold Tyres Ltd has chosen to deploy Autopart Tyres to help them develop their company,“ said Malcolm Hazard, Senior Sales Manager – Tyres, at MAM Software. “Customer service is essential to any business, and our software provides a wealth of functionality to help companies improve this, such as being able to save all customer information for the next time they visit and to aid in direct marketing which highlights new services and special offers“. “It’s becoming more and more common for businesses, like Paul Jarrold Tyres, to tell us how our software provides them with more functionality than their previous systems.“ pg

New Zeetex website THE ZEETEX

TYRE BRAND launched a new website on Thursday 12 September 2013. According to the company, the site has been “aesthetically upgraded, is user friendly and boasts of enhanced functionality and dynamic tools”. The goal appears to have been to create a “visually appealing, polished and professional website – which also offers region-specific capabilities.” The new site will introduce dealer zones that will allow Zeetex dealers to log in and download product collaterals and order promotional materials. The region links are North America, Latin America, Middle East & Africa, Europe, CIS/Russia and Asia & Oceania. Functionality has been enhanced with fast-loading pages, minimal scroll and cross platform/browser compatibility riding

on simplicity, a consistent layout, prominent and logical navigation as well as descriptive link text. It also features a search engine which the company calls its ‘Tire Finder’, allowing Zeetex customers to search for and find the exact tyres they want. The relaunched website will also have a media page which will keep Zeetex stakeholders in the loop when it comes to activities related to the brand. It will also update the public on the latest technology available in the industry. The Zeetex brand was established in 2005, with a product portfolio comprising of tyres, batteries and lubricants. The brand offers over 500 differentiated items for the automotive industry and 65 specifications of lubricants under the Zeetex brand. cja

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TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

ONLINE TYRE BUSINESS

Retailers and wholesalers opt for CAM-based systems A NUMBER OF WELL-KNOWN tyre retailers and wholesalers have opted for computer software developed by CAM Systems, but why?The most recent news was that Fastfit Station has announced that it is “revolutionising” its e-trading through systemising the entire sales and booking process and placing the experience squarely in the domain of consumer choice. Through its consumer-facing e-commerce platform, www.grippy.co.uk, the e-tailer uses a range of technologies from CAM including Cameo, the MIDaS B2C module, Workshop Scheduler and the Online Tyre Catalogue (OTC) to streamline the whole process so no sale on the web ever requires any human intermediation in the back office. The consumer drives the process from finding the site, locating service resources, identifying the vehicle requiring fitment, selecting the tyre product, scheduling the work to be done and finally payment, presenting it as an effective ‘cash before delivery’ model. In particular, web connectors for CAM’s Workshop Scheduler and MIDaS B2C present the consumer with a wide choice of products together with workshop availability, which when selected updates core systems automatically. All the product data is underpinned by CAM’s OTC, which is automatically linked to Grippy, ensuring product codes and references are completely up-to-date, again without any human intervention. Graham Barker, director of Fastfit Station, says, “Importantly, the tyre product data is cross-referenced to key supplier product codes so if Fastfit Station is not currently holding stock, primary suppliers for the product being considered by the consumer online can still be referenced. In that way the product can always be sold and the motorist is never disappointed, which is critical.”

group Grouptyre is introducing the Online Tyre Catalogue (OTC) from CAM Systems to enhance its product data and stock management function and help deliver additional accuracy to its sales processes for the benefit of its many customers nationally. With the advent of new tyre labels, amendments to article numbers, changes within categories and the movement of tyres from active to non-active statuses, a significant amount of product information is changing on a daily basis. With over 160 brands, representing in excess of 70,000 part numbers under management within the OTC, Grouptyre’s subscription to the service means it can manage its stock profile in a highly informed and effective way which helps when receiving orders from customers and placing orders on suppliers, bringing inaccuracies within the supply chain to a minimum. Carl Murphy, IT manager of Grouptyre, commented: “We’ve been impressed with how the OTC can deliver tyre data to us and make visible the impact of changes so Grouptyre is in a position to be making fast, assured and accurate amendments on thousands of product lines systematically.”

Dexel picks UniSerV for greater efficiency

Tyre distributor Dexel Tyre Group chose CAM Systems’ UniSerV application suite to provide the company with process efficiencies and “a seamless transactional solution for the challenging commercial Grouptyre takes on CAM’s OTC environment“. The emphasis is on Straight Through For its part well-known tyre wholesaling

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

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“With such vast amounts of product available in the commercial arena, it’s vital that large wholesale operations like Grouptyre are receiving orders correctly first time, every time,” CAM Systems managing director, Mike Allen

Processing (STP) for the car, van and truck tyre provider, which means that a common breakdown form should never be processed by an operative in more than one step to update core systems, whether they are based internally or externally. As a result, invoices can be generated almost immediately for work completed. The UniSerV platform includes features such as call logging, customer policy and contract management, integrated casing management and the recently introduced e-tablet technology for breakdown forms. It also integrates seamlessly into CAM’s Cameo platform for systemised updating of stock and near real-time invoicing, making commercial functions speedier, more robust, less costly to process and, ultimately, easier and cheaper to manage. James France, managing director at Dexel Tyres, said: “The removal of duplicate data entry through the use of electronic, tablet based job sheets and the utilisation of the 3rd party interface will greatly reduce admin tasks and as such increase our efficiencies at the depot level. This will help our managers concentrate on the important areas of the job.” Mike Allen, managing director of CAM Systems, comments, “The UniSerV platform is robust, simple to process and streamlined so customers can build up service data significantly and maximise efficiencies around administration and billing.” cja

MOTORSPORT

Has Pirelli secured five-year F1 deal? Paul Hembery has given the strongest indication yet of a longer term future in Formula One for tyre supplier Pirelli. While there had been speculation that the manufacturer had secured the supply deal for 2014 only, the company’s Motorsport director told reporters at the Korean grand prix that the exclusive tyre supplier is “working on five years” , meaning Pirelli would be in the series until at least the end of the 2018 season.

The Mercedes team’s tyre allocation for the Korean grand prix – Pirelli appears to have secured a lengthy five year deal with the 11 F1 teams and the rights holder; only FIA confirmation remains pending

THE FIA

RELEASED A STATEMENT regarding the future of Pirelli in F1 following the World Motor Sport Council meeting in September. Within this vaguely worded document, the association only gave a conditional indication that Pirelli would supply tyres in 2014, dependent on the manufacturer’s ability to meet technical and safety standards. The statement also suggested that tyre and fuel suppliers would need to enter a tender process ahead of the 2015 season. However it emerged later that Pirelli has agreements with both the 11 teams and the rights holder, and is merely waiting for a contract with the FIA to be completed. Hembery told Reuters that this could take some time, referring to 2011 when Pirelli entered the sport. While Pirelli was unveiled as the new supplier towards the end of the 2010 season, the manufacturer said that the final contracts had not been signed until February 2011. From the FIA’s cagey statement mentioning safety, it appears the experience of Silverstone’s British grand prix, during which there were several tyre failures, still

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looms large in the memory, though subsequent action has supported Pirelli’s explanation of the problems it faced there. Since the British grand prix, the tyres have been changed to a more conservative structure and teams have worked with Pirelli to ensure they are run more safely, rather than with low pressures and extreme cambers not sanctioned by the tyre supplier. It would seem to make sense to suppose that Pirelli will continue this new conservatism into 2014 at least, with car specifications undergoing a number of non-tyre related changes. Hembery himself certainly believes that Pirelli have done enough to convince the sport that the tyre problems of 2013 are long in the past, and the agreement he appears to have secured with the teams bears that out. He even felt able to be a little bullish about Pirelli’s future in F1 when questioned whether he felt any anxiety over the deal in Korea. “There might be more anxiety from the other people's point of view because we could walk away,” he told Reuters. akb

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

MOTORSPORT

Pryce wins Yorkshire Rally, Pirelli Star Driver finishes 5th OSIAN PRYCE WON THE TRACKROD YORKSHIRE second, Fisher took third and Cave finished fourth. Speaking at the finish, rally winner Pryce – who RALLY, round five of the British Rally Championship, following a three-way battle that took the event to the final stage. Pirelli, on whose tyres the BRC is competed, said that the rally matched last year’s corresponding event, which staged one of the championship’s closest finishes, for excitement. The manufacturer’s supported Pirelli Star Driver Mark Donelly helped make the event for Pirelli, driving a mature rally to bring his Pirelli-backed Citroen DS3 R3T home in fifth. Meanwhile championship leader Jukka Korhonen – a former Pirelli Star Driver himself – looks likely to clinch the title in the Dorset and Hampshire forests, where the six-round series concludes with Rallye Sunseeker International (18-19 October). Forming the penultimate round of this year’s British Rally Championship, the Yorkshire Rally marked a return to gravel for the BRC crews as they took full advantage of Pirelli’s highly successful Scorpion gravel tyres to combat the fast, flowing roads that characterised the two-day event. Championship leader Jukka Korhonen set the pace on day one with a blinding time on Friday evening’s Staindale stage, which was held in the dark. The lead didn’t last long, however, as Pryce responded by going quickest through stage two to snatch the overnight lead. Saturday’s stages were to prove just as competitive with Korhonen, Pryce, Fisher and Welshman Tom Cave all grappling for the top spot. Only a handful of seconds separated the crews before they took on the longest stage of the rally: the 15-mile Langdale test, which Pryce went on to win. With less than eight seconds separating Korhonen, Fisher and Pryce going into the final test, it was all to play for. However, the pressure proved too much for Korhonen as he stalled on the finish line and Pryce went onto claim his second consecutive BRC victory. Korhonen was forced to settle for

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also took part in last year’s Pirelli Star Driver shootout - commented: “This season is just getting better and better. We’ve proved we can win on both gravel and asphalt so now we need to secure the hat-trick by winning the Sunseeker next!” After a sterling performance at his home event in Ulster last month Pirelli Star Driver Donnelly kept his nose clean over the weekend to bring his Citroen home in a credible fifth place. “It’s been an okay rally for us,” admitted 23-year-old Donnelly who hails from Omagh. “The pace at the front has been really fast so we’ve struggled to match the pace of those guys but we’ve done a good job and I was pleased with how the last few stages went.” Alex Parpottas was awarded the fifth Pirelli Star Driver nomination of the year after impressing the judges with his drive in the Ford Fiesta R2, which he nursed home through the rally’s closing stages after the car’s cooler pipe split. Pirelli UK operations manager Matthew Corby, summed up the weekend: “Last year’s Yorkshire Rally was one of the closest finishes in BRC history and this year’s event proved just as exciting with the battle for the win going down to the very last stage. The boys at the front were very quick but our Pirelli Star Driver Mark Donnelly was a model of consistency over the weekend. He did a brilliant job of just driving his own rally, looking after both the car and tyres. Jukka Korhonen now looks set to clinch the series title at the Sunseeker season-closer and it’s fantastic to see how much our former Pirelli Star Driver has progressed in his career over the past 24 months. Hopefully Mark can follow in Jukka’s footsteps and continue to take steps forward in his rally career after the support and guidance he has received from Pirelli this season.” akb

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Guy Martin leads the way at the Metzeler Ulster Grand Prix

Metzeler ends road racing summer with ‘world’s fastest’ Ulster GP METZELER HAS ROUNDED out its road racing season with its first year as title sponsor of the Ulster Grand Prix, at which Tyco Suzuki’s Guy Martin took three victories on the company’s rubber. Martin’s Supersport and feature Superbike race wins were joined by victories for Ivan Lintin in the Lightweight class, while Gary Johnson and

Dean Harrison also enjoyed strong performances in the Superstock race. The weather led to the cancellation of the Dundrod 150 races onThursday, but Metzeler enjoyed a victorious day on Saturday as the brand completed the first of three years as title sponsor to the World’s fastest road racing event, the Ulster Grand Prix.

The opening Supersport race was held in damp but drying conditions and it was the Metzeler shod Tyco Suzuki GSX-R600 of Guy Martin, who recently announced he will be remaining with the team for 2014, who took the ‘holeshot’. Leading for the majority of the five lap race, and despite increased pressure from the experienced Bruce Anstey on the final lap, Guy was able to take victory, crossing the line ahead Anstey by just 0.075s. To the relief of the thousands of fans who had packed the banks and hedgerows that line the 7.4 mile road circuit, the sun appeared ahead of the Superstock race and it was Lincs Lifting Kawasaki rider Gary Johnson who led for the opening lap. Unable to hold off Isle of Man TT hero Michael Dunlop, Johnson crossed the finish line to claim second place, giving Metzeler their second podium of the day. RC Express Kawasaki rider Dean Harrison enjoyed a well-earned fourth place while Supersport winner Martin was unable to match his earlier success, being forced to retire on the opening lap. Throughout the ‘roads’ season, the Lightweight category has been a close run affair, and fans at the Ulster Grand Prix were once again treated to an enthralling, fairing rubbing Lightweight race that came down to the final lap, with Metzeler supported Ivan Lintin fending off Jamie Hamilton to take the victory. A dry track greeted riders for the main event of the day, the Metzeler Ulster Grand Prix Superbike race, and it was once again Supersport winner Guy Martin who wrestled the lead from the two Dunlop brothers from the start. Setting about commanding

the race from the front, Martin and Michael Dunlop played a race long game of cat and mouse which came down to final lap, and it was fan favourite Guy Martin who took the victory on his GSXR1000 by 0.054s ahead of current king of the roads, Michael Dunlop. A problem for Martin in the second Supersport race forced him to retire on the first lap, however he was able to bounce back in the final race of the day, the second Superbike race, claiming a dominant victory as he lead from the off, to complete a trio of wins, and 11 career wins at the Ulster Grand Prix. Metzeler UK marketing manager Jim Worland commented, “It’s been a fantastic day of road racing here at the Metzeler Ulster Grand Prix, especially as the weather was kind after so much rain in the build-up to the event. The organisers, fans and riders really deserved to see some good action after they worked so hard in adverse conditions earlier in the week. “Guy was so impressive today especially in the feature Superbike race to hold off Michael Dunlop who has been in such strong form this year. He also held his nerve and showed the performance of the Metzeler’s by winning in both the wet and dry today. Congratulations also to Ivan Linton in the Lightweight race, surely a star of the future. “All in all it’s been a great event for us both in terms of results and as title sponsors, we can’t wait to come back next year!”

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TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

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MOTORSPORT

Protyre Formula Renault ‘Autumn Cup’ announced

5 of top 7 use Maxxis Trepador tyre at King of the Valleys Five of the top seven ranked competitors at the second staging of the King of the Valleys endurance event used Maxxis’ M8060 Trepador competition tyre. Maxxis UK managing director Derek McMartin says the partnership Maxxis has established with the King of the Valleys is “hugely beneficial” .

“BEING A PART OF ONE OF THE BIGGEST UP-AND-COMING MOTORSPORT EVENTS in the UK gives Maxxis a great advanGrovewood Sport and the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) have revealed plans for a four round Protyre Formula Renault Championship ‘Autumn Cup' which will take place at Rockingham International Super Sports Car Circuit over the weekend 16th/17th November.

AFTER ANOTHER OUTSTANDING YEAR for the one-make single-seater series, which crowned its main season champion - Chris Middlehurst - during the penultimate race meeting of the campaign last month at the Northamptonshire track, organisers are confident of a well-supported Autumn Cup. One qualifying session and two races will be contested each day of the event and registrations for the championship are now open, with a closing date of Wednesday, 13th November. As well as the cars currently running in Protyre Formula Renault, pre-2006 Tatuus FR 2.0 chassis with the required engine restrictor in place will also be eligible to compete in a standalone class. "We're very happy to confirm a four round Autumn Cup, running the entire event across just one weekend makes it much more cost-effective for the teams and drivers and we're hopeful of seeing a healthy line-up", said championship promoter Simon North. "We're offering a lot of track time, which is so important for drivers who may be considering racing in Protyre Formula Renault next year. The schedule we've created, with one qualifying session each day, seems to be very popular with the teams." Protyre Formula Renault, which has evolved into one of the most important single-seater categories in Britain in recent seasons, has enjoyed consistently strong grids in 2013 with up to 20 drivers at any one event and no fewer than 11 nationalities from across the globe. Along with headline sponsor Protyre, Formula Renault is additionally supported by Michelin, The Lubricant Consultancy, Petronas Syntium and NGK Spark Plugs. pg

tage when it comes to its competition. It’s great to put our tyres to the test and this event proves that the advanced technology we use to develop our tyres, Orange Engineering, is one of the reasons why the M8060 Trepador was a popular choice of tyre for competitors at this year’s King of the Valleys event, with the performance reflected in the results.” 2012 champions Team Acerni Racing from Italy returned to achieve first place for the second year running. Stephane Zosso came second, Team Lucky Dog came in third, and Maxxis-sponsored Team Gigglepin just missed out on a podium finish and came fourth. With some of the fastest lap times recorded at this year’s event, Team Gigglepin pushed the Maxxis M8060 Trepador tyres to achieve a highly impressive finish after coming down hard on its front radium arm, forcing it to return to the garage to get repaired. Organized by Neil Whitford on behalf of the All-Wheel Drive Club – the largest allmakes off-road club in the UK with some 2,000 members – and supported by Ultra4 Racing, which runs the US equivalent, Griffin King of the Hammers, the annual event involves three days of endurance racing. Teams battle against each other and the terrain over 80 miles of tough natural obstacles spread across the 1,600 acre site. The number of entrants grew to 49 teams from across Europe and the USA in 2013, and all-terrain vehicles from Landrover Defenders to 4x4 Buggys chose to run on Maxxis M8060 Trepador tyres. Maxxis says the M8060 Trepador has become its “most sought after extreme 4x4 specialist tyre to date.” It’s tread element arrangement helps to achieve a uniform tread contact area, multi-stage staggered shoulder pattern provide improved control, and nylon belt-reinforced tyre construction is designed to provide improved control even on the most difficult terrain, making it the preferred choice for many drivers at this year’s King of the Valleys. akb

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TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

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WHOLESALE

Kings Road Tyres adapts brand strategy with new Tianli, Maxam deals KINGS ROAD TYRES (KRT) has adapted its brand stra- mind, the wholesaler has recently launched new distegy to meet customer needs in 2013, saying the key tribution deals with Chinese OTR manufacturer Tianli, to success in demanding market conditions is to meet and with Luxembourg-based construction and industhe changing needs of trade customers. With this in trial pneumatic tyre supplier, Maxam

KRT is already one of the UK’s lea‘Flexible but disciplined’ brand ding distributors of agricultural strategy tyres, but made the decision to extend its offer further with the In addition to these new developments, introduction of 14 new trailer KRT claims its position as one of the tyres from Chinese OTR manuUK’s longest established and largest facturer Tianli. “Tianli is a wellspecialist wholesale distributors of established manufacturer of spetruck, agricultural, OTR and industrial cialist OTR and agricultural tyres tyres through the 40 year relationships which offer UK customers a costit has fostered with many of the world’s effective alternative fitment option in a range of popular size and tread patterns,” explains KRT’s purchasing and marketing manager, Tim Bader. In addition to its Tianli distributorship, KRT is also an appointed distributor for leading tyre manufactuMichelin, Kleber, rers. The company says Firestone, this has allowed it to Goodyear and KRT has extended its range of brands with Maxam and Tianli, while Uniroyal, Matador and Aeolus provide maintain a “flexible but Trelleborg AGR a structured sub-premium offering disciplined approach” to tyres, along with its brand policy. exclusive UK distribution for Taurus and its customers top quality, value-for “We pride ourselves on close busimoney tyres and there is no doubt that ness relationships with world class comthe new Linglong Radial Drive tyres. Luxembourg’s Maxam Tire appointed Maxam fits this bill perfectly.” panies like Bridgestone, Michelin, Maxam tyres are highly engineered Continental and Goodyear, where we KRT as its exclusive construction and industrial pneumatic tyre range dealer for products, designed to offer outstanding work with them to deliver a highly profesthe UK and Ireland. Speaking of the performance and long life in even the sional and effective route to market for appointment, Maxam’s CEO Ian Thomas toughest conditions. Ian Thomas said: their products,” explains Tim Bader. These said: „It is Maxam’s policy to try and work „Customer satisfaction is vitally impor- relationships with major brands extend with companies that are the best in their tant to Maxam, which is why our tyres beyond distribution of their premium class and we are delighted to welcome are subject to stringent quality checks lines. So for example, KRT is also the KRT to our global network of distributors. throughout the manufacturing process. exclusive UK distributor of the Groupe I am confident that they will greatly We know how expensive and frustrating Michelin Taurus agricultural range as well enhance Maxam’s presence in the UK downtime can be, which is why our tyres as the Continental Group’s Matador TBR are designed to perform perfectly, day offer. and Ireland“ KRT’s managing director, Adrian after day.“ Outside the premium segment KRT is Bader, commented: “We are pleased to also the exclusive distributor of other add Maxam construction tyres to our propopular brands, including China’s Aeolus duct portfolio; KRT specialises in offering and Antyre TBR and Wanda ATV and turf

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WHOLESALE

tyres. It also has a private brand in Kingstone, which has a range covering construction, industrial, OTR and tube markets. With the addition of Maxam and Tianli, KRT argues that it has achieved comprehensive market coverage in these segments. “We have worked hard to develop a range of products that meet both the performance and financial requirements of our customers in the commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors. We are very loyal to our premium brand suppliers but if a customer cannot for example fit a Michelin tractor tyre we can offer Taurus as a cost-effective alternative. The same applies to the truck market where we can supply Matador as an alternative to Continental,” says Tim Bader. Aeolus produces a popular range of budget tyres manufactured in China since 1965. The company is among the largest producers in China and was one of the first to manufacture casings that are suitable for both retreading and regrooving. Researchers and tyre designers at Aeolus have also factored in operating qualities such as driver comfort into their latest products. As an example, all front wheel truck applications now undergo a dynamic balance test before leaving the factory. Aeolus has recently introduced two new patterns, the ASR69 and ADR69 truck tyres which are now available in popular sizes 295/80R22.5 and 315/80R22.5. As part of the drive to increase sales and awareness of Aeolus TBR, KRT has launched a dedicated website at www.aeolustyres.co.uk. This includes size, application and technical details for the comprehensive ranges of products covering Regional Haul, Long Haul, Mixed Service and City Urban products for commercial vehicle, coach, city buses, low loaders, semi-trailers and tippers. “Supplying the haulage market requires a full understanding of the customer’s requirements and expectations of tyre performance,” explains Tim Bader. “With many years’ experience and expertise we have the ability to select and supply the appropriate tyre solution, calling on an

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

inventory that covers the latest premium products through to the most costeffective budget tyre.” KRT’s investment in developing long term relationships with Chinese tyre makers – in addition to and Tianli it supplies Antyre truck tyres and Linglong agricultural products for example – has also paid dividends. “China has become a huge exporter of tyres around the world and has had a big impact on the UK market, especially over the last five years. With so many manufacturers and brands to choose from we made a strategic decision to work with a small number of reliable suppliers we could build professional relationships with. Aeolus is a good case in point, where we have promoted their products in the UK and worked with them to develop tyres that meets the needs of the market, particularly in areas such as rereading and re-grooving,” says Bader.

Mid-range importance As was previously mentioned, KRT is also very active in the mid-range market: it is the exclusive UK distributor of the Continental Tyre Group’s Matador and Uniroyal TBR tyres. Matador is a longestablished brand with a tyre-making heritage dating back to 1925. All Matador products continue to be manufactured in Europe.

KRT’s Tianli radial flotation tyre range 500/50R17 500/50R17 500/60R22.5 560/45R22.5 560/60R22.5 560/60R22.5 600/50R22.5 600/55R22.5 600/55R26.5 620/55R26.5 650/50R22.5 650/55R26.5 710/45R22.5 710/50R26.5

Flotation Radial R305 Flotation Radial Agro Grip Agro Grip Flotation Radial Flotation Radial Agro Grip Flotation Radial Agro Grip Agro Grip Agro Grip Flotation Radial Flotation Radial

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“Matador is an exciting brand with a great deal going for it; not only is it a member of the Continental Group, which speaks volumes about its commitment to high quality, European manufactured products, but it also has a comprehensive range of competitively priced tyres covering all major commercial market sectors,” says Bader. Another important consideration for fleet buyers is that Matador tyres are both regroovable and retreadable. As part of its marketing and dealer support for the Matador brand KRT has introduced a dedicated website at www.matadortyres.co.uk. This provides full details of the product portfolio of coach, bus and truck applications for City Urban, Regional and Long Haul, Mixed Service and Winter applications. Additionally, KRT argues that the Uniroyal range has proved to be a cost effective product for operators working in general haulage, tanker and on/off road fleets. All users benefit from the durability of the product and its high mileage performance, typical characteristics of tyres manufactured by Continental. These qualities also extend to the high casing acceptance that delivers the all-important further life options for the tyre, through re-grooving and retreading. The Uniroyal range includes all popular sizes from 17.5” through to 22.5”. The FH steer axle, DH drive axle and TH trailer applications are all manufactured to meet the stringent operating demands placed upon them by the modern haulage industry. The range also includes winter patterns, allowing hauliers to continue operating in the most severe weather and road conditions. “Uniroyal truck tyres are very well accepted by customers,” confirms Tim Bader. “They appreciate the value for money the range delivers across all sectors of the commercial market and the links with Continental, which provide a guarantee of high and consistent quality.” akb

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Tyregiant helping support independent Bond International customers Reg Bond rewarded for horse racing support

ter Bond’s new winter pos

campaign

REG BOND is rounding the final corner on 50 years of tyre wholesaling since opening in Pocklington, near York, and the company is currently developing one of its bigger innovations – the move into online tyre retail with Tyregiant – signifying Reg and his family’s desire to drive the business forward. The upcoming milestone has also been marked by another achievement recently, as Bond was rewarded for the work in his sporting passion outside the tyre business. Bond was presented with a special Lifetime Achievement Award by Go Racing in recognition of his outstanding service to the sport. Bond International continues to support meetings at York Racecourse along with Infinity Tyres, for which the company is the UK distributor. Online Bond’s bespoke online ordering system, ‘Fastrac’, now has more than eight years under its belt, and the company says that uptake is “still growing rapidly”. The company continues to develop the system regularly with new functions aimed at “streamlining the search and order process”. The newer side of the wholesaler’s online business is the customer-facing Tyregiant e-Commerce site, which has been operating with the goal of increasing business for Bond’s number of

independent dealer customers. The tyre distributor characterises its role with retailers as supportive: “With several major players dominating the online retail tyre market, [we] decided it was time to help… independent customers get a piece of the action without incurring the high costs associated with launching and maintaining a retail website,” the company states. Bond says its customers are seeing increased traffic through their doors, “with excellent profit opportunities” as a result of Tyregiant and other online partnerships. The company operates with four warehouses and “over 100 delivery vehicles”. These “handle over 20,000 tyres per day (10,000 in and 10,000 out),” Bond says. In this way, Tyregiant was able to stock 500,000 tyres from day one. The website has a network of more than 600 accredited fitting centres nationwide with Bond’s vehicle fleet delivering directly to fitting stations in the wholesale business’s dealer network. Bond stresses the win-win nature of the consumerfacing website, which will “drive more

retail business to its customers and at the same time put more wholesale business through its own books.”

Bond brands Bond says it has “continued to strengthen its relationship” with the leading premium brand manufacturers particularly over the last few years, while it has a strong range of exclusive value brands. While Jinyu and Rotalla are also available on an exclusive basis through Bond, the key brands of Marshal, Infinity and Sailun all offer dealer incentive programmes. The wholesaler says they are “proving to be very popular with some exciting new schemes”. Bond has recently launched a marketing campaign for winter tyres, restating the suitability of the products in cold weather, and publicising the Jinyu and Sailun brands particularly. Bond has even tied in the promotion of Tyregiant with Reg’s other passion. In addition to the standard investment in design and search engine optimisation, Tyregiant has sponsored horse races at York, Doncaster, Beverly, Ripon and Redcar as a way of raising the brand’s profile. It sponsored a race on each occasion and a hospitality box at York. akb

Reg Bond alongside his wife Betty with two of their sons Greg on the left and Mike on the right

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Micheldever appoints Kumho brand manager MICHELDEVER TYRE SERVICES has appointed Lorna Craig as the company’s new Kumho brand manager. Craig was previously charged with the development of Micheldever’s business and brands in Scotland where she was an area sales manager. Wholesale sales director Alan Baldwin stated the company’s delight in her appointment, saying her previous experience had “made her the perfect choice for what is one of the most important roles within the MTS business.” Micheldever says it is Europe’s largest distributor of Kumho tyres, evincing the importance of Craig’s new position. Micheldever Tyre Services Kumho brand manager, Lorna Craig

Baldwin continued: “Lorna’s expertise in developing tyre retailers’ businesses in a true partnership, and her understanding of the challenges they face against threats like national retailers intent on dominating the UK retail tyre market, will deliver business gains for Kumho Dealers and provide the innovative added value required to help drive their business and increase consumer footfall.” Lorna Craig commented: “Kumho has a fantastic product range, high consumer awareness, superb quality and is already one of the strongest tyre brands in the UK. That success comes from the loyalty and support of our Kumho Dealer Network, Ecsta Performance Centres and my intention is to work closely with our customers to help their business develop with the Kumho Brand and Micheldever.” She added: “It’s not enough anymore to simply supply product, even the best product. Dealers need innovative and business building initiatives to make them stronger and more competitive in this market with all of its difficulties, but also opportunities.” akb

Micheldever supporting TyreSafe through retail business Micheldever Tyre Services was one of the original TyreSafe retail supporters, and its support is continuing during this October’s Tyre Safety Month by providing a strong programme. In addition to each of the 64 Protyre centres offering a free tyre safety check, the company is arranging free lady’s and young driver’s car care courses at 14 of their key nationwide centres. Also, the company is undertaking a nationwide “down the line” radio promotion. The free car care courses, being run at Protyre centres, cover how to check under bonnet fluids, oil and water, but most importantly the evening sessions will tackle tyre safety. In addition to outlining how to change a wheel safely, Micheldever says that Protyre technicians will provide hands-on demonstrations on how to check for tread depth, tyre pressures and other key pointers to keep a car safe on the road. An added incentive for female drivers attending these sessions is free membership, worth £23, to the UK’s only motoring club for women, Foxy Ladies Drivers Club (www.foxyladydrivers.com). The “down the line” radio campaign will promote tyre safety messages and will involve Micheldever retail director Simon Hiorns undertaking some 20 radio interviews from a London based studio. “Tyre Safety Month is a very important event for the UK tyre industry,” said Simon Hiorns, “and we at Micheldever are putting a lot of effort behind the campaign this year. Tyre safety is vitally important and whilst road accident deaths have fallen, the 194 deaths in 2012 as a result of defective tyres are unacceptable and we must do what we can to reduce this figure even more.” akb

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01952 684168

01952 684957 e: info@treadsetters.co.uk

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RH Claydon structures wide range of brands to become ‘one-stop shop’ WHILE THE PHRASE “ONE-STOP SHOP” is somewhat overused in relation to tyre wholesaling, RH Claydon (RHC) business development & purchasing director John Parker argues that for his company it is thoroughly deserved. Now in its 60th year of trading as one of the UK’s independent nationwide premier specialist tyre wholesalers, RHC believes that, whether the need is for Consumer, Off-Highway or Truck applications, it has a wide range of brands and fitments within its extensive product portfolio to meet the requirements of service provider and end-user alike in the UK and Ireland market place. The company’s product portfolio encompasses brands such as Annaite, Aurora, Basoon, BKT, Duro, Galaxy, Infinity, Lassa, Mitas, Primex, Security, Titan, Trelleborg, Vredestein, Windpower, Zeta and more in various patterns, profiles and sizes. This extensive brand range is backed by an equally impressive range of own branded “Airtite” tubes. Parker says the Consumer range majors on the brands Aurora, Lassa (in Scotland only), Security and Zeta. The Aurora brand, part of the Hankook Tyre stable, is exclusive to RHC for the UK. The product, from a high quality manufacturer, comes with an RHC Lifetime Guarantee, displaying the wholesaler’s faith in its quality. To compliment both Aurora and Lassa, another high quality product is Zeta, Parker says, which also offers and expanding selection of sizes and fitments to cater for the Value end of the market. The Security brand is concentrated on key sizes for the radial high-speed trailer market. The Off-Highway market is served by key brands BKT, Duro, Galaxy, Mitas, Primex, Titan, Trelleborg and Vredestein. The BKT brand, for which RHC is the longest established Authorised Distributor in the UK, has a vast range which covers Agricultural, Trailer, Plant & Construction, Industrial, Small & large Implement, Forestry, Turf Maintenance, ATV, Port,

Earthmover and more in various radial and crossply manufacture. Also exclusive to RHC for the UK and Ireland are the brands Galaxy and Primex from the Alliance Tire Group stable. Parker says the brands are “synonymous with quality” and offer “an expanding range” of sizes and fitments both in radial and crossply for Agricultural, Trailer, Plant & Construction, Industrial, Small & Large Implement, Specialist Turf Maintenance and Earthmover segments. He particularly notes the Galaxy brand as an OE supplier “to well-known prestigious manufacturers” – good news for the tyre service provider in that it presents replacement market opportunities. Covering the smaller end of the market, RHC supplies Duro, Supreme, Titan and Trelleborg alongside BKT and Galaxy. In the light and heavy truck tyre markets RHC boasts endto-end coverage too, with the brands Annaite, Basoon, Infinity, Lassa and Windpower. RHC categorises Infinity, Lassa and Windpower products as its “Premier” range – Infinity and Windpower are exclusive to RHC in Northern Ireland and the UK respectively. Both brands offer a wide-range of sizes, patterns and profiles for the many different applications required, such as short and long haul, tipper, trailer and bus/coach. The “Value” support package is covered by the Annaite and Basoon brands, Parker says. These brands also present an extensive range of size and fitments for this key market segment. RHC’s very extensive product portfolio offering is supplied through strategically located sales and service branches in Falkirk, Scunthorpe, Stockport, Swindon and Bury St Edmunds. With “experienced, knowledgeable and motivated staff,” Parker says RHC is confident it can satisfy both existing and future needs and requirements of their ever expanding customer base. akb

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Tyres that make sense. Tyres that make you money.

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Treadsetters discusses Falken distribution deal, Sunday Times accolade UK AND

tyre wholesaler, Treadsetters has recently been appointed as a UK distributor for the Falken tyre range – a move that it says enhances “significantly” its commercial tyre operation.The company says the Sumitomo-manufactured Falken brand joins Goodride and a number of specially selected mid-range and premium brands. The Shropshire-based wholesaler states that it has enjoyed a “very progressive trading period” in the last couple of years. As well as steadily increasing its product portfolio the company has also received a number of business accolades and were recently placed 59th in the Sunday Times International Track 200 list. INTERNATIONAL

Increased Torque

Treadsetters was the only tyre wholesaler to receive this prestigious honour, and the company was pleased to have continued to feature in the Sunday Times, having made a previous list in 2012. Treadsetters achieved 76th position in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list and additionally received an HSBC Business Innovations Award (see textbox). In addition to the new Falken distribution deal – the brand is also distributed by Ireland’s Philip White Tyres in the British Isles – Treadsetters provides extensive and diverse ranges of tyres, with involvement in the PCR, UHP, Van, 4x4/SUV and Truck market segments. The wholesaler says it is particularly keen to specialise in regularly developing new market potential.

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The Torque truck range, which is an exclusive brand for the company, is produced “within technologically advanced manufacturing facilities incorporating the latest tyre assembly innovations”, according to Treadsetters. It specialises in providing tyres to suit mid to long distance, regional and urban driving applications. It includes a block pattern design giving superior traction performance and stability plus solid grip in all Drive positions. An anti-abrasion tread compound yields increased mileage return along with reduced tread wear. A special rib pattern is designed to improve directional handling, lateral traction and wet grip in steer positions. Torque has recently developed a new compound and introduced a new tread pattern, the TQ121 to further enhance Treadsetters ability to provide a quality truck tyre to meet every application in the commercial market. The TQ121 offers operational benefits such as being a visibly wider

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

WHOLESALE

tyre complete with a wider footprint for improved heat dissipation providing a higher mileage return through the tyre running cooler. Treadsetters is also the appointed UK distributors for the Hifly brand, incorporating a comprehensive choice of modern pattern designs for the passenger car, high performance, van and 4x4/SUV sectors offering an extensive selection of sizes and series. The Hifly UHP range presents several important benefits including a fluent, straight line pattern design for improved steering response and a special tread pattern for superior wet and dry road handling and aquaplaning resistance. The company additionally present the Durun range which is a competitively priced budget range. Backed by dynamic sales and marketing incentive programmes including a fully supported dealer partnership scheme, Treadsetters says its truck tyre portfolio “looks set to continue its progressive growth momentum.” akb

Independent UK tyre wholesaler receives export accolade

Treadsetters claimed 59th position on the Sunday Times International Track 200 in 2013

West Midlands based tyre wholesaler and producer, Treadsetters (Part of the TIA Group) has been named as one of the UK’s leading innovators of international export sales. Treadsetters were listed at 59th position in the International Track 200 supplement in a leading national Sunday publication (sponsored by HSBC Commercial Banking) which ranks Britain’s mid-market private companies with the fastest growing international sales performance (measured over the past 24 months from available accounts). The International Track 200 Listing highlights companies with sales threshold levels including sales returns from £25 million up to £200 million, international sales ranging from £5 million up to £100 million and an average two-year international sales growth pattern from 25 per cent up to 500 per cent. This latest accolade is the third prestigious business award for Treadsetters since 2010 when the company received an HSBC Business Innovations Award and they also hold the distinction of being the only tyre wholesaler and producer to have been listed in both the Fast Track 100 (in 2012 at 76th position) and the latest International Track 200 Listings. Currently exporting tyres, including its own Torque brand, to 42 countries around the world, Treadsetters says it has found success as a leading UK based business on an international level. It says it “has maintained a continued rapid growth momentum” over the past couple of years, “bucking the general trend of a static UK business market”. It has also regularly opened up new markets on a global basis and firmly established themselves as a leading supplier of value for money, quality tyres. A spokesperson for Treadsetters says, “With this recognition of our ongoing achievements in international sales in the past few years. It will act as an encouraging ‘springboard’ for Treadsetters to move further forward to increased sales growth in existing markets and to open up international market opportunities.” akb

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The Torque TQ121 from Treadsetters

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

Leading the ﬁeld for over 45 years We've been supplying tyres to the trade since 1966 and remain the only truly Independent UK Tyre Wholesaler. The constant improvements we make are focused on providing a better service to you. Our experience and unrivalled purchasing power allow us to offer you the most competitive prices on all brands.

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Major stockists of all leading brands - Sole UK distributors for...

BOND INTERNATIONAL Pocklington Industrial Estate, Pocklington, York YO42 1NR Tel: 01759 303942 Fax: 01759 302414 Email: sales@bondint.co.uk www.bondint.co.uk

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Grouptyre’s Kenway celebrates 30 years GROUPTYRE member Kenway Tyres, which services the northeast of Scotland, is celebrating 30 years in the tyre business in 2013. Grouptyre says that Kenway has continued to expand over the years and built on the success of its single site in Aberdeen. Kenway now operates three retail sites in addition to its distribution business: two in Aberdeen and one in Dundee. Kenway Tyres is the largest tyre wholesaler in the northeast of Scotland. Covering an 8,000sqm territory Kenway offers express one-hour delivery to an area from Tain to Fife. Collectively the company now employs 60 members of staff in its business and operates 16 delivery vehicles. Kenway has strengthened its position in the marketplace by servicing sectors such as 4×4 and high performance, which has been one of the opportunities derived from being a member of Grouptyre. Through on-going technical and sales support, Kenway is also able to help its customers develop their businesses and tailors its service to meet their needs. “We’re extremely proud of our achievements here at Kenway Tyres”, says Kenway’s managing director Alan Kennaway. “The whole team here deserves recognition for the way in which we have evolved and grown as a company. We strive daily to meet the needs of our customers in the North East, providing a friendly service, and we look forward to continuing to do so for many more years”.

Grouptyre’s evolution Grouptyre’s evolution over the last few years means it now numbers 10 regional wholesalers. The member companies offer daily to multiple same-day deliveries – also on demand in some cases – with a collective fleet of more than 400 delivery vehicles nationwide operating from 38 strategically located distribution points.

The 10 members boast a combined stock holding of one million tyres at any one time. Grouptyre also has a team of business development managers on the ground, offering tyre industry experience and support to retailers. In terms of the benefits Grouptyre can offer to retailers, it says its strong relationship with tyre manufacturers is key, as it allows members to access competitively priced products for their customers. Grouptyre has an extensive range of exclusive margin brand products, including Evergreen, Federal, Goodride and Landsail, with comprehensive dealer support packages for access to exclusive dealer promotions, point of sale material and merchandise. “The industry has experienced some very difficult trading conditions over the last few years”, says Paul Hollows, Grouptyre’s sales director. “We’re constantly striving to meet the needs of the industry and our growth and strong position in the industry has allowed us to venture into some extremely rewarding business opportunities over the past couple of years, such as Grouptyre Wholesale in the South East (a joint venture between some of our members) and the new ZR Tyres retail business (a joint venture between Tanvic Group Ltd and BA Bush Ltd). Grouptyre is certainly a force to be reckoned with within the industry.”

part numbers under management within the OTC, Grouptyre’s subscription to the service means it can manage its stock profile in a highly informed and effective way which helps when receiving orders from customers and placing orders on suppliers, bringing inaccuracies within the supply chain to a minimum. Carl Murphy, IT manager of Grouptyre, says: “We’ve been impressed with how the OTC can deliver tyre data to us and make visible the impact of changes so Grouptyre is in a position to be making fast, assured and accurate

Grouptyre member Kenway Tyres’ mascot Kaptain

Grouptyre adopts Cam’s OTC Grouptyre is introducing the Online Tyre Catalogue (OTC) from Cam Systems to enhance its product data and stock management function and help deliver additional accuracy to its sales processes for the benefit of its many customers nationally. Tyre labels, amendments to article numbers, changes within categories and the movement of tyres from active to non-active statuses mean a significant amount of product information is changing on a daily basis. With over 160 brands, representing in excess of 70,000

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amendments on thousands of product lines systematically.” Mike Allen, managing director of CAM Systems, adds, “With such vast amounts of product available in the commercial arena, it’s vital that large wholesale operations like Grouptyre are receiving orders correctly first time, every time. OTC regularly checks, validates and publishes all the variations in labelling and other tyre data, enabling dealers likewise to be precise, which ultimately saves both parties time and money.” akb

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VDB offering broader winter portfolio in 2013-14 EUROPE, BEWARE – WINTER IS COMING, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. The first snow has already fallen in the mountains of Switzerland, and that means the start of a new winter tyre season. Van den Ban (VDB), however, reports itself “winter ready” and says its expanded assortment of winter tyres is even more extensive compared with prior years.The wholesaler has been developing its flagship brand Novex in 2013, and this includes a number of winter fitments too. VDB expects demand for winter tyres for the upcoming season will suddenly increase when the snow and cold reaches lower altitudes in Europe. And when this happens, it believes the company’s range and logistics will enable it to respond to all market needs. As in previous years, VDB has purchased a wide range of winter and all season tyres, including UHP sizes up to 20-inches and runflat fitments. It has also expanded its budget range to meet the array of fitments present in the market. The Blackstone and Novex private labels are well represented in VDB’s 2013-2014 assortment. After expanding the assortment of its successful Hifly budget range, VDB is now introducing new winter tyres into its Trazano budget brand. The Trazano (SW 608) winter range consists of 12 sizes

The Novex Snow Speed 3

The new all-season Novex tyre, introduced this year

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from 175/65R14 up to 225/45R17. Furthermore, the Hifly winter range has been greatly expanded in comparison to previous years. The PCR-range (Win-Turi 212) includes 41 sizes from 155/80R13 up to 225/45R17 and 8 sizes light truck from 195/75R16 up to 235/65R16. The range of studdable winter tyres, aimed at the Scandinavian market, consists of 17 sizes (Win-Turi 215).

Van den Ban upgrades flagship brand Novex Van den Ban’s private label Novex has been upgraded with a more mature identity and improved assortment. The distributer has displayed great confidence in the Novex brand, produced by what it describes as “a well-known Asian tyre manufacturer” and the range is developing rapidly by introducing new patterns and sizes. With the increased winter and all-season assortment, VDB says Novex is now in a better position to respond to the needs of the market. Novex is winter-ready with in total 52 sizes in 3 patterns in passenger car and light truck tyres. The PCR range covers the sizes from 145/80R13 75T up to 215/50R17 95V. The latest introduction is the Novex Snow Speed 3 and includes 26 (new) sizes. In the Snow Speed LT 4 new sizes have been added, offering a total of 14 sizes in this light truck range. Moreover the Novex All Season pattern is available in no less than 13 new sizes which consists now of a total 39 sizes, offered from 155/80R13 83T to 225/45R17 94V. All the sizes carry the mark of M&S and three peak mountain symbol. In both winter- and all season, the first tyres are unloaded and available in stock, VDB says. The company also offers marketing support to help partners further develop the brand. VDB describes itself as “more than convinced” that Novex has a “complete package” with the potential “to be an exclusive brand for our customers.” In addition to the gains of 2013, VDB said that it will announce a new asymmetric summer pattern for Novex to be introduced in January 2014, when the brand “will be upgraded once more.” In total, next year’s summer range will number a total of 136 sizes in five patterns, the distributor reveals. sg/akb

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

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New ‘DACH’ region importer for Aeolus PCR range AEOLUS HAS A NEW DISTRIBUTOR for its Just one example: the transport of the first passenger car tyre range in the German, Austrian and Swiss markets. German wholesaler and tyre service provider Reifen Straub GmbH now handles imports in these three territories and in midSeptember began delivery of Aeolus AW02 and AW03 winter tyres for the coming ‘changeover’ period, which traditionally takes place in October. “It is now no longer to possible to make any more money with many premium brands,” observed Reifen Straub managing partner Eugen Straub at an Aeolus market launch event in September. “However, we are able to break new ground with an innovative company such as Aeolus and a competent local contact.

containers took place over land by rail freight. Within just 15 days, our goods were delivered to the central warehouse via Hamburg. The resulting savings and logistical advantages are obvious. “Aeolus is a company that thinks outside the box and has impressed us with its unique strategy. Establishing new rules means breaking old ones, while at the same time continuing to impress both commercially and economically,” Straub continued. “We are excited by what is happening here and we look forward to a long term partnership and close cooperation with and for Aeolus.” Aeolus views an important part of suitably positioning passenger car tyres in

Eugen Straub (l) and Thomas Wolgemuth

crowded markets such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland as being to have a “compelling and consistent strategy.” It also believes the use of high quality raw materials, intensive testing in Europe for Europe, and the continuous development of the appropriate product portfolios form the basis for sound market development.

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Maersk boasted the “most impressive” bunker cost savings in the first half of 2013

Shipping costs continue to fall Rob Shelley of Maritime Cargo Services surveys the current shipping outlook SEA

are currently on a downward trend that looks likely to continue for the foreseeable future, says freight forwarding specialist Rob Shelley of Maritime Cargo Services. According to industry feedback, this year’s peak season from Asia to Northern Europe got off to a slow start in July, and remained FREIGHT RATES

Drewry, the specialist research and advisory organisation for the maritime sector, is expecting rate levels to continue to fall in the final months of the year. As the trade enters a shoulder season still plagued by overcapacity, rates will come under renewed pressure. Furthermore, shipping lines are once again considering a General Rate Increase in November, and Shelley says it will be interesting to see how their intentions play out. “For the tyre trade, the most important message to get across is that you ensure any savings are duly passed onto you,” Shelley advises. “Fuel cost savings since 2011 have been impressive,” Shelley continues.

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unconvincing even up to the beginning of September. Exports from Asia to Northern Europe in the second quarter were only the same as during the same period last year, and year-on-year growth in the first seven months of 2013 reached just one per cent.

“Depending on vessel size, fuel (known in the shipping industry as bunker) costs can amount to over 60 per cent of all voyage expenses, which explains why ocean carriers’ recent financial reports have dwelt so much on success in minimising fuel costs. For example, OOCL’s report noted that its average fuel price in first half of 2013 ($626/tonne) was nine per cent less compared to same period of 2012, and that its overall fuel cost saving was 4.4 per cent. “Maersk’s performance was the most impressive so far, with its bunker cost in 2Q 13 ($1.3bn, or 23 per cent of all operating costs) being 31 per cent lower than in the same period last year. This

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was achieved through reducing bunker consumption by 18 per cent, and a 15 per cent decrease in average bunker price, down to $589/tonne. “As market conditions are likely to remain difficult for at least another year, yet more focus will have to be applied on cost cutting. The problem is that ocean carriers have already benefitted enormously from bunker price reductions over the past two years, and are unlikely to see the same again, which means that either other costs will have to be cut, or further slow steaming introduced. “Increasing economies of scale will again be of assistance, given the large number of vessels over 10,000 twenty-

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foot equivalent unit on order. Depending on the level of postponements, there could be as many as 36 vessels averaging 14,000 teu delivered next year, followed by a further 33 vessels averaging 15,600 teu in 2015. As most will be deployed in the Asia/North Europe trade lane, this will further increase the average size of its vessels. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Quantifying the benefit of this is difficult to predict, but recent experience provides some guidance. The average size of vessels deployed between Asia and Northern Europe in 2Q 13 (just under 10,500 teu) was 14 per cent higher than the average of 9,200 teu in 2Q 12. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Assuming that the fuel price in the two periods remained the same for the two sizes of vessel, this would have resulted in an eight per cent saving alone on a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;per teu carriedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; basis, but as the

fuel price was in fact 6 per cent lower, the total saving was a remarkable 14 per cent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The evolution of the change since 2009 has been huge; then, fuel prices were considerably lower, and the average size of vessel deployed between Asia and North Europe was only 8,100 teu; ships were also a lot faster then. After climbing by 51 per cent between 2Q 09 and 2Q 11, up to $384 per teu, bunker costs per teu carried (excluding diesel) then fell by seven per cent over the next 12 months, followed by a further 14 per cent between 2Q 12 and 2Q 13. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Significantly, these savings were achieved only by falling fuel prices and increasing vessel size, as average ship speed remained more or less the same, which highlights the hidden weapon still at their disposal. Another â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;surplusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; vessel

for many of the routeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 22 weekly loops will often be required for this, however, which may not always be available. â&#x20AC;&#x153;How bunker surcharges evolve will also be interesting as, although bunker adjustment factors (BAFs) and fuel prices have been following each other in the Asia/N Europe reasonably well since 2009, the correlation appears to overlook the economy of scale benefits of bigger ships. Drewry believes that should fuel prices increase, ocean carriers will continue to soften the blow through increased economies of scale right up to the end of 2015. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With so many fluctuations going on, making sure you get the best deal is essential, and in order to do that, partnering with the right freight forwarder is key,â&#x20AC;? Shelley concludes. akb

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Infinity holds first German Partner Conference THE AL DOBOWI GROUP has initiated an annual Infinity German Partner Conference, having presented the Infinity Tyres programme and discussed new distribution strategies with a select group of German tyre retailers, distributors and journalists at Aschaffenburg’s Schloss Hotel in Bavaria. Infinity Tyres were introduced to the European market nine years ago, and the brand’s owner and global distributor expects a complete new passenger range for 2014 to bring faster year on year sales growth, especially in technically demanding markets such as Germany. Harjeev Kandhari, executive director of the Al Dobowi Group, and Jorge Crespo, general manager Europe of Infinity Tyres presented information on Infinity tyres, the spread of marketing activities, part-

nership networks and charitable foundations at the two-day event. The information disseminated included the new passenger products, truck, OTR and agricultural tyre lines. Harjeev Kandhari emphasised Al Dobowi’s commitment to the European tyre market and the international Infinity dealer network through the process of developing the Infinity brand in the longterm together: “We are excited and proud to announce 79 new developments in five different passenger categories in 2013.” Guests were also introduced to Chris Davison of Total Performance Testing, who assessed the technical capabilities of Infinity tyres against competitor products during controlled testing environments, as well as outlining his own subjective test experience. Infinity Tyres is also now a registered member of the BRV, the German Tyre Dealer Association. The general manager

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of BRV Hans-Jürgen Drechsler joined the conference and congratulated Al Dobowi for this move. He also gave a detailed presentation of the German tyre market by segment as well as a future outlook for the economy tyre growth. Jorge Crespo added that, due to the changing tyre trade dynamics, the polarisation between ‘premium’ tyres and ‘economy’ tyres lends a great opportunity for growing the Infinity brand in Germany. A final highlight of the event was the introduction of Oliver Harsch, the German Drift Challenge Champion. Infinity sponsors Harsch’s car, increasing brand exposure at Championship events. After the presentation, guests and the press were able to see a drifting demonstration from Oliver in his BMW M3 with brand new 480HP engine, with the additional option of co-piloting. The event also included fine cigar and wine tasting with an expert sommelier. akb

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Starco opens new Russian facility STARCO REPORTS that its Russia-based business, Starco compete,” said Lorentzen. “Our new web platform, which inteEastern Group, has moved into new and larger facilities in St. Petersburg.The operation’s new central warehouse has been established on a greenfield site within ten minutes drive from the St. Petersburg ring road; Starco says the move has brought its supply chain closer to its customers, and the new warehouse will simplify compliance with import procedures. Meanwhile, Starco also moved into new premises on the web, as it launched its own YouTube channel. The new office for the Starco Eastern Group’s sales department includes 160 square metres of office space plus other facilities, while the new warehouse currently comprises 1,000 square metres of capacity. This will be doubled in the coming year. The warehouse area is equipped with racks that are adaptable to suit a wide range of products, giving Starco the ability to arrange its stocks to meet customer requirements and to continue to increase its operational capacity and efficiency. The warehouse is equipped with a tyre-changing machine to meet OEM requirements as well as a tyre press for solid tyres, allowing Starco to offer a faster service for aftermarket customers. Starco says the new facilities have been developed with attention to workplace health and safety in mind, drawing on the resources and experience of the entire Starco Group With the opening of these facilities, Starco Eastern Group has also strengthened its team in St. Petersburg with additional experienced personnel.

grates the corporate and regional websites with an online catalogue and web shop, has been designed to give our customers greater insight into our products and services – and to the many tangible values which make Starco products world class. With the latest videos customers worldwide can learn about our production expertise and capacities, and experience our various manufacturing and assembly operations in our factories and distribution centres worldwide.” The videos and improved web presence are also designed to display “the global resources and expertise within Starco, on which our customers can draw when selecting special wheels for almost any application,” Lorenzen adds. “Whereas we were once a group of companies with different products and activities in each region, we are now able to promote and deliver a comprehensive range of products and services.” The videos are accessible via starco.com, or Starco’s YouTube channel. sg/akb

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Starco launches YouTube channel Starco has introduced a further enhancement to its new website, publishing a series of videos about the company and its activities and products. “Continuing to grow and become a global company is exciting, but it also presents many new challenges”, explains Group marketing manager Brian Lorentzen. “The new website and all our other external communications initiatives target a global audience; our companies in 22 countries serve a wider range of products to a rapidly growing number of customers, many of whom will be meeting our company or specific products for the first time. This gives Starco greater need to communicate and inform. Starco believes that its focus on “engineering expertise, manufacturing quality, logistics and customer service” mean that new visual presentations and more detailed information are required to increase customers’ insight into the company’s activities. “Whilst we are always competitive, the product is only one of many important parameters on which we

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

Are you the next dealer in your country of LEAO tyres? Contact us at European Tyre Distributors BV Strijen, The Netherlands E sales@etd.nl - T +31 78 629 1210 - www.etd.nl

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All-rounders top German winter tests WINTER

TYRE TESTS carried out by two German publications have returned strong results for products delivering solid performance in a wide range of conditions; both reserved particular praise for Continental’s ContiWinterContact TS850.

TCS, to produce its winter tyre test. Two sizes – 185/60 R15 T and 225/45 R17 H – were tested, and in both size categories Continental and Michelin received a “good” recommendation (no “very good” ratings were given out in this year’s test) with their ContiWinterContact TS 850 and Alpin A4. Four products were rated “inadequate” by the testers. In the smaller size, the ADAC tested This year, German motoring organsiation the ADAC got together with its Austrian 17 products using a VW Polo as test vehiand Swiss counterparts, the ÖAMTC and cle, and seven of these were rated as “good”. Particular praise went to the Continental tyre: “The ContiWinterContact TS 850 proved itself to be the best of the good, it achieved the best grades in the key wet, snow and ice criteria and thus is seen to be particularly well-balanced. Furthermore, it stands out for its low fuel consumption.” Describing the other ‘good’ rated tyres, the Dancing on ice, ADAC style ADAC stated: “Along with

other good and well-balanced properties the Michelin A4 – as has already been seen in the past – showed itself to be very wear-resistant. This is also the case for the Firestone Winterhawk 3, which shined on dry and wet roads. A particular strength for the Nokian WR D3 is its performance on dry surfaces. The Goodyear UltraGrip 8 and Semperit SpeedGrip 2 round off the group of good winter tyres. They have no predominant strength but also no weaknesses.” A Skoda Octavia performed the test honours for the larger size, and from the total of 15 size 225/45 R17 H winter tyres were tested, only four were rated as “good”. These tyres won the testers over with their all-round performance; the ContiWinterContact TS 850 received the highest rating in the snow, the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32S in the wet and the Michelin Alpin A4 for having the lowest wear. While the new Uniroyal MS plus 77 was not rated the best in any category, it also showed no weaknesses and was therefore included in amongst the “good“ rated tyres.

Results: ADAC winter tyre test 2013 185/60 R15 T Continental ContiWinterContact TS850 Dunlop Winterresponse 2 Firestone Winterhawk 3 Michelin Alpin A4 Nokian WR D3 Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Semperit Speed-Grip 2 Vredestein Snowtrac 3 Barum Polaris 3 Pirelli Winter190 Snowcontrol 3 GT Radial Champiro WinterPro Hankook Winter i*cept RS (W442) Falken HS-449 Eurowinter Kleber Krisalp HP2 Nexen Eurowin 600 Kormoran Snowpro b2 Marangoni 4 Winter E+

225/45 R17 H good good good good good good good satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory acceptable inadequate inadequate

Continental ContiWinterContact TS850 Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32 S Michelin Alpin A4 Uniroyal MS plus 77 Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance Nokian WR D3 Dunlop SP Wintersport 4D Fulda Kristall Controll HP Semperit Speed-Grip 2 ESA-Tecar Supergrip 7+ HP 210 Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 Hankook Winter i*cept RS (W442) Toyo Snowprox S953 Interstate Winter IWT-2 Sailun Ice Blazer WSL-2

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good good good good satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory inadequate inadequate

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AMS votes Conti best in wet and snow In the September issue of German publication Auto Motor und Sport (20/2013), eight brands of winter tyre were put through their paces. Seven types of size 225/50 R17 V tyre and a set of Michelin 225/50 R17 H tyres were fitted to a BMW 330d for the test and subject to handling and braking tests in snow, wet and dry conditions, along with condition-specific tests such as aquaplaning, traction, comfort, rolling noise and rolling resistance. Here is what Auto Motor und Sport found out: In dry conditions, Nokianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WR D3 came out on top, its top points for dry handling and braking helping it score 95 from 100 points in this category, ahead of the Pirelli Winter Sottozero III with 88 points and the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D with 87 points. Last place went to the Fulda Kristall Control HP, which scored 70 points, including last place in the subjective handling and dry braking tests. But when a bit of wet and cold was added to the mix, Continentalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ContiWinterContact TS850 came to the fore. In wet testing the German tyre scored 99 out of a possible 100 points, landing top market for handling, directional control and braking, along with good marks for aquaplaning (although the Toyo

Snowprox S953, the tyre that achieved the lowest points overall, performed better on this test). The second best wet performer was the Pirelli Winter Sottozero III, which scored 92 from 100 points. Gold in the snow testing category also went to the ContiWinterContact TS850, which scored 95 from 100 points, including equal (along with the Pirelli tyre) top marks for traction. The Goodyear Ultragrip 8 Performance, Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D and Fulda Kristall Control HP shared top honours for handling and the Fulda tyre also gained top points for the snow braking test. Overall, the ContiWinterContact TS850 scored best with 277 out of a potential 300 points. Runner up was the Pirelli Winter Sottozero III with 270 points and third place went to the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, which scored 258. The wooden spoon went to the Toyo Snowprox S 953, which scored 218 out of 300 points. The tyres tested by Auto Motor und Sport were: Particularly recommended: Continental ContiWinterContact TS850, Pirelli Winter Sottozero III, Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D and Nokian WR D3; Recommended: Goodyear Ultragrip 8 Performance, Michelin Alpin A4 and Fulda Kristall Control HP; Conditionally recommended: Toyo Snowprox S 953. sg

Toyomoto

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Although Michelin’s supply to the 918 Spyder is hardly high-volume, it carries on an original equipment relationship dating back to 1961

OE update – the latest deals Amongst the recently-announced original equipment supply agreements are a pair from Michelin, Goodyear’s two Fiat fitments and one each from Korean tyre makers Nexen and Kumho. Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has also been approved for take off with a Czech Republic airline. Michelin: Peugeot’s second-generation 308, which made its public debut at the IAA motor show in Frankfurt, will be available with two different Michelin tyres as original equipment; models delivered with 15 and 16-inch rims will be fitted with the Energy Saver + while the Pilot Sport 3 will be mounted on 17 and 18inch rim versions. “For the Peugeot 308, the new Michelin Energy Saver+ tyre shortens braking distances on wet surfaces by three metres, reduces carbon dioxide emissions by three grammes per kilometre and delivers remarkable handling without sacrificing tyre longevity,” comments Laurent Cléro, Michelin’s technical account manager in charge of co-developing tyres for the 308. Another agreement sees Michelin tyres fitted as original equipment on a much rarer beast. The French manufacturer is sole tyre supplier to Porsche’s new hybrid supercar, the 918 Spyder. The 918-

specific Sport Cup 2 will be fitted in size 265/35-ZR20 at the front and size 325/30ZR21 on the rear. Production of the new Porsche began on 18 September and only 918 units of this model will be manufactured, nevertheless during the vehicle’s development Michelin tested 550 prototype tyres. 150 hours of testing took place on five European circuits. Goodyear: Two Goodyear tyres, the EfficientGrip and Vector4Seasons, have been selected by Italian car manufacturer Fiat to fit its latest 500 models, including the 500C and the new 500L Trekking. The models will be supplied with tyres in size 195/45R16 84V. Fiat has selected Goodyear’s EfficientGrip for the 500 and 500C cabrio version, while the Fiat 500L Trekking will roll on the Vector4Seasons. “The Fiat 500 is an icon, says Hugues Despres, Goodyear brand director EMEA. “It is one of the most stylish city cars in the world. We are proud that Goodyear

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has once again been selected to help its drivers enjoy an even more satisfying experience.” Nexen: Two further European original equipment agreements have been added to Nexen Tire’s supply list. Starting in December, the Korean tyre’s rolling resistance optimised N’Blue HD will be delivered to Skoda in size 205/55R16 91V for fitment on the new Octavia, and before the end of the year Nexen will begin shipping the N’Blue HD to Volkswagen for the Polo. This time the tyre will be supplied in 185/60R15 84H. The tyres fitted on the Octavia and Polo are produced in Nexen’s Changnyeong plant, which opened in April 2012. “The Volkswagen Group, Nexen Tire’s new OE partner, represents innovative and high-value products around the world,” states Hee-Jong Lee, director of Nexen Tire’s Europe Technical Center. “We are therefore very proud that we have, with our N’Blue HD, devel-

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oped a tyre that meets the high requirements expected by Skoda and VW.” Kumho: The latest version of the most serious Mercedes-Benz 4x4 offering, the G-Class, is now fitted with Kumho’s Solus KL21 as original equipment. The Korean firm has begun supplying the Solus KL21 in size 265/60 R18 110H, adding another string to its Mercedes-Benz original equipment agreement bow – Kumho began supplying the A-Class (Solus KH 15 in size 185/65 R15) in 2007 and the Viano XClusive (Ecsta KU19) in 2008. Korean-market Sprinter and Actros models, along with Daimler AG’s Smart, are also delivered with Kumho tyres as original equipment. The Solus KL21 is produced in Kumho’s factory in Vietnam, the company’s most modern tyre plant. It is available in various 16 to 20-inch sizes. Dunlop Aircraft Tyres: The

Birmingham-based firm’s latest long-term supply contract sees it providing new and retreaded tyres to Czech Republic carrier Travel Service Airlines’ fleet of 23 Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft, as well as to the four Boeing 737 Next Generation planes flown by its low-cost subsidiary SmartWings. The supply deal includes nose and main wheel tyres. “Travel Service Airlines is the latest in a number of carriers that have placed new orders, not only in Europe but in Asia Pacific and the Americas as well, comments Dunlop Aircraft Tyres’ chairman, Ian Edmondson. “With more than 4,500 Boeing 737NGs in service, this is one of the most successful airliners of all time and it is reassuring that major operators like Travel Service Airlines recognise the low cost of ownership that our tyres provide.”

Uniwheels: Last but not least, Uniwheels shares that it is shipping 20inch allow wheels to BMW for the latest 6 Series M Sport Edition. The wheels are produced at the company’s Werdohl plant in Germany and fitted to order on Coupé, Cabrio and Gran Coupé versions of the model. “We have been supplying BMW Group with our high quality products for more than ten years,” notes Uniwheels CEO Ralf Schmid. “The decision of BMW to produce the demanding 20-inch wheel at Uniwheels confirms once again our status as a strategic supplier.” This year, Uniwheels will produce more than 600,000 wheels for BMW and Mini models. akb/sg

Akar Makina Sanayi Ltd.

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

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New GT Radial winter HP tyre

GT RADIAL has added the Champiro WinterPro HP tyre to its portfolio, with sizes ranging from 16 to 20-inch wheel diameters, including dedicated SUV fitments. Designed specifically for the UK and European markets, the tyre’s development has focused on mid-to-large highperformance cars. According to the company, it has been produced using a sunflower oil-enriched compound that main-

tains the elasticity of the rubber at low temperatures and utilising an asymmetrical tread design. The outer blocks are designed to provide good dry and cornering properties while the inner block area has been developed to provide extra grip in wet and snow conditions. The WinterPro HP is available from 195/55R16 to 275/40R20 XL, with speed ratings from H to V and aspect ratios from 40 to 65 series. Along with the Champiro WinterPro, which ranges from 145/80 R13 to 225/55 R16, the brand now covers the majority of sizes of automotive cold weather tyres. Brian McDermott, country manager UK for Giti Tire, manufacturer of GT

Radial, said: “It was imperative we improved the size offering to meet EU market vehicle evolution and customer demands, and following over two years research and development we have a tyre which I would class as excellent. “With excellent results proving exceptional wet and dry handling to give a better balanced performance, high level snow traction properties, improved allround ride handling and reduced audible noise, the tyre sits as a benchmark for winter tyres in the mid-market sector. The WinterPro range will be very popular throughout UK and Europe, and we expect to increase our market share accordingly”. cja

Dunlop introduces latest winter tyre for smaller cars THE SEQUEL, or successor if you prefer, to Dunlop’s Winter Response is now available throughout the UK following its recent launch. The new Winter Response 2, designed for small and compact tyres, picks up where the Winter Response left off and is described by Dunlop as the “perfect complement” to its high-performance SP Winter Sport 4D. The Winter Response 2 is available in 22 dimensions from 155/65 R14 to 195/65 R 15. “The Winter Response 2 is designed to tackle important safety issues such as braking performance, handling on snow and ice and in the wet winter conditions,” wrote Dunlop upon introducing the new tyre. “Through its innovative technology, these needs have been improved on Winter Response 2, as compared to its predecessor. This includes the incorporation of 45 degree shoulder blades to improve grip on snow and ice when cornering. The new profile design with an innovative tread block geometry improves traction under acceleration and braking on snow covered roads.” Dunlop says the increased density of blades on the Winter Response 2 leads to more biting edges and provides a more stable performance in the wet and provides additional traction, shorter braking distances and more stable cornering on snow. The tyre maker reports that 16 of the 22 available sizes have been given a ‘B’ label rating for wet grip. The new tyre also offers improved fuel efficiency, Dunlop adds. sg

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The Winter Response 2 is described as the “perfect complement” to the SP Winter Sport 4D

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

We build great things using perfect details

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Michelin adds winter tyre to scooter portfolio

Front and rear Sport Force fitments

Mitas enters bike radial market with Sport Force Mitas has entered the motorcycle radial business with the global launch of the Sport Force. The new tyre is manufactured in Slovenia by Savatech, the former Sava rubber manufacturing division acquired by Mitas’ parent company CGS Holdings in October 2012. Sport Force is a sport and touring range that is initially available in three front and five rear sizes. “The Sport Force radial tyre is the result of an intensive four years of complete in-house development work,” said Bojan Rupar, head of the company’s motorcycle R&D department. “It is based on our long-term experience in road and racing scooter and motorcycle tyre development, which together with the most modern materials and some innovative technical solutions has resulted in a very competitive product.” Riders of sport, naked and supermoto bikes, along with sport touring motorcycle riders are the Sport Force’s target group. The tyre features an S-SBR elastomer compound and a casing designed to maintain high levels of rigidity even as the tyre wears – Mitas calls this ‘SCT’, or Strong Carcass Technology. The tyre maker also reports that computer-assisted simulation was used to achieve the optimum tyre construction and footprint; the result, says Mitas, is that the Sport Force can deform to achieve high levels of grip but at the same time is rigid enough to provide driving stability. Tread groove depth on the Mitas Sport Force was determined according to where tread wear actually occurs; in the case of the front tyre, the groove depth in the middle section is slightly shallower, then it increases in areas where tyre abrasion is greater before once again reducing towards the edge of the tread pattern and gradually fading to a slick surface. Rear tyre tread depth is the greatest in the centre where abrasion and also water drainage occurs the most, then it gradually reduces towards the edge and it fades to a slick surface at the point where the tyre comes into contact with the road surface at the maximum lean angle and the highest levels of road grip are required. sg

THIS WINTER, Michelin’s first European market winter tyre for scooters will hit the roads. The new range has been named City Grip Winter and is specifically designed for safe riding on wet and snow-covered road surfaces. Michelin says the M+S labeled City Grip Winter aims to offer optimum grip on surfaces while giving a comfortable ride and high total mileage; in order to develop a tyre that delivers performance in these three areas, Michelin reports pulling several technical innovations from its bag of tricks. As expected, the compound plays a key role in ensuring the City Grip Winter is suited to conditions in the colder months. While a drop in temperature causes polymer macromolecule chains within a standard compound freeze, causing the rubber to harden and reducing grip, Michelin says the thermoactive compound in the new tyre helps avoid this phenomenon. It heats up quickly, thereby delivering grip as soon as the scooter takes to the road. A further feature of thermoactive compounds is their ability to maintain flexibility, and thus grip, to -10°C. The City Grip Winter’s tread contains a large number of grooves – ten per cent more than found in the Michelin City Grip – and these help to evacuate water from the centre of the 3.50 - 10 tyre. Large tread blocks and 120/70 - 12 wave-shaped sipes provide 120/80 - 14 traction on wet and snow130/70 - 12 covered roads; Michelin sha140/60 – 14 (available Q3) res that its in-house testing 140/70 - 14 shows the City Grip Winter 150/70 - 13 to deliver 30 per cent more grip than the City Grip. The tread pattern has been designed to wear evenly in order to increase mileage. And the sipes that cover 90 per cent of the surface are said to deliver consistent performance throughout the tyre’s useful life. When it comes to comfort, the manufacturer states that the City Grip Winter range offers the same handling and precise steering as the City Grip range: “The two tyre ranges share the same profile. This provides ease of use, making A side-by-side comparison of the City Grip Winter riding more comfort - (l) and City Grip treads show the elements that make the former better suited to winter use able.” sg

The City Grip Winter is sold in the following sizes:

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Bridgestone goes into bat for the kiwi BRIDGESTONE NEW ZEALAND has entered into sponsorship partnerships with two organisations looking after the country’s native flora and fauna, and its best-known bird in particular – the Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park and the Motuora Restoration Society.

Under a new sponsorship programme, Bridgestone will support the Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park by assisting in measures to assist New Zealand’s endangered national icon. Bridgestone will sponsor Rainbow Springs on an annual basis, with different projects being supported each year. In the first year of sponsorship it will do this by funding incubators, scales and other equipment for their Kiwi breeding programmes. “It’ll be great having another incubator for more eggs to hatch in,” shared Claire Travers, Rainbow Springs’ kiwi husbandry manager. “Without the help of organisations like Bridgestone, kiwi could be extinct within our lifetime. By supporting the conservation work done by the National Kiwi Trust, Bridgestone are helping us grow the chicks up to a predatorproof weight – that’ll significantly improve their survival chances.” Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park open in 1932 and is spread over 22 acres of parkland in Rotorua, in the country’s North Island. Rainbow Springs is a conservation and breeding haven for endangered species such as the kiwi and the tuatara, a reptile unique to New Zealand; Travers says that Rainbow Springs raisers over 100 kiwi chicks a year. The park allows visitors to see animals in their natural environment both during the day and night. Another measure Bridgestone is

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

seeds are collected, germinated, potted out and planted within a year. However, canopy trees require two or three years before they are planted, taking more nursery work and time as they need to be repeatedly re-potted into successively larger pots before planting. Bridgestone may not be ‘official tyre supplier to the kiwi’, however its assisAlong with tree tance is well appreciated planting, another cost undertaking to help the kiwi is its new related to volunteer work on Motuora is sponsorship programme with the the chartering of water taxi/ferries. For Motuora Restoration Society. many years now the Society has charged Bridgestone’s relationship with the all volunteers NZ$20 (£10) per adult for Motuora Restoration Society began seve- the return trip to the island; Bridgestone ral years ago and the company has alrea- notes that this is much lower than the dy provided the organisation with both true cost, but it is an amount the Society funding and volunteer support. As a does not feel it can exceed for volunresult of this support, hundreds of native teers. As a result, the Motuora plants were established across the pre- Restoration Society subsidises the nine dator-free sanctuary of Motuora Island in monthly volunteer trips by $1,800 per the Hauraki Gulf, helping to create an year. Bridgestone’s new sponsorship will environment in which kiwis have been assist with these costs and make it possible to get more helping hands across to released and are flourishing. This sponsorship comes alongside the island. Ray Lowe, chairman of the Motuora continuing volunteer support from Bridgestone. With Motuora now 80 per Restoration Society, is very enthusiastic cent planted, the Society’s focus has shif- about the new sponsorship partnership ted to reintroducing native species that with Bridgestone: “It’s fantastic to see would have once inhabited the island. The Bridgestone continuing its supportive current tree planting programme that relationship with us in this new way. The Bridgestone’s sponsorship will support is sponsorship will be a big help in getting for 5,000 pioneer trees and 3,000 canopy more trees planted, more native birds species trees per year. Canopy trees are and lizards reintroduced and a much planted beneath the existing pioneer more authentic natural environment creatrees to grow up and through them to ted on the island.” sg create mature forest canopy. Although Bridgestone staff volunteers have been involved in a variety of restoration tasks on Motuora, by far their biggest contribution has been to the planting programme. They’ve collected seeds, worked in the nursery raising plants and of course completed the job with winter planting. For pioneer species,

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FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW

Present and future on show at IAA THIS YEAR’S IAA, the Frankfurt-based International Motor Show, attracted 1,098 exhibitors from 35 countries. Just seven of these were tyre makers, but this deficit in quantity was more than compensated by the products and innovations on the companies’ exhibition stands. Editors from our sister publication Neue Reifenzeitung were present and contributed to the following report, offering their view of what was on show and what company representatives had to say.

Continue sowing while reaping – Hankook shows premium segment products The well-timed for the IAA news of Hankook Tire’s original equipment successes, including with upmarket models, tells end consumers something that tyre experts have known for some time: The Korean tyre maker has advanced into premium brand territory with high sophisticated products such as the Ventus Prime ², which is being fitted on the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and the Ventus S1 evo ², which since late summer has been supplied to all new BMW 5 Series models and also mounted, in its BlueEFFICIENCY version, on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Despite news of this considerable success, Hankook’s executive director of sales and marketing for the German-speaking markets, Dietmar Olbrich, exercised the art of understatement during the IAA; he spoke more of success in the

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volume segment, for example with the Volkswagen Group. With these comments, he most likely wished to point out that a major international tyre maker can only achieve limited growth if it chooses to exclusively focus on the premium market. Taking into account the production volumes that Hankook has built up in the past few years and aims to continue developing in the near future, this argument is easy to understand. Hankook’s global capacity is now approaching 90 million units a year, shared Olbrich, pointing to the added capacity facilitated by past, current and upcoming expansion work at the company’s plant in Hungary. And colleagues in Asia have recently opened a new plant in Indonesia, which in 2014 will help Hankook break the 100 million unit a year barrier. New factories and new, modern facilities also mean state-of-the-art performance capabilities. It’s not surprising that Mercedes-Benz has approved

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tyres produced in the recently-upgraded Geumsan plant in Korea for the S-Class (tyres supplied to BMW are also manufactured there) and Rácalmás-made tyres for the E-Class. All seven of Hankook’s tyre factories offer the same high standard of technology, commented sales director Roland Hehner (Hankook Deutschland). This allows for a flexibility that benefits the end product, particularly tyres destined for the replacement market. Olbrich noted that Hankook holds potential to further improve brand awareness and image with end consumers, and he pointed research carried out by German motoring organisation ADAC that show the brand, in terms of price-benefit ratio, sits at the same level as established premium suppliers such as Michelin and Goodyear, although it is still behind criterion leader Continental.

Whoever wants to be premium must have innovative energy At the end of the day, premium quality rests upon the product. Premium isn’t just the brand or manufacturing expertise – the products themselves must also meet premium expectations. When it comes to original equipment tyres that are also marketed to the replacement segment, Hankook has shown this to be the case. With new products such as the 4x4 variant of the Ventus S1 evo² Hankook is not just reaping success, rather it is sowing for further success. And the company used the IAA to give word of both imminent product launches and to offer a glimpse of further into the future. The company debuted the first AA labeled versions of its highend Ventus

Prime² touring tyre and its fuel-efficient Kinergy eco, which will be available from spring 2014. The Kinergy eco’s fuel-saving technology is based upon a combination of new tread materials such as silica nanoparticles and the use of a new compounding technology. These technologies are said to increase both fuel efficiency and braking on wet road surfaces. Hankook is also rejuvenating its refitting/tuning line-up with the spring 2014 European market launch of the ‘wide’ Ventus V12 evo². In addition to “considerable improvements in all performance parameters” over the prior-generation Ventus V12 evo, the manufacturer says “environmental characteristics were also a key element for the developer when creating the V12 evo².” The range is mostly produced in the company’s Hungary factory and will be available in 25 sizes for 16 to 19-inch rim diameters, with tread widths of 205 to 255 mm in the 30 to 50 series. The tyre maker also presented the Kinergy 4S, its latest-generation all-season tyre aimed at milder European climates, at the IAA. Potential trend-setting tyre solutions aimed at meeting requirements of sustainable mobility systems could also be seen at Hankook’s IAA 2013 stand, including its iFlex, a non-pneumatic tyre made from polyurethane synthetics and said to be 95 per cent recyclable. The iFlex tyre is manufactured in conjunction with its rim, which reduces weight considerably. The structure of the rolling resistance optimised tyre u s e s organically

A glimpse into the near future – The AA rated, spring 2014 available Kinergy Eco

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interconnected spokes that distribute tyre pressure so that the tyre is compressed under load and extends upward simultaneously. Thus a comfortable and balanced ride is achieved. The ‘eMembrane’ tyre design concept on display has already been acknowledged by two awards, most significantly the Red Dot Design Award 2013 in the Design Concept category. The concept tyre, developed in close collaboration with the University of Cincinnati, convinced the jury through its mix of design and technology. The eMembrane design is based upon a so-called Smart Hybrid design: By changing the tyre’s inner structure, the eMembrane concept is capable of adapting the tread design and tyre footprint to the respective driving situation. For example, whilst in ecomode, the centre of the tread is raised and the contact area reduced, resulting in decreased fuel consumption with a corresponding reduction in rolling resistance. In addition to the abovementioned award, the eMembrane concept received the ‘iF Concept Design Award’ in May.

Present and future on show at Bridgestone stand IAA regular Bridgestone had plenty of room to show its goods upon the 320 square metre floorsplace it divided into two areas. One zone was dedicated to the present and was home to displays dedicated to the current ‘Everywhere’ advertising campaign and the tyre maker’s latest products, including the Potenza Adrenalin RE002, Ecopia EP150, Ecopia EP001S, Turanza T001 and the latest run-flat tyres. And ahead of the coming European winter, the stand sported an Audi Quattro fitted with the new Blizzak LM-32 winter range. The stand’s ‘future zone’ showcased upcoming ideas, technologies and products. Bridgestone displayed its developments and concepts for future generations of environmentally-friendly vehicles, including tyres made from 100 per cent sustainable materials, the ‘Air-Free’ tyre, on display for the first time in Europe, and the ‘Half-Weight’ concept tyre. As is the

the pending acquisition of Cooper Tire & Rubber. Attema is aware that collaboration with the new family member can only develop once the ink is dry on the contract, however he views this as a very interesting phase in his career and he expressed enthusiasm about playing a part in this merger. Nobody yet knows how the ‘Apollo culture’ will look when it draws in new members from the US and China. But being able to help write such a unique intercultural success story is a significant adventure.

Innovative tyres at the heart of Michelin’s business activities

Bridgestone went for a ski motif for its Blizzak-shod Audi display

case with some other tyre makers, Bridgestone is pursuing a trend towards markedly narrower, larger diameter – the Japanese manufacturer calls this its “large and narrow” technology.

Apollo Vredestein join forces with Hamann at the IAA Indian-Dutch tyre maker Apollo Vredestein was present at the IAA together with technological partner Hamann GmbH. It would be easy – much too easy – to view this as a cost saving factor at the highly expensive, top-level Frankfurt show, but simply writing off this joint presence as such overlooks the fact that Hamann and the Vredestein brand really have developed a very close relationship – the vehicle customiser proudly refers to the 21-inch Ultrac Vorti R as “our high performance tyre”. A highlight for the tyre maker on the 360 square metre stand, alongside a lineup of Vredestein-shod Hamann cars, was the Wintrac xtreme S – this latest and fastest Vredestein winter tyre was shown

fitted upon a BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé. The Wintrac Xtreme S uses Internal Sipe Locking Technology (ISLT) to ensure stability in the rain and on snow-free surfaces. The tyre is Y speed rated and thus suited for speeds of up to 300km/h (186mph). Accompanying the Wintrac xtreme S on the stand was a special ‘Hamann Edition’ of the Vredestein Ultrac Vorti R. Thanks to technology developed specifically for the vehicle customiser, it was possible to personalise the tyre sidewall with vulcanised logos; Hamann displayed tyres bearing its own logo on the BMW M5 Mi5Sion. The M5’s 21-inch rims were fitted with the Ultrac Vorti R in sizes 265/20 and 305/25. With a speed rating of up to 325km/h (200mph), the Vredestein Ultrac Vorti R is more than a match for the 552hp BMW’s 305km/h output. As the person responsible for global product management at London-based Apollo Tyres (UK) Pvt Ltd, Sytze J. Attema is very familiar with the Ultrac Vorti R and Wintrac xtreme S, yet like many within his company he also is very interested in

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Although Michelin shunned its traditional IAA floorsplace in Hall 8 of the Frankfurt exhibition centre in favour of a more modestly proportioned presence in the same hall, the French tyre maker nevertheless generated the most tyre-related headlines at the show. This began with a star-studded press event but was paired – in true Michelin style – with very special products. News broke in March 2013 of the company’s signing on as exclusive partner to the FIA Formula E championship for its first two years and that it would supply specifically-developed, advanced tyres. The new all-electric motorsport series gets under way next year on urban race courses around the world. Michelin’s race tyres were there for all to see at the official IAA presentation of the electric Spark-Renault STR_01E Formula E car, which will be used by all teams during the first season. The occasion was so important for the tyre maker, the FIA and the organiser of the new race series that the accompanying press conference could also pass as a leaders’ summit: Present along with Florent Menegaux (Michelin’s director of passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyres) and FIA president Jean Todt were Alejandro Agag (CEO Formula E Holdings) and Frédéric Vasseur (president Spark Racing Technology). The motorsport panel discussion was hosted by the well-known German F1 reporter Kai Ebel. One criticism often leveled against

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Bib listens to what Florent Menegaux has to report

Unveiled at Michelin’s IAA stand – the Spark-Renault SRT_10E Formula E car on 18-inch, non-slick race tyres

wheels from OZ Racing – will be used on all inner-city race courses in all weather conditions (excluding heavy rain). The new Michelin Formula E tyres feature a tread pattern designed for use on both dry and wet surfaces. And as another of Michelin’s philosophies – longevity – comes into play, every race car only receives a single set of tyres per race, and these must be used for free training, qualifying and

motorsport tyres these days is that they have little in common with the tyres fitted to the ‘whitegoods on wheels’ or family saloons found on our roads and motorways – they exist in a parallel tyre world, so to speak. Without entering into a discussion on the topic it can be noted that the tyre size to be used by most upcoming championships is 132013 3 -15, 1 inches, while in the real world . A v o N · CHIN GHAI the focus is on 18-inch rim SHAN diameters and higher. Yet Michelin has developed relatively narrow 18-inch tyres for the high performance Formula E cars, something Menegaux says is an absolute world first for a single-seat race car. The close relation to the road tyres that Mr. and Mrs. Average can buy at any tyre dealer doesn’t just Further information: manifest itself in the tyre Messe Essen GmbH · Phone: +49 201 72 44-727 · Fax: +49 201 72 44-435 E-Mail: reifen.china@messe-essen.de · www.reifen-china.com size, however: In the new China United Rubber Corporation race series a single ‘univerPhone: +86 10 5865 0277 · Fax: +86 10 5865 0288 sal’ tyre version – which is E-Mail: reifen.china@chrubber.com · www.reifenchina.com mounted on magnesium

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the race itself. The first tyre tests with the Efficient, by the way. The project developnew car are planned for December 2013. ment team set itself five main points: Weight reduction (200 kilogrammes less than the already light Peugeot 208), Tall and Narrow increased engine efficiency, optimal enerThe new 18-inch tyres, incidentally, are an gy recovery, improved aerodynamics plus exact fit for the company’s Tall & Narrow extremely low rolling resistance. The spestrategy, and Michelin doesn’t just intend cially developed tyres and their unique to reserve this aerodynamics and energy height-width ratio contribute a fair deal efficiency improving tyre concept for towards achieving these goals. motorsport. It sees that using a larger rim diameter places less stress on individual IAA debut for Nexen sections of the tyre, improving adhesion and longevity and thus believes that Tall & This year’s IAA was the first Frankfurt Narrow tyres have a promising future show for Korean manufacturer Nexen with series production electric cars. The Tire. In addition to product promotion the Formula E engagement should thus con- exhibition was seen as an important vehitribute to innovative mobility solutions for cle for furthering and strengthening glopeople and freight-carrying vehicles. The bal awareness in the Nexen brand. The latest technological advances, including company informed show visitors about Tall & Narrow, can be seen in the its positive development, numerous origi165/65R19 – a totally new size – tyre nal equipment successes and, last but Michelin has developed for the Peugeot not least, its diverse, recent sponsorship 208 HYbrid FE. activities; even during the exhibition itself The high and simultaneously narrow Nexen was fast omnipresent thanks to its tyre architecture optimises aerodynamics many promotional activities and was while reducing rolling resistance, and in much more active in this respect than the doing so considerably improves the vehi- other tyre exhibitors. And the absence of cle’s energy efficiency. Ride comfort is some well-known tyre makers at the also improved, says Michelin, as the tyres Frankfurt show further strengthened can better absorb irregularities in the road Nexen’s visibility. But while hype draws surface. Further benefits are a marked attention to a brand, it shouldn’t be forreduction in rolling noise and – due to its gotten that it will ultimately succeed or longitudinally narrower but less curved fail on the merits of its products. footprint – better resistance to aquaplaRegarding products, the company ning. Michelin also managed to signifi- presented 26 tyres at its dynamic and cantly lower the Peugeot 208 HYbrid FE’s modern exhibition stand under the ‘Enjoy overall weight by reducing the weight of NEXEN – Dynamic Driving Partner’ baneach tyre by 2.5 kilogrammes, giving the ner, including six new products. These car a much reduced unsprung weight. newcomers were the UHP N’Fera SU1, With its highly fuel-efficient yet dyna- SU4 and RU1, the Roadian AT pro RA8 mic vehicle, Peugeot, Total and Michelin 4x4 and HTX RH5 4x4 tyres plus the show an attractive way forward: The Winguard WH2 winter tyre. Under Nexen Peugeot 208 HYbrid FE technical project naming, premium ultra high performance was undertaken under the title ‘Mission tyres take on the N’Fera name while 49-8’ as the aim was to produce a car N’Priz is the moniker given to all-season with CO2 emissions of 49 grams per kilo- tyres, N’blue the name for energy effimetre (which corresponds with a stan- cient tyres, while 4x4 tyres bear the dard fuel consumption of 2.1 litres per Roadian name and winter tyres go by the 100 kilometres or 135mpg) while offering name of Winguard. an 0 to 100 km/h acceleration time of The N’Fera SU1 is promoted as a tyre eight seconds. The ‘FE’ in the Peugeot’s with excellent braking and handling proname stands for Fuel Economy and Fun & perties plus long tread life, while the new

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for 2013, European market N’Fera SU4 is designed for small and medium-class cars and offers low rolling resistance. With the May 2013-launched N’Fera RU1, Nexen offers a 4x4 tyre it says offers “a ride unsurpassed by any other SUV tyre”. And the Roadian AT pro RA8 is said to mark a “breakthrough in mileage, off-road and wet performance” compared with the prior AT2 model The Roadian HTX RH5 is a new HT-line product designed with driving performance in mind. Nexen’s new standard cold weather tyre, the Winguard WH2, features the three peak symbol for winter use and has zigzag 3D sipes that are said to maximise stability and a zigzag outer edge for improved traction on snow and ice. The tyre will be available from 2014 in 60 sizes for 14 to 17-inch rim diameters. “We are very pleased to be able to present Nexen Tire and its innovative products at the IAA,” stated Joo-Ho Song, president of Nexen Tire Europe GmbH. “The exhibition is a perfect opportunity for improving global brand awareness. Accordingly, it goes without saying that Nexen Tire is taking part.

A trip with Continental Under the slogan ‘A Day in a Driver 's Life’, Continental wanted to take IAA visitors on a journey and presented a “future mobile day” at its 1,100 square metre stand. It displayed innovations from the fields of safety, the environment, and information technology based on the daily routine of different drivers worldwide. The company also organised a large press conference. Executive Board chairman Dr. Elmar Degenhart grasped the opportunity to announce its autonomous driving systems collaboration with IBM (reported by tyrepress.com on 22 August), which builds on its partnership with Cisco. But although these two IT partnerships were Conti’s big news at the IAA, the Rubber group also gained a mention: While 85 per cent of research and development expenditure flowed into the Automotive group last year, both parts of

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the company (51 per cent for Automotive) were almost equally treated when it came to investment. Although Degenhart made reference to the Rubber group during the press conference and said the company “believes” in its tyre products, it was harder to be truly convinced of this without knowing the background behind Conti’s IAA presence: The tyre business inhabited a small corner of the large stand and appeared almost pushed to one side as an ‘orphan’. But there are historical reasons for this – the exhibition stand has grown out of a concept originally developed by the Automotive business and is therefore more this part of the company’s baby.

Small IAA presence, but big plans for tyre business Continental’s Tire division has set a longtime growth goal based upon the company’s Vision 2025. Despite the modest level of development currently seen in the European passenger car tyre replacement business, the tyre industry’s fourthlargest company will invest more than a billion euros until 2016 boosting global passenger car tyre capacities and with this is setting itself up for sustainable long-term growth. Its aim is to improve the global balance in production and sales, and Continental particularly desires to grow faster than the market in the BRIC countries and the US. To achieve this, the company has built two new tyre factories in Kaluga (Russia) and Sumter (South Carolina, US) which will respectively enter production in the final quarter of 2013 and first quarter of 2014. In addition, the company is preparing to expand its tyre factories in Camcari (Brazil), Hefei (China) and Mt. Vernon (Illinois, US) to enable these regions to meet long-term demand with local production.

Kumho focuses on OE, technology Korean tyre maker Kumho Tyres was present in a prominent, almost 300 square metre location in Hall 8 (the position occupied by a French competitor two years earlier) and showed off its current product range and many other highlights, including a first glimpse at its two new SUHP tyres, which will be released in spring 2014. These are the Ecsta PS91 (shown in size 295/30 R20 XL 101Y) and Ecsta V720 (shown in size 305/30 R19 XL 102Y). Another pair of tyres due out next spring and present at the show were the new high performance Solus HS51 and the Crugen HP91 for SUVs. Joining these new tyres was the global premiere of four concept tyres – e-clev, maxplo, roadbeat and spinus. Two cars fitted with Kumho tyres as original equipment, the Solus KL21-shod Mercedes Benz G Class and the Mini John Cooper on Ecsta V70 tyres, were present on the company’s stand. Peter Becker, executive managing director of

the KETC (Kumho European Technical Centre) shared that further original equipment supply deals are still coming this year. Regarding this orientation towards the original equipment segment, Becker substantiated that it logically follows Kumho’s technical orientation. Original equipment tyres from Kumho are primarily mounted on volume brand vehicles, however the intention is to secure deals with premium models and therefore Kumho wishes to make its technological competence known – the two models on display served as evidence of this. A tour over the stand with marketing manager Wolf Fuder revealed the diversity Kumho brought to the IAA: There was a ‘Racing Zone’ with the company’s high performance summer tyres, a ‘Winter Zone’, an ‘Eco Zone’ that placed a particular focus on the tyre label, and a ‘Product Zone’ that featured off-road and light commercial vehicle tyres. Last but not least was the spectacular ‘Ghost Car’ with ‘Ghost concept tyres’ (in size 225/45 R17). stephen.goodchild@tyrepress.com

Spectacular and well-photographed – the ‘Ghost Car’

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Chinese companies branding for distinction at country’s biggest tyre show Tyres & Accessories visits CITExpo 2013 TAKING PLACE AT THE SHANGHAI Everbright Convention & Most exhibitors were happy to call CITExpo China’s Exhibition Center, Reliable International Exhibition Services has staged another successful China International Tire Expo (CITExpo), the eleventh edition of the show.Tyres & Accessories visited the show on 46 September, 2013 in its capacity as a media sponsor, speaking with many of the exhibitors on themes of increasing importance in the Chinese tyre industry, such as the post-boom development of tyre brands.

During the three day event, 335 exhibitors occupying 24,000 square meters of exhibition area showcased their latest products, services and technologies, Reliable states – the largest of those numbers for any edition of the show. The three full exhibition halls were taken up this year in order to accommodate the increased number of the exhibitors. Claiming to be the largest tyre related trade show in the Asian region, CITExpo is designed as an event with high buying power from the worldwide tyre industry. While the success of this aim are debatable, interest from abroad is clearly strong – though this year it seemed Russia, Africa and South America played a greater roll in providing visitors than traditionally strong markets in Europe and the

best exhibition, though some expressed a little frustration that more foreign guests had not made the trip. However, the figures suggest a marginal increase has been achieved. Reliable managing director Wilko Fong is hoping to speed up this rate of change in 2014, when the exhibition will increase in size again, taking a fourth hall in the Everbright Center.

USA. The organiser claimed that there were 3,040 international and 4,263 domestic visitors from 101 countries and 32 Chinese provinces and regions at this year’s show. Besides the major Chinese manufacturers, foreign brands’ representatives and other suppliers, the exhibitors also included the worldwide suppliers from the five continents such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Korea, Thailand, India, Australia , The Netherlands, Italy, Singapore, China Taiwan and other countries and regions. Amongst the exhibitors were large Chinese manufacturers in Triangle, Double Coin, Linglong and Cooper Chengshan, all of whom took large booths showcasing their latest products.

Wilko Fong, managing director of show organiser, Reliable International Exhibition Services

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CITExpo 2013 key figures Total number of Visitors registered: Number of Domestic Visitors: Number of Foreign Visitors: Total number of Exhibitors: Exhibition Space: Number of exhibitors rebooked during the show for the next year’s show: Exhibition space sold for next year during this year’s show: According Fong, speaking to T&A at the end of the three days 80 per cent of the exhibition space has already been rebooked by 190 exhibitors for 2014. “Most of the exhibitors have increased their exhibiting space aggressively to accommodate more high-valued professional buyers, enhance their company image and maximise the opportunity to accomplish more trade orders,” Reliable stated. The twelfth edition of CITExpo will be held in the same venue on 10-12 September 2014.

Triangle Tire

7,303 4,263 3,040 (101 countries) 335 24,000sqm

is “driving the business forward”.The company’s attitude is that it “cannot sit back” on its current strong position and that it must “focus on quality”.Triangle’s purchase of 10 per cent of its UK distributor, wholesaler TYM International’s business earlier in the year 190 also indicates a company working towards the differentiation of its business, and those of the many 80 per cent newer companies with stands at the show. Triangle’s stand was “focused on international trading”, displaying a large number of its latest PCR products. Additionally there were larger tyre designs in which the company is something of a specialist; a number of new mining tyre designs were “provided for the domestic market”. The company said that CITExpo continues to be a “good show” and that it Double Coin was the largest tyre manuwill return next year. The facturer present at the show, displaying on a large, professionally run stand company described customer numbers as “acceptable, but worth the money.”

The largest Chinese tyre manufacturer displaying its products at CITExpo 2013 was able to comment about the show’s representation of what is going on in the Double Coin country’s tyre industry in the wake of its fastest period of growth. Triangle’s repreRepresenting another of sentatives told Tyres & Accessories that China’s larger tyre compathe proliferation of new, cheap brands is nies, Double Coin creating pressures for more established Holdings International players – Triangle itself was founded in Trade Department’s Linda 1976, while many exhibiting companies Jing gave a strongly prohave histories going back no further than fessional presentation of the start of the new millennium. the company’s stand to At the manufacturer’s Shanghai-hosTyres & Accessories. The ted Global Business Summit in May manufacturer – the 2013, many presentations focused on second-largest exhibiting the process of “decommoditisation” and Evergreen was the most visible brand tyre-maker at the show – outside the Everbright its importance to more mature brands was returning for only its second year at such as Triangle. This importance is brought into focus when CITExpo, and Jing said that it had targeted generating new comparing the company’s position within the largest gathering orders. She said that the company’s “next project” would be to of the Chinese tyre industry. There are “lots of new, cheap target business in Africa. With that in mind, Jing said the show brands” attempting to make headway with impressively large had been spent meeting potential clients from the continent, capacities and ranges – and the marketing budget to promote reflecting this year’s decreased interaction with Europe in themselves at CITExpo. Triangle pointed to their “strength on favour of Africa and the Americas. pricing”, which is creating increased pressure on more establisIn Europe, Double Coin is already “strongly supported” by hed companies in terms of “pricing, sizes and delivery.” UK wholesaler Kirkby Tyres and European distributor Triangle’s representatives on the stand were keen to explain Intersprint, of course. Jing said that Kirkby are “strong supporthat they see this pressure as a positive sign – competition that ters of the brand’s growth”, helping to suggest product develop-

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CITEXPO PREVIEW

Building brands

market, specifically using two new-for2013 brands to achieve this: Marando TBR tyres, which launched in May 2013, and Nereus PCR tyres, which will be available in November 2013. Duan explained that both brands were focused on bringing higher quality raw materials into their products, and therefore would be looking to enter the market “at a higher price point than many other Chinese brands”. Marando tyres launched with 26 patterns, incorporating Thai natural rubber and Bekaert-produced steel belts for added strength, longevity and retreadability. The brand is an example of Ditrip “following Bridgestone’s example to get the reputation for quality,” Duan said, with the tyres expected to reach around 180,000km service. Duan said the brand would be priced just below that of established Chinese TBR players, Double Coin and Aeolus, and is currently seeking worldwide distributors, including Europe. For the Nereus PCR brand – a name “derived from the Greek god of the sea” for a European feel, according to Duan – Ditrip recruited former Maxxis engineers to develop a hard-wearing tyre with increased brand value. The range has five PCR, SUV and LCV lines ready for launch, with most of the UK’s most popular sizes covered by two high performance tyres, the Primus NS302 and Fasta NS301 (Nereus has taken European cues in

Triangle’s observation of the pressure to build quality both in terms of the products and in terms of branding were demonstrated further at CITExpo by one manufacturer that has already been building stronger brand recognition and another that has embraced branding aspirations from the start of a new passenger car Many brands were displaying on stands that showed increased sophistication, such as on Crown Tyre’s Gremax brand display tyre line. With its Evergreen brand, distributed in the UK by ments such as new sizes. Demonstrating Double Coin’s strong Grouptyre, Shandong Jinyu has been service for another mature market is the intent on “developing advertising” as the recent Smartway verification of its company steps up the technology used RR680 in the USA. The US Environmental in producing the range. It characterises Protection Agency verified the truck competition in the European market as tyre’s rolling resistance performance to “difficult”, but expects the situation to meet the standards required of new change in 2015 as a result of planned tyres in the scheme, joining five other changes to the grade boundaries in EU Double Coin models in its OptiGreen tyre labelling. In terms of branding, Jinyu series. In addition to the RR680, the ran a separate Evergreen stand, in additiOptiGreen Series includes Double Coin’s on to providing large flags for its flagship FR605, FD405, FT105, FT125, and the export brand outside the Everbright. As one of Jinyu’s brands, Evergreen’s FD425. capacity is expanding with a new plant in Dongying City due to go online in 2014, Cooper Chengshan sales manager Steven Li explained to Cooper Chengshan boasted a large, Tyres & Accessories, which will more 126sqm central stand on the ground floor than“double the company’s capacity”, of the Everbright, with “all members of from 10.5 million PCR tyres to a proits international sales and marketing jected 24 million in 2015. TBR capacity team” in attendance. The stand was divi- will be around 3.2 million units. On a large bipartite stand near ded into brand sections, comprising Chengshan, Austone, Starfire and Dean Evergreen’s in the ground floor Hall One, with a smart LED advertisement section. Qingdao Ditrip general manager Calvin The company said the “grand booth Duan explained to T&A that the company design” attracted many exhibitors and was also keen to be a part of the changes visitors, especially during the usual live currently underway in the Chinese tyre entertainment of loosely choreographed dances given by the female promotional Nereus tyres are being launched at a higher price point than normally expected of new Chinese brands, exemplifycrew. ing manufacturer Ditrip’s efforts to bring more maturity to China’s industry

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CITEXPO PREVIIEW

Year 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003

Exhibition Number of Space (sqm) Exhibitors 24,000 22,500 22,000 20,000 18,200 18,000 15,000 10,000 6,000 3,000 2,800

335 305 298 300 300 311 254 220 150 80 72

ket, manufacturers with a less developed profile had grades on display too. Shengtai had labels on four tyres, for example, which were as follows: • Aoteli Ecosaver in size 265/70R15 110H, which got E-C72)); • the Aoteli P607, 275/45R20 110V XL, C-C-72)); • the Rapid P609, 215,45ZR17 91W XL, C-B-71)); • and the Three-A P606, 235/40ZR18 95W, C-B-72)). Another brand displaying labels was Sunitrac, manufactured by Jinyu and distributed by Qingdao Yongdao International Trade Company. It had EU labels on two winter tyres: the Focus Win II (215/65R16) was the marginally better rated tyre, getting F-C-74))). The Rotalla brand of Qingdao Hans, also displayed a label. The ability to produce EU labels for their tyres was deemed important enough for suppliers of even small quantities of tyres to the European market. And perhaps Chinese enthusiasm for the legislation has increased as an opportunity to display the increasing technological sophistication of some of its products.

Number of Number of Visitors International visitors 7,303 3,040 7,200 3,035 7,190 3,030 7,200 3,003 6,320 2,103 6,860 N/A 6,850 N/A 6,800 N/A 4,388 N/A 2,047 N/A 1,535 N/A

naming each line too, rather than leaving it at a model number). Duan explained that the manufacturer had planned for the development of Nereus to be implemented over a “long-term schedule”, entering the market once again with “a higher price than other Chinese tyres”. Whether promised quality of new brands with a slightly higher price tag will entice global customers will be interesting to see in the short and long term. These brands are just three of those testing the waters of decommoditisation.

andrew.bogie@tyrepress.com

Labelling interest While much of the UK and European tyre market appears to have shrugged its shoulders over tyre labelling, it was clear that plenty of manufacturers exhibiting at CITExpo 2013 were keen to display EU labels on their tyres, even though there were only a few European visitors. While some were quite familiar names on the European mar-

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Despite only a small number of European visitors, a number of stands displayed tyres carrying EU tyre labels

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Hankook opens Indonesia plant JK Tyre & Apollo may follow suit THE

OFFICIAL OPENING for Hankook Tire’s new plant in Indonesia was held on 17 September.The facility in Lippo Cikarang, West Java – the South Korean tyre maker’s seventh global plant – was inaugurated in the presence of top Hankook executives, including Hankook Tire vicechairman and CEO Seung Hwa Suh, Hankook Tire Worldwide president and CEO Hyun Shick Cho, and Hankook Tire CMO/CCMO Hyun Bum Cho. Also in attendance was Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and several other Indonesian government officials.

Hankook Tire says the new plant will be a “major growth factor contributing to the company’s continued global business expansion.” Some 4.2 million tyres, 70 per cent of the factory’s ultimate six million tyre per year capacity, will be exported to the North American, Middle East and ASEAN markets, with the remainder sold in Indonesia. The production programme includes PCR, UHP and light truck tyres. “Today’s commemoration of Indonesia plant opening marks yet another milestone in Hankook Tire’s ongoing growth as a global top-tier tyre company,” stated Seung Hwa Suh during the opening ceremony. “This is also a clear manifestation of our strong will and commitment for further growth together with Indonesia and other emerging economies. As a leading global tyre company, we will continue our relentless efforts to supply customers around the world with more advanced, globally acclaimed tyres via our new export base in Indonesia.” Groundbreaking at the 60 hectare Lippo Cikarang site took place in June

2011 and production was originally expected to begin in the final quarter of 2012. At present the plant employs around 1,400 workers, and this is expected to increase to a total of 4,300 by 2018. Hankook previously stated that total investment in the plant up to 2018 will amount to US$1.1 billion. Hankook Tire is also building up ‘Hankook Masters’ in Indonesia. The first two outlets in this end-to-end distribution channel have been established in Surabaya and Bandung, and the company aims to increase this number to 30 outlets by the end of 2013.

Will JK Tyre, Apollo become ‘new neighbours?’ Hankook is now at home there, and Indonesia may well also be the preferred location for new Asian facilities set up by JK Tyre & Industries and Apollo tyres. As reported by tyrepress.com in September, JK Tyre chairman and managing director Dr. Raghupati Singhania told Indian financial daily The Economic Times that following the integration of Mexican tyre maker Tornel into the company, JK Tyres has “encountered some interesting propositions for possible opportunities of acquisition to catapult into a global entity.” Singhania said the JK Tyre is considering both potential acquisitions and new plants outside of India, and while no plans are finalised (as of the start of October), the company is “actively considering greenfield manufacturing base in many emerging markets of Southeast Asia that have posted some strong growth in recent years.” Explaining JK Tyre’s interest in this particular region, the chairman and managing director commented that “even as there is vast potential in the domestic tyre market with India being the world’s manufacturing

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Hankook Tire vice-chairman and CEO Seung Hwa Suh speaks at the opening ceremony

hub for compact cars, we have turned our eyes towards Southeast Asia for some fast-track expansion.” Another factor possibly motivating the tyre maker is the question mark hanging above India’s ongoing competitiveness. In a statement released to coincide with last month’s Annual General Meeting, Dr. Singhania said “it is a matter of concern that India’s competitiveness, both in the global and domestic markets, is being adversely impacted due to ‘high cost’ structure arising from a host of factors…with this cost disadvantage, along with recent Free Trade Agreements that India has entered into with various countries, the Indian manufacturing industry is losing its edge.” Aziz Pane, chairman of the Indonesian Tire Producers Association, points to his homeland as the likely site for this factory, and he also believes Apollo Tyres will set up shop in Indonesia. In late September, Pane told Indonesia’s Investor Daily that “the two investors from India are interested in coming here.” He added that each tyre maker would have to invest between US$300 million and $350 million in order to achieve a suitable economy of scale and opined that in order not to operate at a loss, the factories will have to operate on a three-shift day system. The Apollo Tyres project Pane refers to was first reported prior to the Cooper acquisition deal’s announcement in June. The company said it was finalising plans to establish a greenfield factory in Asia; in April, Apollo vice-chairman and managing director Neeraj Kanwar was quoted as saying the tyre maker was “in the final stages of discussions with the Thailand and Indonesian authorities for the location of this facility.” Apollo is looking at erecting a passenger car tyre and truck and bus radial plant with respective initial capacities of 16,000 and 1,500 units per day. sg

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Japanese tyre makers focus on Turkey BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION has made tyres in Turkey through its Brisa joint venture operation for a quarter of a century now, but its days as the sole Japanese tyre producer with a manufacturing presence within the country are numbered. On 18 September, Sumitomo Rubber Industries broke ground at its new factory site in Turkey’s Çankırı Province, its second tyre plant outside of Asia (its nearly-complete factory in Brazil being the first). Some fifty people took part in the groundbreaking ceremony, including Sumitomo’s president and CEO Ikuji Ikeda and Mustafa Özcan, chairman of local Sumitomo, Falken and Dunlop distriAn artist’s impression of SRI’s butor Abdulkadir Özcan Lastik Sanayi ve greenfield plant in Turkey Ticaret A.S. As is the case with Brisa Bridgestone Sabanci Tire Manufacturing and Trading, early October it announced that Brisa has Furthermore, Turkish GDP is growing at a the new Sumitomo factory will also be set selected a site several hundred miles sout- high rate – it expanded 2.1 per cent quarup as a joint venture; the Japanese firm heast of Istanbul for a new passenger car ter-on-quarter in the second quarter of will be 80 per cent shareradial factory that will 2013 – and has a demographic compositiholder, with the remaining complement the compa- on (80 million inhabitants/average age of shareholding in the ny’s existing passenger 29.2 years) that favours continued growth. Brisa was established in 1988 and traSumitomo Rubber AKO car, bus and truck radial Lastik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. plant in zmit, which des under the Bridgestone, Lassa, (SAT) operation held by entered volume producti- Bandag, Firestone (agricultural segment), Abdulkadir Özcan. on in 1990. Bridgestone OtoPratik, Lasti im and lastik.com.tr Sumitomo Rubber says total investment in brands. The company reports that its annuIndustries says Turkey was the project will be al net profit has trebled and annual sales selected as the site for the around ¥28 billion (£177.2 doubled sales since 2008, and in this time it has also increased production six per new plant in part as million). demand for passenger car Bridgestone notes cent and its workforce by 20 per cent. Brisa CEO Hakan Bayman heads up tyres is expected to increa- a company that achieved net sales that demand for tyres is Approximately US$800 million has been se there, but also as Turkey of US$794 million and operating expected to grow within invested in Brisa since its establishment offers a strategic location income of $78 million in 2012 Turkey in future. 25 years ago. sg near the European, Middle Eastern, North African and Russian markets. Production is scheduled to start in July 2015 and the US$500 million facility should produce 30,000 tyres a day by late 2019. Norifumi Fujimoto has been appoin- Indian tyre maker MRF Ltd intends to double capacity at its plant near Hyderabad in ted the Turkish factory’s representative. the state of Andhra Pradesh. Financial daily The Economic Times says it has approached the state’s Commisionerate of Industries regarding an Rs 10 billion (£98.3 million) investment in the facility. According to information published by The Bridgestone contemplates second Economic Times on 30 September, the expansion of the plant in Andhra Pradesh Turkish plant would create more than 1,000 new jobs. “We have received the proposal from MRF for expansion and it is currently under At least Bridgestone may soon be able to lay claim to the title of the only Japanese the consideration of the industries ministry,” a senior ministry official told the tyre maker to have two plants in Turkey. In newspaper. sg

MRF to double factory capacity

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

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ContiTrade Africa acquires Jody’s Tyre Group CONTITRADE AFRICA, a newly founded entity of Conti Global Holding, has bought eight Jody’s Tyre Group fitment stores in Johannesburg, South Africa. ContiTrade Africa is responsible for franchise and retail operations in Africa with two main systems, FIT&GO and Best Drive – some of which are company owned while others are franchise stores. Of the eight stores recently acquired three will be converted into FIT&GO and four into Best Drive with one store trading by the name, Jody’s Tyres. The Jody’s Tyre Group has been operating since 1991 and is now 100 per cent owned by ContiTrade Africa. According to Rolf Lensch, chief executive officer of ContiTrade Africa, Jody’s Tyres staff will retain their jobs and will now benefit from the development and training opportunities offered by the company. Lensch added that Conti Trade Africa stores offer a full and diverse range of services for passenger and light commercial vehicles. “Our stores services extend beyond the fitment of tyres. They will have access to Continental Tyre South Africa’s product offering for passenger, 4x4, light truck (radial and bias), truck radial and speciality tyres. In addition to tyres, the product assortment will extend to car parts and related fitment services,” Lensch said. Since opening the first franchise store in December 2012, ContiTrade Africa will have close to 20 outlets by the end of this year. “We have been strengthening our distribution network throughout South Africa and we are pleased with the overwhelming response from interested business owners in this new concept,” said Lensch. As subsidiaries of German-based, Continental AG, ContiTrade Africa reports that it will work closely with Continental Tyre South Africa. cja

Pneumobil grows network, debuts premium service concept PNEUMOBIL, the retail operation run by Pirelli in Germany, has acquired Bavarian tyre retailer Reifen-Wagner I.S. Auto-Service GmbH & Co. KG. The purchase of this chain adds 15 new outlets to the 70-strong Pneumobil network; the deal will take affect on 1 October. This purchase means that Pirelli now owns both ‘Reifen-Wagner’ companies; the 1921-founded family business was separated into two separate companies in 1997, with the founder’s daughter and son establishing Reifen-Wagner I.S. and Reifen-Wagner R. W. respectively. The 11 outlets run by Reifen-Wagner R.W. were acquired by Pneumobil in July 2013 and integrated into the network as of 1 September. Other recent Pneumobil purchases include Reifen Blank, which joined Pneumobil on 1 August, and Die PneuCenter RRT, which became part of Pneumobil on 1 September. “With Pnemobil GmbH, ReifenWagner I.S. has found a strong partner for the tyre trade’s future challenges,” commented Michael Schnickmann, managing director of Reifen Wagner I.S. “We are pleased that our outlets will soon become a part of Pneumobil.” First ‘Driver’ centre opens A new addition to the Pneumobil network is ‘Driver’, and the company opened the first of these flagship stores recently. The Driver store in Frankfurt opened its doors on Friday 13 September, and this will hopefully prove a lucky date for the new premium concept. Pirelli intends to expand the Driver network, however it has not outlined its future rollout plans or indicated whether the Driver centre concept will be extended to other markets. The new Driver centre on Frankfurt’s Hanauer Landstrasse covers a 3,300 square metre floorspace and will stock around 4,000 new tyres at any given time. Storage space also exists to store

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Cutting the Pirelli-coloured ribbon at the Driver centre opening

around 24,000 customer wheels when tyres are swapped to suit the season. The Driver service portfolio covers a wide range of tyre, wheel and vehicle fast-fit services. Two and a half years of planning and construction went into the new Driver centre, which was opened by Pirelli Germany CEO Michael Schwöbel. “We have succeeded in creating something different and in an unusual location,” he commented. The new Driver Centre was also praised by Michael Boddenberg, Hessian Minister of State for federal topics. He congratulated Pirelli on the “great enterprise engagement” and also on the choice of location. Pirelli chose the location for its Driver Centre flagship store because it is close to several premium car manufacturers, major banks and insurance companies in the heart of Frankfurt’s financial district. The Driver centre fits in well with Pirelli’s focus on the premium segment. The new Frankfurt outlet will serve as a showcase centre for those joining the Driver network. sg

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Groundbreaking held for Yokohama’s US plant ON 23 SEPTEMBER, a total of 350 Yokohama prepares to begin construction Tadaharu Yamamoto as president of guests joined executives from Yokohama Tire Corporation, including Yokohama Rubber representative director Hikomitsu Noji, and state and local officials in West Point, Mississippi to break ground on Yokohama’s first greenfield manufacturing facility in the United States. During the official groundbreaking ceremony, the first sod was turned on a plant that is scheduled to enter production in October 2015 and manufacture up to one million tyres a year, mostly for the domestic market.Yokohama’s initial investment in the facility amounts to US$300 million and the company anticipates creating approximately 500 jobs during the first phase. The roughly one million square foot (92,900 square metre) factory, to be constructed on more than 500 acres (202 hectares) of land, will include production, warehousing and operations facilities. Potential future expansions are projected to increase the company’s investment to more than $1 billion and to raise employment to 2,000 jobs. “Today is a very exciting day as

of its very first US manufacturing facility to be built from the ground up,” said Governor Bryant. In April, the Mississippi Legislature approved a total of $130 million in incentives to assist with the project, $70 million of which was allotted for the initial phase of the project. Part of the funding was used toward the purchase of the 500-acre site for the facility, and the remainder is being used for site preparation, infrastructure needs and workforce training. In addition to formally introducing

Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi, during the events leading up to the West Point groundbreaking ceremony Yokohama Tire Corporation discussed its recently-opened operational headquarters in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park in Starkville, Mississippi. The company moved into its new headquarters in August and the new site houses several business functions, including administrative, human resources, information management and planning.

These first shovelfuls will be followed by some two years of construction and installation work at the West Point plant

US tyre demand showing ‘signs of recovery’ TYRE DEMAND is picking up in the , according to analysts and Any recovery is good for US tyre makers industry associations alike. Industry body RMA (Rubber Manufacturers Association) estimates that US light vehicle replacement tyre shipments increased 7.1 per cent year-on-year in August. US replacement commercial truck tyre volumes were estimated to be up 3 per cent year-on-year. When you compare this with the share drop reported the same time last year, this is clearly an improvement. However, financial analysts were still optimistic of what this may indicate, despite the fact that is coming from a low base. “Comparison from last year of -9.7 per cent was fairly easy; however, we still view the light vehicle statistics as strong given one less shipping day (22 days in August 2013 versus 23 in August 2012),” Deutsche Bank’s Rod Lache wrote in an investor’s note dated 10 September. As a result, the analysts estimate light vehicle shipments were up around 11.4 per cent year-on-year. When you consider the third quarter-to-date, the estimate is that light vehicle tyre shipments were up 10.0 per cent, while replacement commercial tyre volumes were down 0.8 per cent quarter-to-date.

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

This is said to be good news for any domestic tyre makers. Specifically this makes Deutsche Bank’s estimates that Goodyear will increase its North American replacement tyre volumes 3 per cent in the third quarter “increasingly conservative”. Indeed “we believe that stronger industry volumes, and the associated improvement in the industry’s supply/demand dynamic, should mitigate concerns on the industry’s price discipline”, the analysts wrote. Therefore their view is that tyre companies such as Goodyear “will continue to generate surprisingly strong profitability”. Moreover, “we continue to view Goodyear’s recent USW contract, which resulted in a deal to freeze and fund their pension, as transformative, as it should ultimately enable Goodyear to direct the majority of their US$650-$700 million per annum of free cash flow towards measures that create value for shareholders” they concluded. cja

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Vipal opens additional US distribution centre Vipal is opening a new distribution center (DC) in the US city of Los Angeles. The company reports that it will serve the Western regions of the United States and Canada. Vipal already has two other DCs in the US - one in Florida and another in Virginia. With the addition of this new investment, Vipal will have a structure with a capacity of 1,500 positions for pallets. The Los Angeles DC is being run by local partner JAS Forwarding (which also operates the Florida DC).Vipal describes the move as a way of boosting its presence in the country, which will enable further growth in the world's largest market for retreaded tyres, the US. "Vipal has been in the United States for approximately 20 years, with its operation focused on the South and the East Coast, where 60 pe cent of the country’s retreading market is concentrated, and also on eastern and southern Canada. We have built a strong name in this market and thus our products became known in the West," says Plínio de Luca, director of sales and marketing at Vipal. He points out that, given the level of maturity the Vipal brand has achieved, the company decided to enter this market which is highly demanding due to California’s regulations in terms of the environment, such as SmartWay [North American public-private collaboration pro-

gram that reduces transportation-related emissions by creating incentives to improve fuel efficiency in the supply chain]. "Vipal is prepared for this and, as a result, will consolidate its objective to internationalise its products and solutions. This operation will add an additional volume in a short period of time, which could double our market share," he says.

Global positioning In addition to its three factories in Brazil, Vipal has six other distribution centres in countries abroad: Spain, Germany, Slovenia, Australia, Mexico and Colombia. It also has branches in nine locations besides the United States: Spain, Germany, Slovenia, Australia, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Vipal Overseas (Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia). All this enables the company to provide excellent global service, with an efficient and dedicated structure that only a company with 40 years of experience could offer. "Participating in important events and trade fairs in the segment, dedicating one of our Nova Prata factories to export production and developing products with a focus on foreign markets, contribute to this result," asserts Plínio de Luca. cja

Kumho opens new R&D headquarters ON 2 SEPTEMBER, Kumho Tire opened a China (KCTC), and the Kumho Tire new research and development centre Performance Center (KPC) in Gwangju, near the South Korean capital Seoul. Korea. The newly-completed centre will Located in Yongin City and built over the serve as the main R&D centre and as course of five years, the centre covers a such will take charge of all basic research 34,873 square metre land area with a and product development. The existing total floorspace of 22,823 square metres. Gwangju facility has been transformed This space is shared by a research buil- into a performance centre for the evaluading and testing facility. Approximately tion and quality monitoring of finished 600 researchers from Korea and abroad products, and will be permanently staffed will be employed at the site and work by technical support personnel in charge with supercomputers, physical testing of these quality assuring evaluations and equipment, chemical and instrumental facility operations. The Yongin city area is also home to analysis equipment, performance research equipment and more to develop the technology research institutes of Hyundai KIA Motors, Renault Samsung, new products. In addition, the centre will serve as and Hyundai Mobis, amongst others. The the central control tower of Kumho’s glo- area is also an automotive/parts industry bal R&D network, which is made up of the Kumho Tire American Technical Center in Akron, US (KATC), the Kumho Tire Europe Technical Centre in Frankfurt, Germany (KETC), the Kumho Tire The Yongin City facility will serve as the central control tower of Kumho’s global R&D network China Technical Centre in Tianjin,

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cluster with support infrastructure for the Korean automotive, parts, and aftermarket industries. “The most sure way of becoming a global tyre company is to secure worldclass technical prowess,” stated Kumho Tire CEO Kim Chang-Kyu in relation to the centre’s opening. He added that Kumho will “continue to strive to improve its competitive power with expansion of overseas factories and increasing OE supplies to overseas automobile makers, with the completion of the new R&D centre.” sg

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

Jourdan joins Conti board Since the start of August Dr. Ralf Cramer has been headquartered in Shanghai as head of Continental China. Replacing him as chairman of the Management Board for the Chassis & Safety division is Frank Jourdan, who has also joined Continental’s Executive Board. Jourdan’s appointment to the board was confirmed at Continental’s Supervisory Board meeting on 25 September, together with the renewal of Dr. Elmar Degenhart’s tenure as Executive Board chairman for a further five years. PAST FOUR YEARS, Dr. Elmar Degenhart has considerably helped to bring Continental AG back into the fold of DAX 30 companies and make it more sustainable as an innovative technology supplier. The members of the Supervisory Board unanimously honour his outstanding performance and reaffirm their trust," said Supervisory Board chairman Professor Dr. Wolfgang Reitzle, referring to the reappointment. "In Frank Jourdan, we have entrusted a very experienced, innovative, and internationally focused manager with overseeing the Chassis & Safety division. We have every faith that he will succeed in following the successful path of profitable growth mapped out by Dr. Ralf Cramer in the past few Frank Jourdan years." Degenhart has been Continental’s Executive Board chairman since 12 August, 2009. His present term ends in August 2014. "I am delighted to be able to continue putting all my strength and energy into the journey we're on,” he commented. “The Continental team has already proven time and again the potential that it can bring to bear. I am convinced that we can and will successfully tackle the challenges that lie ahead of us as an industry, increase our own competitiveness, and help shape the future of personal mobility with our innovative systems and technologies." Frank Jourdan joined Continental in 1988 and his professional career includes stints both in and outside of Germany. Between 2000 and 2003, he set up the production of wheel speed sensors for electronic brake systems in Silao, Mexico, for Continental Automotive Mexicana. Back in Frankfurt, Jourdan managed the newly created Sensorics product area as of 2003. From 2006 through 2009 he put his career at Continental on hold to serve as general manager for operations at Keiper GmbH & Co. KG. He returned to Continental as executive vice-president of the Electronic Brake Systems business unit, a business renamed Vehicle Dynamics in September 2013 following the merger of the Suspension Systems and Chassis Electronics segments into the business. sg

Falken Europe appoints Fatho marketing manager

“IN THE

New Falken Tyre Europe marketing manager, Thomas Fatho

Falken Tyre has strengthened its European team with Thomas Fatho appointed its new marketing manager. Most recently working at Mitsubishi Deutschland, he assumes responsibility for all marketingrelated areas in Europe. Fatho’s appointment follows the recent announcement of Markus Bögner as sales and marketing director. Yukio Yoshida remains in charge of the overall operative planning and development activities as corporate planning director. “Falken Tyre Europe already enjoys an extremely credible marketing mix led by its motorsports campaigns,” says Thomas Fatho “Falken is a fantastic and positively charged brand with huge potential. I am very happy to be working to realise and expand this potential by raising the level of brand recognition even further throughout Europe.” akb

NTDA director Richard Edy retiring in January The NTDA has announced that after over 25 years as spent seven years in this post, before leaving to become depudirector of the NTDA, Richard Edy is to retire from the ty director of the British Plastics Federation. Finally, he became post at the end of January. the director of the NTDA in January 1988, taking over from Mervyn Thomas. No decision has yet been made on who will replace Richard king in the press, he moved into Public Relations His first invol- Edy, but the association has confirmed that the recruitment vement with the tyre industry was in 1972, when he joined the process is already underway. An advertisement for the role has BRMA, as it then was, as Press and Information Officer. He already been published. cja

EDY BEGAN

HIS CAREER as journalist. After seven years wor-

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Pirelli names Borgo its first ‘general manager operations’ A new management role, that of ‘general manager operations’, has been created at Pirelli, and Gregorio Borgo has been appointed the first incumbent. Borgo, currently head of Pirelli’s Asia-Pacific region, will report directly to company chairman and chief executive officer Marco Tronchetti Provera in his new position. The tweaking of Pirelli’s management structure and creation of the general manager operations position was approved by the Italian firm’s Board of Directors on 26 September. In a statement, Pirelli wrote that the reorganisation “aims to maximise oversight of the business and geographical coordination of all operational activities linked to product development and management.” Reporting to the general manager operations will be the organisational units linked to operations management (industrial operations, supply chain, product and original equipment aftermarket and marketing), the Industrial and Moto Gregorio Borgo Business Units, as well as the different Regions (Africa, Middle East and India, Asia-Pacific, Central Europe, North West Europe, South Europe, Latam, Nafta and Russia and Nordics). According to Pirelli, the goal is to “reinforce industrial and commercial synergies to better support commercial development, in the context of ever more competitive markets. With regard to overall governance and coordination, the Regions will continue to report directly to the chairman and CEO.” The general manager operations is one of two key positions reporting directly to Tronchetti Provera; the other is the chief technical officer. As chief technical officer, Maurizio Boiocchi’s direct reports include the areas of product, processes, quality, original equipment and motorsport, all parts of the business Pirelli considers strongly linked to research, innovation and homologation with car makers, the last of these being key to the implementation of the company’s premium strategy. These areas will also report to the chief technical officer at the various country levels. This change in management structure at the national level is a move away from existing practice and was decided upon “to spread and consolidate best practices between headquarters and the regions”. As a result of this evolution, the role of chief commercial officer, currently held by Andrea Pirondini, will disappear from Pirelli’s management structure. Mr. Pirondini’s career at Pirelli, which began in the UK in 1989, draws to a close at the end of 2013; in a statement, Marco Tronchetti Provera and Pirelli’s Board of Directors conveyed their “deepest thanks to him for his fruitful work.” Gregorio Borgo joined Pirelli in 1992 and has held a variety of roles within the company, in particular in the marketing and commercial areas. His career in the group has included work in the Car and Truck business units, as well as the opportunity to develop his experience at Pirelli’s headquarters in Milan and at the international level, from North America to Japan to China. He has served as CEO of Pirelli’s Asia-Pacific Region since 2011. sg

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

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Autoparts appoints product, Kilmarnock branch managers

Paul Rooney has been appointed Autoparts product manager

Autoparts has announced two new appointments: Paul Rooney is its new product manager and Graham Montgomerie will take charge of the Kilmarnock branch. The former was promoted from roles within the company, while Montgomerie takes up his new role having moved from Arnold Clark. Paul, 41, has worked at Autoparts for 10 years and in his new role will be responsible for identifying new product opportunities and liaising with suppliers on range extensions and cost analysis. Autoparts group factor manager, Craig McCracken, said: “As Autoparts continues to grow the appointment of Paul to the buying team will ensure we are in the best position possible to work effectively with our suppliers to bring to garages the highest quality products at competitive prices.” Meanwhile, Graham Montgomerie has been with Arnold Clark for 12 years and has an excellent insight into the parts aftermarket, which he will bring to his new role as branch manager for Autoparts Kilmarnock. Commenting on his new role at Autoparts, Montgomerie said: “The market is very competitive but Autoparts has a very good proposal offering added value at every opportunity.” akb

Federal-Mogul appoints Vehicle Component Solutions UK & Ireland MD

Maxam strengthens management team

Andrew Bevington is Federal-Mogul's new managing director, Vehicle Component Solutions UK & Ireland

FEDERAL-MOGUL CORPORATION has appointed Andrew Bevington as managing director, Vehicle Component Solutions UK & Ireland. Bevington previously worked at EXIDE technologies, where he has honed his skills and expertise over the last five years. During this time he has developed a number of key relationships in becoming a well-known figure in the marketplace, and is relishing the opportunity to apply his insight to the continued delivery of excellence for FederalMogul’s established distributor customers. “The successful servicing of the aftermarket provides a unique set of challenges in a quickly diversifying environment,” says Olivier Legrand, Federal-Mogul’s vice president Aftermarket Europe. “Andrew has significant experience of these challenges, and has specialised in bringing a strategic view of partnerships for the benefit of partners and stakeholders. He is ideally placed to identify future trends and areas for potential growth in the aftermarket, while ensuring that Federal-Mogul remains a market-leading supplier.” “I have long-since admired the brand portfolio of Federal-Mogul, which features many market-leading names such as Ferodo, Champion and Moog,” said Bevington. “Aftermarket expectations are expanding and we must continue the development of innovative ways to service this demand. I look forward to working with our valued customers to help drive forward their volume and margin targets with Federal-Mogul’s quality brand portfolio.” “We would like to take this opportunity to not only welcome Andrew Bevington to Federal-Mogul, but thank his predecessor Mark Page, who has contributed strongly to advancing Federal-Mogul’s extensive aftermarket business,” Legrand concluded. cja

Maxam business development manager for Germany, Switzerland and Austria Peter Kraus (47) joined the company at the beginning of September

Maxam Tire, the Luxembourg-based manufacturer of industrial, construction and OTR radial tyres, has announced a key appointment to its management team. Peter Kraus (47) joined the company at the beginning of September as business development manager for Germany, Switzerland and Austria, responsible for the entire Maxam product range. Kraus is no stranger to the tyre industry, having spent six years working at one of the major wholesalers in continental Europe. While there, he oversaw the introduction of new brands and of a project for retreading truck tyres. He also has extensive knowledge of the tyre industry in his new geographical area as he worked for Bandag for six years, with responsibility for Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Peter Kraus is relishing the challenge of working with Maxam's key dealers and introducing the range of products to end users. What attracted him to Maxam in the first place? Said Kraus: "Firstly, the quality of the products is outstanding and secondly, the team spirit at Maxam is phenomenal – everybody works together to make sure that the customer not only gets a great product, but also the best possible service." pg

Yamamoto to head Yokohama’s US plant Prior to breaking ground on its new US factory, over the weekend Yokohama Tire Corporation formally introduced Tadaharu Yamamoto as president of Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi.

During the plant’s construction period, Yamamoto and Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi will be headquartered in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park in nearby Starkville, Miss. When the West Point plant enters operation, YTMM will be the entity responsible for operations at the plant. Before taking on this new role, Yamamoto served as executive vice-president and administrative division manager at Yokohama Tire Philippines. sg

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6 4 46 "& %#"' #) % %#"' #) % 52 08 54 32 #) % 18 42 06 04 56 44 10 60 66 8 12 72 78 48 34 58 40 38 50 16 00

WEB DIRECTORY

Abrasives www.olivercorp.com

Associations www.btmauk.com www.etrma.org www.itdn.org.uk www.itma-europe.com www.ntda.co.uk www.tireindustry.org www.tyrerecovery.org.uk www.tyresafe.org

Breakdown Services www.itdn.org.uk

Earthmover Wheels www.kirkbytyres.co.uk

E-Commerce www.etyres.co.uk www.oddballtyres.co.uk

Exhausts/Silencers www.cesuk.com www.klarius.eu

Exhibitions www.autopromotec.it www.citexpo.com.cn www.eci-international.com www.maxima-expo.ru www.rubbere.com www.semashow.com www.theaftermarketshow.com

Fleet Management Systems www.advancedidcorp.com www.pneu-logic.co.uk

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

Importers/Wholesalers www.tym-international.com

Industrial Tyres www.solideal.com

Lifting Equipment www.jiglift.com www.ecolift.cn

Locking Wheel Nuts www.dynomec.co.uk

Materials/Accessories www.gogommasrl.it

Miscellaneous www.zeppelin-systems.com www.traxjh.com

Motorcycle Tyre Wholesalers www.cambriantyres.co.uk www.worldofbiketyres.com

Recycling Machinery www.btrgroup.co.uk www.mmhrecsys.com www.systems4recycling.com

Retreading/Recycling/Disposal www.credenv.com www.cmshredders.com www.dmetyres.co.uk www.environment-agency.gov.uk/tyrewatch www.kraiburg-retreading.com retreading.marangoni.com www.sapphirerecovery.co.uk www.treadsdirect.com www.watts-rubber.com

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WEB DIRECTORY

Software www.mamsoft.co.uk/tyres

Testing Services www.dunloptyretesting.co.uk

Truck Tyre Retreading www.bandvulc.co.uk

Truck Wheels www.kirkbytyres.co.uk

Tyre Compounds www.vipal.com.br

Tyre Computer Software www.teamsystems.co.uk

Tyre Distributors/Wholesalers www.aeolus-tyres.eu www.bitsuk.co.uk www.blackcircles.com www.bridgestone.eu/truckpoint www.dalytyres.com www.cooperbros.co.uk www.deldo.com www.deklokbanden.com www.dessimpson.co.uk www.euro-tyre.com www.fieldens.co.uk www.fulda.co.uk www.glanworthtyres.com www.gold-spark.com www.goodyear.co.uk www.gripenwheels.com www.grouptyre.co.uk www.gt-tires.com www.haemmerling.de www.herculesinternational.com www.heuver.com www.internationaltyres.com

www.inter-sprint.nl www.kenda.com.tw www.kingdavidtyres.co.uk www.kirkbytyres.co.uk www.kumho-euro.com www.lassa-europe.com www.lexanitire.com www.lctyres.ie www.lytire.com www.maitechtire.com www.marangoni.com www.mastercrafttyres.co.uk www.matador.sk www.midlandmobiletyres.co.uk www.micheldever.co.uk www.mickeythompson.co.uk www.mrftyres.com www.nankang.com.tw www.nete.co.uk www.nexentire.co.kr www.northwesttyres.com www.pirelli.co.uk www.sd-international.cn www.sentaida-international.com www.silverstone.com.my www.sintontyres.co.uk www.southam-tyres.co.uk www.starco.com www.stapletons-tyres.co.uk www.techkingtires.com www.toyo.co.uk The fast and direct way to your homepage: Web Directory in Tyre & Accessories & the Link section in www.tyrepress.com To appear in thisWebsite Directory for 12 months – which will include hyperlinked entries on the Tyres & Accessories website – please contact: info@tyrepress.com

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TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

WEB DIRECTORY

www.treadwayscorp.com www.trelleborg.com www.tribatyre.com www.tyreandwheels.com www.tyres-bernaerts.com www.tyrespot.co.uk www.uniroyaltruck.co.uk www.viking.co.uk www.vredestein.com www.yokohama.co.uk

Tyre Exporters www.china-tyre.com

Tyre Manufacturers www.bkt-tires.com www.bridgestone.eu/truckpoint www.conti-online.co.uk www.coopertire.com www.dunloptyres.co.uk www.eptyres.com www.hankooktire.eu www.magnatyres.com www.mitas-tyres.com

Tyre Moulds www.jwinc.co.kr

Tyre Repair/Inflation www.airbosstyre.com www.harvieprema.co.uk www.monaflex.com www.schrader-valves.co.uk www.smartronics.co.uk www.punctureproof.com www.uniflate.com

www.northhantstyres.com www.vintagetyres.com www.vredestein.com

Wheels www.afan-tyres.co.uk www.elitedirect.com www.imagewheels.co.uk www.mswuk.com www.overfinch.com www.performancealloys.com www.tsw-wheels.co.uk www.trelleborg.com/wheelsystems-uk www.wheelwright.co.uk

Wheel Balancers/Accessories www.dionys-hofmann.com www.haweka.com

Workshop Equipment www.agequipment.co.uk www.bateman-sellarc.co.uk www.beissbarth.co.uk www.butler.it www.cosengautomotive.com www.innotecworld.com www.pro-align.co.uk www.reinheimer-stitcher-roller.com www.sunbornsolutions.com www.supertracker.com www.tip-top.co.uk www.tsissg.com www.tyre-equipment.co.uk www.wheelalignmentuk.com

Vintage Tyres www.grouptyre.co.uk www.longstonetyres.co.uk TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

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PREVIEW First published in June 1946, T&A is distributed in the second week of every month by:

In Our Next Issue A brief look forward at a few of the articles appearing in next month‘s T&A.

I Fleet business I Two ongoing concerns for fleet operators are costs and regulations – both of which are wont to change every so often, and never in a way that makes life any easier. Therefore, any means of keeping expenses to a minimum and optimising total cost of ownership, while ensuring compliance with the latest regulations, is warmly welcomed by progressive fleets. You will not be surprised to hear that tyres play a role here. And next month, Tyres & Accessories looks at fleet business from a tyre perspective. Pick up your November magazine for all the details.

I Green tyres I It was not so long ago that the only people known for taking an active interest in the ecological performance of their tyres were the Scandinavians. Then came a raft of new European legislation pointing towards a bright green future of tyres – this came in the shape of rules such as the clean oil legislation which took effect in 2009 and of course the now [in]famous European labelling rules. It is a different world now and tyres have never been greener – however, while the upstream suppliers and the manufacturers have made great strides in terms of ecological development – has customer and ultimately consumer demand kept pace?

I Motorsport Review I Tyres have shouldered many burdens in the 2013 motorsport season. In Formula One they were expected to help a series in danger of becoming a procession to stay compelling for fans, which they did – until it all got a bit too exciting at the British grand prix. Not long after visiting Silverstone another tyre manufacturer showed Tyres & Accessories the damage drifting competitors could do to their tyres in fewer than 10 laps – this time on purpose. This story and more from motorsport tyre suppliers’ seasons will feature in the November issue.

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Tyre Industry Publications Ltd. Unit I, Magnolia Centre Telford Road, Clacton-on-Sea Essex CO 15 4LP, England Telephone: +44 (0)1255 222233 Editorial: +44 (0) 1782 214224 Fax: +44 (0)1255 222234 e-mail: info@tyrepress.com Internet: www.tyrepress.com Correspondence and advertising material should be sent to the above address. Publisher: Klaus Haddenbrock klaus.haddenbrock@reifenpresse.de Editor: Christopher Anthony chris.anthony@tyrepress.com Stephen Goodchild stephen.goodchild@tyrepress.com Andrew Bogie andrew.bogie@tyrepress.com Contributing Editor: Peter Gardner peter.gardner@tyrepress.com Advertising Manager: Alan Day alan@tyrepress.com Advertising Sales: Scott Parker scott.parker@tyrepress.com Circulation Manager: Julie Wilshaw julie.wilshaw@tyrepress.com Editorial office: 6A Salem Street, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire, ST1 5PR Telephone: +44 (0) 1782 214224 Fax: +44 (0) 1782 286589 Contributors: detlef.vogt@reifenpresse.de christian.marx@reifenpresse.de arno.borchers@reifenpresse.de Layout: Heike Schomaker-Eymers Gaby Hinck 2013 Subscription Rate: £65 (UK), £85 (Europe), £120 (R.O.W.) per year. Back issues: £5 per copy. Reg. No: 1023538 England VAT No: 466 0254 53 Bank: National Westminster Bank PLC, 10 Station Road, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex CO15 1TA Account No: 70304440 Sort Code: 60 05 33 Printed by: The Magazine Printing Company 1082 Mollison Avenue Brimsdown, Enfield Middlessex EN3 7NT Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Company, using only paper fro FSC/PEFC suppliers. www.magprint.co.uk Tyre Industry Publications Ltd. can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors, manufacturers or advertisers

TYRES & ACCESSORIES 10/2013

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