World's Largest Tyre Makes UK Debut
£2000 Holiday win as New Tyre Warehouse Opens in Chepstow
AA Tyre Fit Becomes UK's First All-Mobile National Tyre Network
Unipart Awarded £1m Contract from STS
Adventure Holiday Promotion from BF Goodrich
Serial Tyre Tipper Jailed
Sales Growth for Barum
Eagle F1 Wins NorTech Innovation Award
Durham Sees Rise in Badly Worn Tyres
Avon Supplies Tyres for Palmer Trackday Racer
Free Flights a Success for Goodyear
Yokohama Announce 2003 Results
Ashley Croft Joins Micheldever
Morgan Adopts Yokohama A539 as OE on Classic Sports Cars
Pilot Sport Approved for New Porsche 996
Mann Extends Kumho Championship Lead
SRI Complete Merger with Ohtsu
Bridgestone to Produce Anti-vibration Automotive Components in China
Stapletons Joins Fit4Fleet Network
Audi 6 Equipped with PAX System

World's Largest Tyre Makes UK Debut

The world's largest tyre, developed by Bridgestone for the latest generation of ultra-large dump trucks that carry loads up to 400 tonnes, is to be seen in the UK for the first time this month. The giant radial tyre will be exhibited at the Hillhead 2003 International Quarrying and Recycling Show from June 24-26.

Aimed at customers in the mining industry, the Bridgestone tyre is over 13ft 2 in tall, 4 ft 10" across and weighs over 5 tonnes. It is the first tyre in the world to have a nominal load rating of over 100 tonnes and is being sold mainly in North America, South America, Asia and Australia.

The new tyre, named the 59/80 R63 V-Steel E-Lug S is over 4 inches taler and 3.6 inches wider than the previous biggest tyre, Bridgestone's 55/80 R 63. The new tyre is produced at Bridgestone's plant at Shimonoseki in Japan.

£2000 Holiday win as New Tyre Warehouse Opens in Chepstow

Visiting Micheldever Tyre Services' new wholesale warehouse in Chepstow was doubly good news for John Marsh, proprietor of A1 Tyres, Cardiff, recently. Not only did he save himself money on some of the most competitive tyres in the area, but he also received £2000 worth of holiday vouchers, as the main prize for their recent 'open an account and prosper' promotion.

Paul Carter (National Sales Manager, left) presents John
Marsh (A1, right) with £ 2,000 worth of Holiday Vouchers.

The Cardiff-based businessman entered the competition, which was run to mark the opening of the company's new 35,000 ft warehouse, stocking 65,000 tyres, on New House Park, and won first prize. The Micheldever Chepstow branch, which employs 21 staff from the region, opened to the trade in March. It's the latest in a number of warehouses to be opened by the company whose main headquarters are in Micheldever in Hampshire.

AA Tyre Fit Becomes UK's First All-Mobile National Tyre Network

AA Tyre Fit has announced restructuring making it the UK's first all-mobile national tyre network. The company currently has 70 mobile units with further support provided by independent suppliers. However, expansion plans will see 270 mobiles on the road by the end of the year and a fleet of 500 by 2005.

AA Tyre Fit General Manager David Goodyear says: "The time is right for this move. We believe that the mobile tyre market is major growth opportunity and we aim to be the leader in this sector within a short space of time. "Our view is simple. The traditional fast-fit centre is a thing of the past and tyre networks that still maintain them do not have the right structure to survive in the future. We aim to offer the flexibility, pricing and service that the tyre customer of today rightly expects".

Meanwhile, the AA Tyre Fit network of independent tyre centres, which dates from the company's previous existence as Tyreserve has been dismantled. Goodyear says: "We can provide the entire service capacity we need from within our mobile resource. The need for the independent network has passed, although we are still maintaining relationships with those outlets that offer mobile tyre fitting to provide back-up to our own units.

Unipart Awarded £1m Contract from STS

Fast fit retailer, STS Tyres & Exhausts, has recently awarded Unipart with a £1m contract to become their main automotive supplier for all 51 retail centres. Unipart competed against a number of smaller independent motor factors for the contract, which involves supplying a wide range of original automotive parts including brake, steering, suspension, engine and exhaust equipment. Unipart's relationship with Stapleton's spans 10 years and the new contract now cements the relationship between the two companies.

David Bevan, major accounts director from Unipart says: "We are very pleased to have been awarded the contract and hope that the relationship will develop over time, and that the business for both parties will grow profitably."

Adventure Holiday Promotion from BF Goodrich

BF Goodrich is giving consumers the opportunity to win a holiday of a lifetime to Australia, America or Canada in a gripping promotion on its Macadam T/A 4x4 road tyres. The promotion, running through June and July, will be accompanied by point of sale material including a display unit with three promotional postcard pockets, three versions of the design led promotional postcards, A1 posters, computer crowns, two wobblers and door stickers. All consumers have to do to stand a chance of winning a seven night trip for two people to Sydney, Whistler or Las Vegas is complete one of the postcards with their details on the back.

Serial Tyre Tipper Jailed

The law finally caught up with a Yeovil man on June 10 after he dumped hundreds of tyres in the Somerset countryside using a bogus tyre disposal company. Appearing before South Somerset Magistrates in January, Mark Higgins pleaded guilty to three offences of dumping controlled waste under Section 33(1)(a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Between January 1 and October 23, 1999 almost 1,000 tyres were tipped at various locations in Somerset. Higgins was sentenced by Yeovil magistrates to three months in prison for each of three offences to run concurrently.

Sales Growth for Barum

Continental has announced that sales of its Barum truck tyre range have experienced impressive growth over the last year - with sales in 2002 doubling those in 2001 - and that 2003 looks set to continue the progress.

This impressive performance follows an extensive review of the Barum product range and pricing policy together with the introduction of new products and the launch of Barum for ContiNetwork partners. Recent product introductions include the BU53, an all-round fitment tyre used particularly in the tipper market, and the BD22, a drive axle tyre suited to many applications. Since its launch, the BD22 has been successfully fitted on a number of city council waste disposal vehicles.

Barry Guildford, Commercial Marketing Manager at Continental, comments: "The economy tyre market is very competitive so the growth we have achieved in the last year is fantastic. The sales figures are a testament to the fact that the Barum range offers our customers excellent performance at competitive prices. We put a lot of effort into reviewing our offering and this effort has clearly paid off. We have built an excellent platform for further development in 2003 and plan to extend our already comprehensive range towards the end of the year."

Eagle F1 Wins NorTech Innovation Award

Goodyear's Eagle F1 GS-D3 tyre won praise just outside the company's hometown of Akron, Ohio recently, when company representatives accepted a NorTech Innovation Award for the unique, global tyre. The Northeast Ohio Technology Coalition presents the annual award to recognise individuals, companies and non-profit organisations that have created, developed and successfully implemented original ideas. The awards ceremony was held in the Cleveland suburb of Mayfield Heights. The Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 ultra-high-performance tyre was developed in the company's Akron and Luxembourg Technical Centers.

In recognizing Goodyear, NorTech judges cited the all-original attributes of the new Eagle F1 GS-D3: "Goodyear's new Eagle F1 tyre delivers by combining the technology of a racing tyre with optimum safety and comfort for everyday use. The Eagle F1 GS-D3 tyres give drivers top performance in braking, cornering, and acceleration, as well as excellent handling on both dry and wet surfaces."

Goodyear won the NorTech award last year for Engineered Products' TensionRite belt gauge and in 2001 for the Wrangler MT/R tyre and for the HotFormer component of the company's IMPACT manufacturing system. Goodyear's Aquatred and Extended Mobility Technology (run flat) tyres both won Enterprise Development Inc. Innovation Awards, the forerunner of the NorTech award, shortly after their introduction.

Durham Sees Rise in Badly Worn Tyres

The number of defective and badly worn tyres on the roads of Durham has leaped dramatically according to the Tyre Industry Council following a week-long series of police checks. Almost 14% of cars and vans checked during tyre safety week in early May had at least one tyre below the legal minimum, up dramatically compared to a similar check in 2002. A further 10% of vehicles checked had at least one badly worn tyre at or below 2mm.

Avon Supplies Tyres for Palmer Trackday Racer

Avon Tyres Racing is supplying slick tyres for the new Palmer Jaguar JP1, a purpose-built "racer" designed specifically for the rapidly growing trackday market, but also for sale to private customers. Created by ex-F1 racer and television grand prix commentator, Jonathan Palmer, the Palmer Jaguar JP1, which looks like a scaled-down Group C Le Mans style racer - offers a genuine taste of sports car racing. Using a 3.0 litre Jaguar V6 engine tuned to give 245 bhp, the Palmer Jaguar JP1 can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, will reach 100 mph in less than 7.0 seconds and can hit 175 mph.

Free Flights a Success for Goodyear

Dealers, retail customers and an independent research company have all declared Goodyear's latest promotion a soaraway success. The Free Flights offer was introduced in January and enabled both dealers and retail customers to take advantage of free flights to a host of top European destinations. In return for purchasing Goodyear High Performance or Wrangler F1 tyres, dealers received a free flight for themselves along with a full marketing package. Dealers then received further supplies of free flight cards which were passed onto retail customers buying two or more tyres from the Goodyear High Performance range.

Following the completion of the Free Flights promotion, Goodyear commissioned J.R.A, a well respected independent research company to analyse the Free flights campaign. The results they found were dramatic. During the January to April period for which the Free Flights promotion was running, Goodyear significantly increased its year-on-year market share in the key W, Y and Z ratings. This reflected a year-on-year sales increase across all Goodyear High Performance tyres of 90% in relation to the participating Dealers. Further analysis revealed the key driver for this sales increase was the fully integrated nature of the Free Flights promotion. The total marketing package comprising POS poster, show card, drop-in co-op advertising panels and local radio support had real impact with dealers and retail customers. 81% of retail customers found out about the promotion via the marketing package or dealer recommendation, and 45% specifically chose Goodyear tyres as a result of the Free Flight promotion or dealer recommendation.

Ron Pike, Goodyear Communications Manager, said: "The facts show that the Free Flights promotion was a resounding success with the Dealers who gave this promotion their total commitment. By ensuring the support of dealers we were able to maximise the impact of the integrated marketing promotion. Hundreds of retail customers and dealers have already jetted off around Europe, and we look forward to sending many more on their way soon."

Yokohama Announce 2003 Results

The Yokohama Rubber Company has announced its consolidated results for fiscal 2003. For the year ended March 31, 2003, sales increased 0.2% to 400,448 million yen with operating income up 2.1% to 23,184 million yen. Net income surged 37.8% to a record 10,144 million yen. The tyre group accounted for 71.7% of total sales.

Ashley Croft Joins Micheldever

Ashley Croft, previously Managing Director of Stapleton's Tyre Services until October of last year, has joined Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) as Director. Tony Todd, Managing Director of Micheldever, commented "We are particularly pleased to welcome Ashley to the Board of Micheldever Tyre Services. This is a time of major expansion for our company, and Ashley brings a wealth of experience complementing the existing strengths of our team."

Ashley Croft's first experience of the tyre trade was as a "Saturday boy", and joined full-time direct from University in 1976 as a Retail Depot Manager for Stapleton's. He commenced the wholesale operation of the company shortly after and was responsible for its growth through the subsequent years. He was appointed Managing Director in 1999, having been joint MD for the previous two years. Ashley has served on the Executive Council of the NTDA for a number of years, and was the Associations inaugural Chairman of Council from 1999 to 2002. He represented Retailers interests on the Tyre Industry Council 2001/2002 and has been actively involved in the discussion processes with Government on the Scrap Tyre Issues and Producer Responsibility.

Ashley's prime responsibilities at Micheldever will be the Wholesale and Logistics development of the business.

Morgan Adopts Yokohama A539 as OE on Classic Sports Cars

Yokohama have announced that The Morgan Motor Company of the UK has adopted the company's A539 high performance tyres as original equipment for its 4/4 and +8 open sports car models. The A 539 tyre sizes are 195/60 R 15 88H for the 4/4 and 205/60 R 15 95V and 205/55 R 16 93W for the +8. Morgan began marketing cars with these tyres in several countries in early Spring.

Pilot Sport Approved for New Porsche 996

GT3 Michelin has announced that its Pilot Sport tyre will be fitted as standard on the new Porsche 996 GT3. According to Michelin, the Pilot Sport was chosen for its total control of the contact surface whilst cornering, its exceptional grip in both dry and wet conditions, the precision of the information that it transmits to the driver and its consistent performance in different temperatures.

The sizes for the Pilot Sport tyre for the Porsche GT3 are 235/40 ZR 18 (front) and 295/30 ZR 18 (rear).

Mann Extends Kumho Championship Lead

David Mann and his co-driver, Alun Cook, increased their lead in the Kumho National Rally Championship lead recently by finishing an excellent third in round four, the Mutiny Rally, held on 31 May. Starting and finishing in Llandrindod Wells, the event took competitors into the mid-Wales forests, many of which are regarded as classics by the rallying fraternity.

The event featured 75 competitive miles split into 12 special stages and with the day dawning dry and bright, competitors found the forestry roads covered with a fine layer of gravel, making the going slippery and very dusty. The loose surface made tyre choice very important, Mann benefiting by running on Kumho tyres which he reported to grip well in the conditions. Following his success, Mann now holds a 23 point advantage in the Kumho National Rally Championship.

SRI Complete Merger with Ohtsu

Sumitomo Rubber Industries have announced that their previously announced merger with their affiliate company, Ohtsu Tire & Rubber, has now been completed. As a result of the merger a new company, Falken Tire Trading has been set up within the SRI Group to market the Falken brand, meaning that the Ohtsu name will now disappear. Falken tyres will continue to be marketed independently and compete with other brands within the SRI Group.

Bridgestone to Produce Anti-vibration Automotive Components in China

Bridgestone Corporation has announced that it is to build a plant in China's Jiangsu Province to produce anti-vibration products for automobiles. The plant, in the city of Changzhou, will supply its output to auto makers in China and in other nations. Bridgestone's plans call for the plant to begin operation in late 2004 and for its production capacity to reach 150,000 units per month in 2005.

The new plant will operate as Bridgestone (Changzhou) Automotive Products Co., Ltd. It will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, which will invest approximately $16 million in the project. Bridgestone (Changzhou) Automotive Products will be Bridgestone's sixth manufacturing operation for anti-vibration components.

Presently, Bridgestone Corporation and its subsidiaries produce anti-vibration products at two plants in Japan, one in Thailand and two in the United States.

Stapletons Joins Fit4Fleet Network

STS Stapletons Tyres and Exhausts is the latest fast fit retailer to join Fit4Fleet, an initiative that enables independent retailers to become part of a national chain and have access to a national account facility. Fit4 Fleet. a General Motors Group company, currently has 850 operational centres and over 350 mobiles as part of its network.

Audi 6 Equipped with PAX System

Having already fitted PAX tyres to its A8, Audi has chosen to equip its luxurious A6 Quattro with Michelin's PAX System technology as well. PAX System fitments for the A6 Quattro are 215-650 R 440 96Y Primacy Pilot (summer version) and 205-640 R 440 97H Alpine Pilot (winter version).