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This autumn, the Working Group Rim Manufacturers of the German Tyre Retailer and Vulcanization Trade Association (Bundesverbandes Reifenhandel und Vulkaniseur-Handwerk e.V. - BRV) again met for their autumn meeting, which was used by the Cologne based consultancy BBE Automotive GmbH in order to present the current results of the Rim/Wheel-Sell-In Panel. Twice a year, the members of the working group announce the sell-in volumes for the past six months (exclusively passenger car replacement market; without sales to vehicle manufacturers and importers), assess independently from each other the remaining demand and forecast the future development.
After the first six months of the year 2016, the German rubber industry noticed a decrease in turnover of 2.2 per cent. According to wdk (Organisation of German Manufacturers of Tyres and Technical Elastomers Products), the tyre manufacturers’ turnover fell by 6.2 per cent. In spite of higher sales figures for TEE (Technische Elastomer Erzeugnisse – Technical Elastomers Products) production decreased in German tyre plants and in TEE locations. While manufacturers of TEE were able to look back at a slightly positive business development in the first half of 2016, there was a decrease in turnover for tyre manufacturers in the same period. This was not only caused by low sales prices resulting from falling raw material costs.
More safety on roads, can and will be delivered with stricter inspections in conjunction with more education in the procurement and maintenance of commercial vehicle wheels – and MWheels GmbH, the new German operation of Motor Wheels Service Distribution (MWSD) is dedicated to these issues. In April 2014, MWSD’s dedication was rewarded by recording its first successes: MWSD’s wheel safety road safety campaign for commercial vehicles was adopted in the new EU Roadworthiness Law, which was passed by all Member States in May of that same year.
Bridgestone will launch its "DriveGuard” tyres in a winter version. According to company information, the technology will enable an onward journey for 80 km at a speed of up to 80 km/h in case of a breakdown. The DriveGuard Winter will complement the current range of tyres consisting of the Blizzak LM001, the Blizzak LM-80 EVO and the DM-V2 for SUVs. The Bridgestone DriveGuard Winter - as well as the summer version - is characterized by reinforced sidewalls and so-called Cooling Fins.
Die Magna Tyres Group has announced the opening of its office for the Middle East & Africa, which is based in Ras Al Khaimah. After appointing Vijay Nambiar as General Manager of the new office, the responsible people announced this as next step of the worldwide expansion. “We are very proud that Vijay made use of this opportunity to open the new office. He will play a key role for strengthening the image of Magna Tyres in this region and for intensifying our commitment to this region", said Michael de Ruijter, CEO of the Magna Tyres Group.
Yokohama invited several customers and press representatives to the Nürburgring in order to make them take part in a one-day summer driving event. The presentation focused on the new products ADVAN FLEVA V701, Geolandar A/T G015 and ADVAN A052, which had already been launched at the Geneva Motor Show and had continuously been introduced in several sizes in the market.
For the last time, the tyre trade fair took place in Essen and apart from all the business sense there was of course a lot of melancholy left behind. During the last decades, Messe Essen and the German Tyre Retailer and Vulcanization Trade Association (Bundesverband Reifenhandel und Vulkaniseur-Handwerk e.V. - BRV) as conceptual supporter wrote a success story. We express our deepest gratitude for this.
The tyre trade fair REIFEN experienced its final issue in Essen this year. The Tire Cologne, which was invented by Koelnmesse and BRV, positioned itself as new industry trade fair. When looking at the communicated registration figures the first edition seems to turn into a superlative industry event in 2018. According to responsible trade fair people, all the key players were already on board for 2018. After important key players of the industry had already expressed their support for the event in the framework of the campaign “We are taking part” in May, the list of participants seemed to have grown considerably nearly a year later.
Pneuhage Management GmbH & Co. KG and Bridgestone Deutschland GmbH intend starting a joint venture. Bridgestone would like to focus on First Stop Deutschland and its subsidiaries including all the branches, the retreading companies and the First Stop partner network. The current company names First Stop and Reifen Seher and their brand presentations are to be kept.
For further three years, Pirelli will remain exclusive tyre supplier of FIA Formula One World Championship. The Italian tyre manufacturer and FIA prolonged their current contract for the period from 2017 to 2019. The deal was negotiated in winter – FIA and Pirelli agreed on some changes in the technical rules in cooperation with the teams. As of 2017 broader tyres will be used. Pirelli received special testing days from the international association FIA. Several new rules will come into force in 2017.
The tyre brand Vredestein will connect to Fintyre’s distribution network in Italy. According to responsible people, Vredestein will benefit from this partnership because of a broader dealer network in Italy and an exclusive distribution channel. Moreover, the soft franchising concept “Centro Sicurezza Vredestein“ is said to profit from higher availability of parts thanks to several purchasing sources.
According to the journal “Motorrad“, Metzeler and Pirelli produce the best rubbers for two-wheel enthusiast with sports ambitions. The test illustrates that the Metzeler Sportec M7 RR is a universal talent. Based on the final judgment, this balanced tyre deserves the first place without any doubts.
Continental supports the idea of locating its new headquarters at the Pferdeturm in Hanover. The company started official detailed negotiations with the city of Hanover, which meant a possible acquisition of two areas in the north and south of Hans-Böckler-Allee. The two premises have together a total size of about 37,600 square metres. In case of a location in this area they are supposed to be linked.
Shortly after the Magna Tyres Group’s launch of the new agricultural tyres for tractors, OBO Tyres announces the takeover of exclusive distribution for these tyres in the Benelux countries. The new radial Magna Tyres tractor tyres are available in 21 sizes. Furthermore, they were designed for use at 40 or 50 km/h. According to company information, Magna Tyres AG01 series stands for quality, soil protection and driving comfort.
Pneuhage Group attracted ZC Rubber as a rather capable trading partner in order to operate in European markets. During a meeting with editors of AutoRäderReifen-Gummibereifung, its President Shen Jin Rong emphasized the quality standards of the brand Westlake in the commercial vehicle segment. The Chinese tyre giant ZC Rubber has heavily been investing in the development of the new Westlake truck tyre series.
Ronal Group built a second plant in the NAFTA region in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí. The inauguration ceremony took place on 20th June 2016. According to company information, Ronal Group has been following a clear growth strategy in order to strengthen its presence in this region and to increase capacity of passenger car tyres for all automotive manufacturers in the NAFTA region.
Pirelli completes the range of its product family Cinturato: After launching the summer tyre P7, the Cinturato Winter follows, which was developed for passenger cars of the middle class. The brand, which is considered to be a dominant active player in the prestige segment and in original equipment business, hopes that it will increase its market share in the replacement market.
The new Uniwheels Plant 4 started prematurely operating in the Polish Stalowa Wola. After finishing a testing operation in May, regular moulding operations started at the beginning of June. Originally, production start was planned for August. Currently, 250 employees produce wheels via low pressure casting on the first moulding machines in the new plant, which are then finished in a nearly fully automated process. The company plans a wheel production of 500,000 units until the end of the year.