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All-season tyres are a highly discussed topic in the industry – each relevant manufacturer reacted to the demand in the market and added a tread to the portfolio in the meantime. In the framework of its Winter Tyre Test units, ADAC also tested seven all-season products. The result is devastating. Concerning the seasonal experts, the Goodyear UltraGrip9 stands out in the small and compact class.
After Hamaton founded a subsidiary in Europe last year, the manufacturer of TPMS and valves is opening a further one in America. It is planned that Hamaton Incorporated is going to open in November this year. According to company information, the opening of Hamaton Inc. is aiming at meeting the increased demand for TPMS products in the United States.
The German manufacturer of light metal wheels, Uniwheels, which is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, presented its Strategy 2022. ATS, Rial, Alutec and Anzio are well-known group brands. At the moment, the group disposes of four production plants, of which three are based in Poland (Stalowa Wola) and one in Germany (Werdohl). Uniwheels supplies the international automotive industry (Automotive Segment), the replacement market (Accessory Segment) and international motorsports as manufacturer of light metal wheels.
In the framework of an international product event, General Tire presented two new all-terrain tyres for on- and off-road use in Valencia/Spain: the Grabber X3 and the Grabber AT3. The Grabber AT3 will be available in trade in IV/2016 and I/2017 and the Grabber X3 in I/2017 and II/2017. The Grabber X3 is planned in 19 sizes for rims from 15 to 19 inches, the Grabber AT3 in 64 sizes for rims from 15 to 20 inches.
Continental is taking over Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. The company based in Lakeville/Indiana in the USA produces special tyres for racing application. “This take-over is an impressive example of the consistent implementation of our long-term growth strategy Vision 2025 with focus on strategic planning and consistent implementation of technological innovations. The take-over of Hoosier Racing Tire is a promising addition to our product portfolio and will support our growth strategy, above all in the ultra high performance segment“, said Nikolai Setzer, member of the Board of Directors at Continental AG and Head of the Tyre Division.
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.
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.