# Earlier NTDA Service Bulletins and the latest TWG Newsletter have dealt with the subject of repairing runflat Self-Supporting Tyres (SSTs). The views of a number of tyre manufacturers and carmakers were sought and it is fair to say that there was no general consensus as to whether these repairs could - or should be carried out.
One thing on which everyone agreed however, was that, should a tyre depot decide to repair a SST, then the responsibility fell squarely on their shoulders. It's not that repairs are inherently unsafe - after all, repairs on non-runflat tyres are carried out each day - it is that the construction of SSTs makes it difficult to identify any possible secondary damage.
Bearing in mind that the buck stops with the tyre dealer, many retailers have adopted a blanket "we don't repair runflats" policy. However, not all retailers think this way and there are runflat repair kits available on the market.
Our thanks to the NTDA for providing this Bulletin.

The Board of Directors of Apollo Tyres Ltd has approved the company's unaudited results for the 1st quarter of the financial year 2010-11. Earlier, at the 37th Annual General Meeting, shareholders approved the highest ever annual dividend payout of 75% per share in the history of the company, for the year ended March 31, 2010.
Apollo Tyres Ltd's consolidated revenue for the 1st quarter — taking into account Apollo Tyres' Indian and International Operations — grew 11% to reach a net sales of Rs 18.2 billion up from the previous year's Rs 16.3 billion.
Earlier in the day, in his address to shareholders at the company's 37th AGM, Apollo's Chairman Onkar S Kanwar, highlighted the concerns arising out of the spiraling cost of natural rubber prices. Commenting on the results, Onkar S Kanwar said: "This quarter's results reflect the pressures on the bottomline due to an abnormal rise in the price of natural rubber. In April 2009, it was Rs 70/kg. When we closed the year in March 2010, it had doubled to Rs 145/kg. Four months later in July, the average price is Rs 180/kg — and rising. I do not see relief in the immediate future since while international prices have been falling since April, domestic prices have continued to rise."

A combination of factors has seen Hankook increase its presence in the UK and it continues building on these firm foundations for the future. Hankook says the growth and success in the UK has been well planned in all sectors of the market from increasing OE work for a wide range of manufacturers to car and truck tyre sales through the loyal and established network of independent dealers who are well placed to help Hankook increase its market share.
Crucial to recent success and ability to cope with increased demand has been the opening of Hankook's factory in Hungary in 2007 and its capacity is set to be boosted still further to 10 million tyres a year with a new phase of development due to open next year.

Aston Martin has selected Bridgestone as tyre partner for the marque's first production four-door sports car, the Rapide. Bridgestone's newly developed flagship UHP tyre, the Potenza S001, has been fitted to the Rapide as standard equipment since its launch in April 2010.
Bridgestone proposed the new-generation Potenza S001 to Aston Martin because of the tyre's remarkable response and precision, combined with high-level wet stability.
The 20" tyres on the Rapide were specifically developed with a higher sidewall to help dial out vibration and contribute to a quieter cabin. The Bridgestone / Aston Martin partnership started in the early 1990's with the DB7. Since then Potenza RE050 tyres have been standard factory fitment on the DB9 and V8 Vantage models.

More than £1,300 has been raised for charity by attendees at the first TRA sponsored tyre industry dinner. The money, which was generated through a raffle and blind auction, will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support, helping to improve the lives of those affected by cancer.
"We are delighted to have raised funds supporting such a worthy cause as Macmillan," comments Peter Taylor OBE, secretary general of the Tyre Recovery Association. "In such a difficult economic climate, I would like to thank everyone who attended the evening for their generosity and support."

Tyre Shopper, the UK's number one online tyre retailer, has been recognised as one of the top ten most popular websites in its category in the UK Online Performance Awards 2009.
The UK Online Performance Awards from Experian Hitwise celebrate the most successful UK websites across 60 key industries, based on market share of UK visits received throughout 2009. Hitwise monitors the Internet usage of over eight million online consumers in the UK to gather this information.

Over 10 MILLION motorists have suffered car damage because of potholes, with an average cost of £121 per driver - this adds up to a staggering cost to the nation of over £1.2 BILLION to fix the damage to their vehicles.
The survey, commissioned by Continental Tyres, revealed that one in five drivers have reported a pothole to their local authority, but over half of these said their council had not done anything to fix them.
The research also revealed not only the cost to motorists because of potholes, but also the danger - with over 2 million drivers reporting a near miss with another vehicle or pedestrian due to either hitting a pothole or swerving to avoid one.
One in six report tyre damage caused by potholes - itself a greater risk to road safety.

Encouraging Women into Management Positions. It has been just three months since the Equality Act gained royal assent and already one company in a male dominated sector is encouraging women into management positions.
North Eastern Tyre and Exhausts (NETE) has been quick to buck the traditional stereotypes of a male dominated industry and has welcomed a number of women into its senior management team.
According to the Office for National Statistics, women are ten times less likely than men to be employed in skilled trades, such as mechanical engineering and are also much less likely to be employed as managers and senior officials. This figure is considerably less in the motoring industry. The Equality Bill aims to tackle these issues through legislation and with the introduction of gender pay reports; for instance, it actively outlaws sexual discrimination in the workplace.

Cam Systems, a leading provider of software products and services to the independent tyre industry in the UK, is launching a new application suite which aims to offer a transformational solution for the challenging commercial environment. The UniSerV(tm) application suite includes features such as call logging and customer policy and contract management, interactive mapping, fleet inspection, fleet management and e-Pen technology for breakdown forms. It also integrates seamlessly into the 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.
In addition, the company is in the process of building integrated Casing Management as well as third party integration links (a module known as 3PIe) between UniSerV(tm) users and external operators so that both parties can share electronic breakdown form details and data. This will enable all parties in the process to reduce paperwork and processing costs.

More than 200 UK motorists have declared Lenny Kravitz's Are You Gonna Go My Way as the best driving anthem of all time, the HiQ fast fit network can reveal.
HiQ commissioned a survey to discover which track is the most enjoyable to listen to in the car, and the American rocker has made a surprise entry at number one.
In a top 5 dominated by rock and indie related artists, Frankie Goes to Hollywood (Two Tribes) is second in the chart, with Queen (One Vision) third, Stereophonics fourth (Bartender and the Thief) and the Manic Street Preachers fifth (Design for Life)
HiQ's marketing manager Geraldine McGovern said that the survey was the network's latest way of engaging with motorists, as the brand regularly spoke to them about a number of issues, including customer satisfaction and overall perceptions of the fast fit industry.
She said: "We didn't know what to expect when we put the question to drivers. We had a lot of different suggestions, which we are well used to.
"If I said I had heard of all of the entries I would be lying, and while we appreciate the contagious riff and all showmanship in Lenny Kravitz' iconic track, we thought Queen's Don't Stop Me Now might have been in with a shout!
"We also hope that some recognition for Reef's seminal 90s hit might propel them back into the limelight in the process!"
Geraldine added: "Participating centres are all offering free vehicle health checks to ensure that cars are in good, safe working order. "These eight-point checks are offered free of charge in an attempt to assist motorists wherever possible."

Pro-Align are delighted at being nominated, once again for the NTDA's TAFF Awards Tyre & Aftermarket Equipment Supplier of the year. "It is truly fantastic to be recognised by the nations tyre and fast fit business for the specialist equipment and service we provide," confirms Pro-Aligns Kathryn Beaurain.
"We believe this recognition and our success is due to us being passionate about four wheel alignment, not just in the supply of equipment, but in and improving alignment standards for everyone nationwide.
"Which ever way the voting goes, we are pleased to have reached the nomination stage, a true achievement against some strong competition and proof that Pro-Align are obviously making their mark on the industry."

Maxxis is in the running for a major industry honour after being nominated for a prestigious Tyre and Fast Fit (TAFF) Award. The Awards are presented annually by the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA), which has been representing the interests of tyre retailers since 1930, and are firmly established as the trade's top accolades.
Maxxis is up against Bridgestone, Goodyear, Michelin and last year's winner Continental in the Industry Advertising Campaign category. The company has been recognised for a raft of activities that have captured the interest of the trade over the past 12 months, including the Maxxis 100% advertising campaign, the national Maxxis Rewards promotion, the launch of the Maxxis Babes website and its wide ranging sports sponsorship.
The Maxxis 100% campaign is a global marketing initiative designed to convey the concept of the Maxxis Triple 3 System: 100% Service, 100% Quality and 100% Trust.

• Sales up 15% from last year on 10% unit growth, improved price/mix •Tyre sales increase in all 4 business units reflecting global recovery • Segment Operating Income up $195 million from last year, Net Income up $249 million • North American Tire's Segment Operating Income up more than $100 million •Year-to-date cost savings exceed $280 million.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has reported improved tyre unit volumes, higher sales and a net profit in the second quarter of 2010. "We are very pleased with our strong performance in the second quarter and first half of the year," said Richard J. Kramer, president and chief executive officer. "Our businesses continue to perform better than a year ago as they capture the benefits of recovering industry demand, strong new product performance and solid productivity improvements. We are clearly on the right path as our strategies position us to grow profitably as markets continue to improve."
Kramer noted that improved results in the company's North American Tyre business unit made a significant contribution to Goodyear's second quarter success. "These results are further evidence of the effectiveness of our strategy to drive innovation, improved mix and operational efficiency in the business," he said.

First Stop is out on the road throughout August with its Tyre Safety Inspection Roadshow. The roadshow is running at supermarkets and retail parks in seven locations across the UK, and will be taking the tyre safety message out to drivers who will also have the opportunity to enjoy some Formula 1 fun on the stand.
First Stop experts will be on hand to check tyres for tread depth and any damage, giving customers a free Tyre Safety Check document to indicate the condition of each of the tyres on the vehicle and offering advice on day to day tyre maintenance.
"Checking your tyres should be an essential part of weekly car maintenance, but many drivers simply don't bother risking fines, accidents and running up extra fuel costs," said Dan Woodward, Retail Marketing Analyst at First Stop. "As well as checking tyres for drivers, we'll be showing them how easy it is to do it themselves regularly and educating them about the risks of under-inflated or worn tyres."
The First Stop Tyre Safety Inspection Roadshow is running between 10-4pm in seven locations across the country throughout August.

Branches of First Stop involved in the tour include:

Tyretread

Canterbury

3-4 August

Freeway Tyres

Tunbridge Wells

5-6 August

Kingsway

Boston

10-11 August

TW Tyres

Rugby

12-13 August

Tanvic Tyres

Lincoln

17-18 August

Eden Tyres

Nottingham

19-20 August

LTC

Great Bridge

26-27 August

Kwik-Fit has appointed Peter Lambert as the new Sales Director for Kwik Fit Fleet, effective 2 August. He succeeds Mike Wise who has decided to explore other opportunities.
Peter Lambert has experience in the UK motor industry spanning 25 years and during this time he has held a variety of roles with Ford, Toyota and DaimlerChrysler. At DaimlerChrysler he was Sales and Marketing Director for Mercedes-Benz Vans and Managing Director of Chrysler UK.
Reporting directly to Kwik-Fit Group Chief Executive Ian Fraser, the focus of the role will be to build on Kwik-Fit Fleet's traditional tyre business through further expanding its Service, MOT and Repair sales, reflecting the strategy that has been successfully rolled out within its retail operation.

Pirelli has expressed concern following incorrect information published in the press this week indicating there are 23 redundancies to be made as a result of the planned sale of its CPK business to Stapleton's (Tyre Services) Limited.
A spokesperson said, “The recently published information in respect of the sale of the CPK business is misleading and untrue. There are indeed 23 affected employees who have a legal right to transfer to STS. However, 12 of these work in the field and would not have to consider relocating to other parts of the country. Only the Burton Head Office employees have to make that choice, and indeed there is the possibility some of these may be asked to work for STS not out of Letchworth as previously reported, but out of a Birmingham base currently being considered by STS. It is regrettable that information has been incorrectly published in the press which was not confirmed by the Company, as this has caused unnecessary discomfort to our employees at this sensitive time.”

Independent tyre retailers will be the focus of a membership recruitment drive by the Point S (UK) buying and marketing group at this October's Brityrex International show in Manchester.
Point S (UK) is the recently announced alliance between the powerful French Point S group and UK Tyres, the network of 13 independent retailers which has signed up to become the British arm of Point S.
Point S currently operates in 20 European countries and has more than 1,900 independently owned tyre retail outlets in membership and sales of over 11 million tyres per year.
“The Point S offer is highly attractive to independent tyre retailers as it gives them the benefits of enormous buying power and national marketing strength without having to compromise the independence which is their greatest strength,” says Charles Sunderland, co-director of UK Tyres and one of the negotiating team that reached the agreement with Point S Development.
UK Tyres currently has 13 member companies with a combined total of 56 retail outlets but Sunderland is confident that figure will grow quickly towards the 100 member companies targeted over the next 12 months.

Tyre retailers and garages have received an overwhelming plea for their support in helping to eradicate illegal tyre collection and disposal activities which cost the environment, society and legitimate businesses significant sums every year. The appeal came at the Tyre Recovery Association's (TRA) annual forum day, where more than 65 attendees heard a wide range of presentations from different areas of the industry and discussed ways to improve recycling rates even further and abolish illegal activities.  
“This year's forum proved to be a great success which we hope will act as a catalyst to generate even greater support from within the industry,” comments Peter Taylor OBE, Secretary General of the Tyre Recovery Association. “A number of very positive ideas and suggestions were shared which could help the industry significantly. One of the major areas of common consensus was in the support that our retail colleagues can provide. Many felt that retailers should become more aware about their duty of care obligations. This could be achieved in a number of ways such as checking that their collector is registered with the Responsible Recycler Scheme. This type of simple action would help to significantly reduce the number of tyres which continue to be illegally stored, dumped or exported.”  
The Responsible Recycler Scheme (RRS) is the UK tyre industry's tyre recovery programme. It is the largest voluntary tyre recovery programme in Europe and currently handles some 45 million used tyres every year. Under the scheme tyres are stored, collected, recycled or reprocessed in line with all UK and UE legislations. Independent audits and full traceability means that tyres handled by RRS member companies can be tracked throughout the disposal chain.

Working with the tyre recovery industry to increase intelligence on illegal operators the EA has identified this as a key priority. Said the EA, “We are working to tackle the several hundred thousands of scrap tyres we believe are dealt with outside the law every year. It's a much, much bigger problem than we initially thought.”
Speaking at the Tyre Recovery Association's Forum Day, held in Solihull last week, Phil Gibbon, project manager for the Agency's national enforcement service, called on the legitimate tyre recovery sector to help address the issue by providing information which would allow the Agency to secure 'big hits' against those making 'big money' from illegal tyre operations.
Said Phil Gibbon, “The Agency is particularly concerned about the 'huge emerging trend' of tyres (tyre bales) being exported to markets such as Vietnam and Hong Kong.” Gibbon revealed that the Agency has already prevented the export of 300 containers of tyres so far in 2010 and currently had four major investigations ongoing into tyre exports.
The cost to the Agency or repatriating these containers of waste tyres was £30,000 a container. The Agency, he said, would seek to recover these costs from those involved in the illegal export activity.