Page 11 - CTB n4 - 2013/4

COMPANY NEWS
Bandag Takes on Northern Ireland Franchisee
Bridgestone has announced that Portadown based retreader Adco has joined the Bandag network. The company, one of Northern Ireland’s most respected retreaders elected to work with Bandag following a recent management buyout.
Bridgestone’s retread development manager Terry Salter said that an approach of an alliance, working in partnership in the market with Bandag provided a sustainable mid- term and long term solution for Adco.
He said: “Adco is keen to embrace the Bandag brand and will rebrand its website, vehicles and signage as a
Continental to
result. We are delighted to be embarking on a new relationship with the business which will benefit from the strength of our national proposition. This new signing is also strategically important for us in giving a franchise presence in Northern Ireland after an absence of more than 25 years.”
Adco is expected to see an immediate benefit in retread supply and casing management for Bridgestone fleet business in Northern Ireland, specifically the Ulster Bus contract.
Salter added: “We are passionate in maintaining quality standards with a
commitment to install Bandag 7400U Shearography and Adco will play a pivotal role in this. We expect initial retread volumes to hit the
5,500 mark per year with a growth ambition to 8000 per year within the first franchise term.”
Eurotreads 93 Complete Relocation
UK based Bandag retreader Eurotreads 93 Ltd has completed its relocation from Norton Canes to expanded premises in West Bromwich. The company, which produces around 120 truck retreads per week has also invested in a new
autoclave. According to Managing Director Steve Smith, the majority of the staff have relocated with Eurotreads, which is now looking to invest further in a shearography machine to help fuel the company’s further expansion.
Supply Bus Tyres
to DB Group
For the first time, Deutsche Bahn (DB) has grouped together the bus tyre requirements of its subsidiaries DB Regio and DB Arriva Group in various European countries and awarded the contract as part of an EU tender. Offering a cost-effective, customer- oriented package, Continental was able to win the contract for orders of approximately four million euros. The decision in favour of Continental was also heavily influenced by the central key account team that will support the individual DB Regio bus companies locally in Germany and the DB Arriva Group in Italy, Portugal, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.
Buses operating regional services will be supplied with the Conti CityPlus HA3, 295/80 R 22.5 and the Conti Coach HA3 in sizes 295/80 R 22.5 and 315/80 R 22, which were developed specifically for this type of use. Buses on local city routes will be equipped with a full set of the Conti Urban HA3 with reinforced sidewalls in sizes 275/70 R 22.5.
The DB Regio bus fleet comprises nearly 5,000 of its own buses in a network of 22 bus companies and more than 70 shares in transport companies and alliances in Germany. In 2012, it carried around 750 million passengers and covered over 600 million kilometres. DB Arriva is Deutsche Bahn's subsidiary for regional transport outside Germany, offering rail and bus services in 15 European countries. With over 46,000 employees and a turnover of 3.75 billion euros (2012), it is one of the leading providers of regional transport in Europe. DB Arriva is divided into the three divisions UK Bus, UK Trains, and Mainland Europe.