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NEWS EXTRA
Zenises is New Company for Europe
available for the car tyre segment, although Kandhari says that it was eventually also be available as a truck and bus tyre.
The new company will be headquarted in London with branch offices in Manchester, Frankfurt and Madrid.
The Al Dobowi Group, owner of the Infinity brand of truck and bus tyres and European distributor of the Westlake and Linglong brands, has announced that it has established a new company called Zenises, which will be responsible for the Group’s operations in Europe. Speaking at the recent Reifen 2014 exhibition in Essen, Germany, Harjeev Kandhari, Executive Director of the Al Dobowi Group, outlined the thinking behind the establishment of the new company. According to Kandhari, Zenises represents a fresh start in Europe for the group and a move away from the kind of corporate structure followed by many large conglomerates, who use the same business model across
Kandhari is aiming to show that there is more to the Group’s philosophy than simply making a profit.
“Zenises is reflective of our overall business philosophy,” he said in a company statement.” We don’t want to focus solely on the bottom line. Business is not about just making money in the material world. It is about how you do business and why you do business. For us the ‘how’ is determined by the ‘why’. The ‘why’ is simple – we want to build a business that our children can be proud of that supports not only our well-being but also the wider community. We don’t own the business but are merely stewards that look after the business for the next generation. The ‘how’ is also clear – we want to build strong
Harjeev Kandhari
Falken Looks to Expand through Key Dealers
Historically, the Falken brand has been more focused on car tyres than truck but thanks to the establishment of a more targeted network of key wholesaler partners, the
are being backed up by TD Tyres for the bus and coach sector and well as by our long- term partner, Philip White Tyres, who will cover the whole of Ireland.
Matthew Smith
several geographical regions. “Europe,” he said, “is the largest tyre market in the world and the most advanced and sophisticated automotive market. It is also,” he added, “an exciting and vibrant place to do business with many different cultures and languages bound by a common European thread.” Zenises, says Kandhari, is a new word that represents the ‘Genesis of Zen’. “It is the point in time when we pass from the imprisonment in delusion of the material world to the true realisation of Zen - the ultimate state of enlightenment.” By this
brands based on long-lasting relationships. We are not a transactional business that focuses only on today but on building a sustainable framework for the future. We don’t merely want to sell tyres but also want our partners to buy into our vision for the brand as a whole. Our focus is on brand lifestyle and on the different areas of charitable giving that we are involved in.”
The launch of Zenises at the Reifen show was accompanied by the launch of a new tyre brand, called simply “Z”. This new brand is initially only
company is now looking to expand its presence in the truck sector too.
The main in charge of the development of the Falken brand in the UK and Ireland is Matthew Smith, who has a number of years’ experience in the tyre industry with both Goodyear and Kumho. “We have recently expanded our UK distribution to include Treadsetters as a key distributor,” says Smith. They
“The key thing now,” he adds is to develop these relationships. As a smaller supplier in the UK, we decided the most effective use of our resources was to work with key dealers.
Falken anticipates that it will be able to back up this support with a new range of commercial vehicle tyres in 2017, although a number of new tyres were released recently, including as new mixed service pattern.
Vantra LT Wins Auto Bild Test
Hankook’s Vantra LT summer tyre for mini buses, vans and light trucks has been named as the winner of the Suto Bild Reisemobil tyre test. Compared to six other tyres for mobile homes, the Vantra LT received an “exemplary” rating and landed in first place. In particular, the Vantra LT won significant praise for its performance on wet roads, achieving the best score in the curved-aquaplaning category. The
tyres also won points on the dry track, achieving exemplary ratings in the handling, braking, rolling comfort, pass-by noise and rolling resistance categories. The Vantra LT features an optimised tread pattern that gives it more wet grip, even in cooler temperatures. Compared with the tyre’s predecessor, the Vantra LT provides up to 13% more fuel efficiency and 12% more mileage
26 Commercial Tyre Business