1,000,000 Giant Tyres Needed This Year
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WHEN members of the National Tyre Distributors' Association met at Harrogate last week for their second convention, there were lively discussions on the new plan for tyre sales, drawn up by the Tyre Trade Joint Committee, and in the chief address it was made clear that absolute freedom of choice for the user would continue. Further discussions dealt with the trend of tyre development, particular interest being shown in the progress of the metallic casing, whilst the effects of nationalization were also the subject of critical comment.
AT the time the N.T.D.A. officials asked him to speak on the plan produced by the T.T.J.C., which was to come into operation on June 1, they must have realized that it was the trade's most controversial subject, said Mr. A. S. Bishop, chairman of the Tyre Trade Joint Committee, and sales director of Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd.
When such plans were first discussed, in 1943, tyre traders had been reduced in number from 25,000 to 1,500 or so. They were all fully engaged in assisting to prosecute the war, but, nevertheless, the manufacturers decided to prepare a post-war scheme, surely one of the most far-sighted actions taken by any industry.
Undesirable Practices There were many undesirable practices in distribution before the war, and it was felt essential that they should not be allowed to reappear when tyre control was discontinued. Obviously, the trade was anxious to avoid continuance of Government cohtrol, and they thought the best way was to put their house in order in good time. Any policy must provide the opportunity for each manufacturer to obtain a basic share of the market, as well as the chance to increase his share, if he could, within the framework of that policy. '
Thus came about the Qualifying Stock Order which the dealer had to make. Whilst the smaller tyre manufacturers were rather more interested in the volume of Q.S. orders they could obtain, the large manufacturers were concerned with the amount left after such orders had been absorbed. In 1948, the replacement market Was 3,226,000 car tyres and 1,427,000 giants. If all the Q.S. orders which tyre distributors had to make were delivered, there was still between 70 and 80 per cent. of the market left, for which the trade could compete with any make of tyre.
After discussing the matter of commercial users' terms with the R.H.A. and other organizations, the manufacturers had decided that the best scheme was for a common rebate paid by the Tyre Manufacturers' Conference. Mr. Bishop said that he believed that this c8 problem of commercial users' terms had been solved more satisfactorily than by any other industry. In the year to May 31, 1948, business in this class amounted to about £5,627,200, with an average rebate of 9 per cent. If the mileage business, which was in the hands of manufacturers, was ignored, the amount of rebate paid would represent less than 2 per cent. on total replacement business.
However, recent developments in the road haulage industry offered a threat of the gravest nature to every trader enjoying a share of the large-user business. A buyers' market in tyres developed last January, and the outlook for 1949 was that the replacement market would be in the neighbourhood of 1,500,000 car tyres and 1,000,000 giant tyres.
Commercial vehicle registrations had consistently increased and were now 76 per cent. above 1939. Fortunately, the operations of this class were not restricted by petrol supplies in the same way as private cars.
In this age, said Mr. Bishop, the middleman was under constant fire from the political angle, so that he must ensure that his service was efficient and economical, providing an indispensable link between manufacturer and consumer.
THE giant tyre had brought the greater problems in tyre development, said Mr. W. R. Good,
M.I.Mech.E., "commercial manager of the Michelin Tyre Co., Ltd. Many of the developments in the industry had preceded and made possible advances in automobile construction, bringing about lighter weight, higher speeds and reduced maintenance costs.
The primary function of the tyre was to give protection, and that was related to the extent of its deflection. The trend of development had been in the direction of reduced pressures with increased deflections, and with this had come greater widths in relation to the circumference. An important point to bear in mind in this connection was that the rear tyres were working at the same b.h.p. as the engine. Tread development was not mere fashion, for they had to vary with the changing coefficient of friction that resulted from altered weights of the vehicles.
220 Degrees Generated The great problem, especially with giants, was that of heat generation, a temperature of 220 degrees F. often being reached. Synthetic rubber tyres reached even higher temperatures. On a 34 by 7 truck tyre, running at 30 m.p.h., each part of the casing and tread flexed five times per second so that heat was quickly generated, mainly as a result of inter-ply friction. To deal with this situation rayon, of the same intrinsic strength, was introduced, and this lost less of its tensile strength than cotton at high temperatures.
The next change, now in progress, was the use of steel. A number of British manufacturers was working with this material, as were some Americans, And it made possible the employment of a casing of two,or four plies instead of 12 or 16, so that there was a minimum generation of heat. Such covers could be re-treaded several times as the casing did not suffer from fatigue. They were produced to meet the needs of fast road haulage.
Mr. Good thought that there would be progressive extension in the use of the metallic casings in the commercial vehicle field, but this was not necessary for cars and other light types which would probably be satisfied for a long time to come by textile casings.
Better Records Needed Even to-day, users needed to become more tyre conscious and better records should be kept. Where tyres of inadequate size were fitted, they would always result in high cost per mile operated, for the casing would fail prematurely and the tread would be working at high stresses. Those operators who fitted adequate tyres, but neglected them, lost severely as a result, said the speaker, who quoted the case of a big operator who had dropped 15 per cent. on a tyre outlay of £25,000.
THE Tyre Manufacturers' Conference made its decisions in the general interests of the industry, said Mr. R. C. Hiam, sales director, Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd., Speaking at the annual dinner. If the distributors backed their tremendous buying power with the thought of the industry as a whole, they would do more than by working on unilaterial or sectional lines. Mr. Frederick A. Upperton, general sales manager, Firestone Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd., urged the need for the Association bringing in every member of the distributive side so as to prevent the business returning to the one-time chaos, and state of devil-take-thehindmost. The manufacturers welcomed the advent of the tyre specialists, and were glad to see their development.
IN rebuilding its export trade, the I motor industry had achieved a notable success, said the Earl• of Scarbrough at the second convention dinner. This was something for which the whole nation ought to thank private enterprise.
Mr. F. A. J. Harrison said that the superstructure of officials in the nationalized industries was apt to absorb the profits made by men who still had to do the practical work.
The new president of the Association, Mr. Ivor Davies, was installed at the third dinner of the Convention.