retread heavy commercial vehicle tyres have decreased by 8 % and new HCV tyres have increased by 2 %. ANNUAL REPORT 2015

Transcription

1 ANNUAL REPORT 2015

2 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 Autonrengasliitto ry (Tyre Specialists of Finland) was founded in 1944 as a business and labour market policy organization to further the interests of tyre vendors and retread firms. Members of the association are engaged in wholesale and retail selling of tyres, rims and accessories, tyre retread, maintenance, repair and fitting, as well as exporting and importing. 1. MEMBERSHIP By the end of the fiscal year, which is on December 31st 2015, the Association counted with 70 corporate members operating at 251 locations. Members of the Tyre Specialists of Finland represent more than 70 % of the Finnish tyre market and altogether they employ about 1,700 workers. The number of supporting members on December 31 st 2015 mounted to TYRE MARKETS There were 2.612,922 passenger cars in the country on December 31 st 2015, compared with 2.595,867 in the previous year. There were light commercial vehicles (LCV) at the end of 2015, heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) and buses. On December 31 st 2015 there were 3.028,333 vehicles altogether, which meant more than on the corresponding date the year before. Car stock (in traffic) Passenger Car LCV HCV Buses Together There were new passenger car registrations in 2015, which was about 2 % more than the year before. First registrations of LCVs were compared with in the previous year. First registrations of HCVs numbered and buses 526. First registrations of cars Passenger Car Light Commercial Vehicle Heavy Commercial Vehicle Buses Together The Association s sales statistics of 2015 indicate that the after-market of summer tyres has increased by 4 % and the sales of winter tyres decreased by 4 %. The statistics also indicate a decrease by 6 % in the sales of summer tyres for light commercial vehicles and a decrease by 4 % in the sales of winter tyres. The sales of retread heavy commercial vehicle tyres have decreased by 8 % and new HCV tyres have increased by 2 %. Statistics, based on information provided by importers and manufacturers of retreading materials, indicate that the number of car tyres retread decreased from to in The number of HCV tyres given retreads in the same period in 2015 was Retreading TYRE-RELATED RISKS During the period there was in Finland a total of fatal motor vehicle accidents caused by passenger cars and vans; of these 444 were incidents relating to the tyres of the party responsible for the accident. A total of 529 people died in tyre-related accidents and 169 were severely injured. Tyres are the most significant risk factor affecting driving properties in fatal car and van accidents. A tyrerelated risk of some kind or another has been involved in approximately 15 per cent of accidents investigated in the 2000s. During the period there have been, on average, 30 tyre-related accidents annually. Tyre-related risks observed in accident investigations are associated in over 90 per cent of incidents with poor tyres, unsuitable tyres or incorrect tyre pressure. The significance of tyres is emphasized in difficult road conditions, which shows in the risk assessments conducted by the investigation teams. Three out of four tyre-related accidents occur in snowy, icy or wet road conditions. Studded tyres in poor condition or worn tyres are the commonest tyre-related risks found in cars and vans. They represent 46.2 % of all tyre related risks. 4. TYRE PRESSURE Passenger Car Light Commercial Vehicle (pre-vulcanised) Heavy Commercial Vehicle (pre-vulcanised) Throughout the year 2015 Autonrengasliitto (The Tyre Specialists of Finland) increasingly emphasized the significance of adequate tyre pressure in terms of safety, economy and environment. In the Tyre Check Campaign 2015 tyre pressures were measured for the ninth time. In the Tyre Check 2015 tyre pressures were checked in 5 different locations from altogether cars. The checking personnel paid special attention to the pressure disparity in the tyres on the same axle. In 5.4 per cent of the cars checked a pressure disparity of at least 0.5 bars was found, while the share of noted disparity in 2014 was 8.9. per cent in a sample of cars. 26

3 Excessively low or disparate tyre pressures are risk Factors in 6-7 fatal road accidents per annum representing about 13 %. According to former surveys, one of five Finns drives on tyres with a pressure deficiency of at least 0.5 bars. Driving on under-pressurized tyres makes the car harder to control in extreme conditions, vehicle pull increases and the tyres can get a blow-out. Tyre pressures carry considerable significance not only in terms of safety but also in terms of economy and environment. Low tyre pressure increases fuel consumption by 3 6 per cent and shortens the tyre s service life by per cent. By using the correct tyre pressures the average motorist can save at least EUR 10 per month in tyre and fuel costs. Applying the same formula, Finnish motorists would save as much as EUR 100 million annually by using correct tyre pressures. 5. WINTER TYRES IN TYRE CHECK In connection with the tyre pressure checking campaign (Tyre Check 2015) the signatories also wanted to get an idea of the frequency of winter tyres used in the early autumn. In September 2015 the checking personnel noted that winter tyres were used by 4.4 per cent of the drivers, the sample being cars. Related to the whole car stock this meant, that winter tyres were in use in about cars in autumn In 2014 the share of cars with winter tyres was the same or 5.5 per cent, in a sample of cars. Many drivers are in the habit of driving on winter tyres in the summer till the tyres are worn out although the performance of worn winter tyres (with the studs removed) in wet conditions is very modest in comparison with summer tyres. In summer 2006 the Tekniikan Maailma magazine and the testing company Test World Oy continued to carry out wet condition tests, which indicated that worn winter tyres, studded and friction tyres, with a tread depth of 5 mm were, as supposed, a lot poorer than less worn summer tyres. The test proved that old winter tyres cannot be used safely even in summertime. The wet conditions test revealed that in order to avoid aquaplaning you should, if driving on poor winter tyres, drive at a 30 km/h slower speed than with new summer tyres. Breaking on a wet road surface the speed of a car with winter tyres is still 40 km/h at a spot where a car with good summer tyres would stop completely. A winter tyre, the tread depth of which was 5 mm, was as bad as a totally worn out summer tyre with a tread depth of 1, 6 mm. 6. THE TYRE CHECK 2015 The Tyre Check 2015 safety campaign was carried out on the same basis as in the previous years. The Police, Liikenneturva (the Central Organisation for Traffic Safety in Finland) and Autonrengasliitto (The Tyre Specialists of Finland) were once again, for the 19 th time, gathered for a common cause to promote use of appropriate tyres against aquaplaning. The Tyre Check 2015 was arranged mainly as an information campaign, which meant that no extensive raids or tyre pressure checks were arranged on the roads. Furthermore no data was sampled for the Summer Tyre Survey this year. Publicity was gained by an active media campaign launched by the signatories on local as well as national level. In order to support the media campaign the parties arranged a dozen Tyre Checks on demonstration basis in different parts of the country. In the campaign drivers were recommended to keep an eye on the tread depth of their tyres in compliance to the theme Check your tyres in time. The theme emphasizes the drivers own responsibility in a positive way. The core of the Tyre Check 2015 safety campaign consisted of handing out the results of the summer tyre check 2014, the results of the wet conditions tests arranged by Tekniikan Maailma in 2005 and 2006, a comparison of the area of contact between tyre and road, as shown in the poster Can you trust your paws?, a poster with the big question : Are your tyres appropriate for the road conditions? and the results of an analyse of tyre-related risks in the 2000 s in passenger cars and vans, and finally a campaign folder titled Check your tyres in time. The main objective of the campaign was to remind drivers of the importance of safety in wet autumn conditions, to activate drivers to pay attention to the condition of their tyres and to encourage them to use safer tyres appropriate for the prevailing road conditions. The main messages of the safety campaign: observe the recommendation for tyre thread depths: at least 4 mm in wet conditions use appropriate tyres for the prevailing road conditions check the air pressure of your car tyres at least once a month remember that not even the best of tyres are of any help if the driver takes too many risks hand over your discarded tyres for recycling at no cost The "Tyre Check 2015" safety campaign consisted of a series of top level operations with a centralised administration as well as a number of local activities administered by the member companies in different locations. The top level operations consisted of contacts with national key media and the most significant co-operation quarters, a national press conference in Helsinki on September 7, and an extensive production and distribution of a large campaign material. 27

4 The local activities covered contacts with the local Police and the local offices of the Central Organisation for Traffic Safety. Recruiting and training of staff, arranging the raids, the contacts with the local press and radio, the local press conferences and applying for local support from the Central Organisation for Traffic Safety also were carried out at local level. Informative tyre inspections were arranged on the Finnish roads in on 5 locations. The raids were supervised by the Police and Autonrengasliitto (The Tyre Specialists of Finland). Autonrengasliitto's tyre doctors in white was dispensing information on tyre safety to the motorists. The local activities were administered by a local organisation temporarily set up for this purpose. The country was divided into 12 regions, which each had a campaign manager. Each regional campaign manager appointed a "Raid Chief" and a "Media Chief" responsible of the local arrangements. Often the Raid Chief and the Media Chief was one and the same person. Altogether 54 Raid Chiefs and Media Chiefs participated in the events. Representatives of the member companies who took part in the checks were uniformly dressed in white disposable overalls and "Tyre Check" caps. Member company representatives acted as representatives of the association. The inspection consisted of checking the condition of tyres, logging the information in a research form, dispensing information on tyres to motorists and handing out campaign material. The media results of the Tyre Check 2015 Once again the campaign was a great success. There was an enormous media publicity surrounding the campaign with spots on national TV and radio networks as well as the local press and radio stations nationwide. The follow up of media indicates that the safety campaign and the summer tyre inspections were noted by the main TV channels 22 times, appearance time altogether 11 minutes and 57 seconds, by the bigger newspapers and regional papers in altogether 108 articles followed by a considerable amount of photos of tyres and snapshots of different tyre checking situations. The distribution of printed media was copies. The overall distribution numbers for the newspapers that has treated the campaign in the period was over 153 Million, the total number of articles mounting to In the corresponding period the total time of television transmission was about 7 hours SUMMER TYRE SURVEY 2014 In their work around the Tyre Check Safety Campaign 2015 media focused on the results of the Summer Tyre Survey published on During the Tyre Check Information Campaign 2015 no data was collected for the Summer Tyre Survey, which meant that the results of the Tyre Checks between 7 and 11 September 2015 were not added to the Summer Tyre Survey itself but were published in the follow-up press release on In the Tyre Check 2015 summer tyres were inspected on cars. In the Summer Tyre Survey 2014 summer tyres were inspected on as many as passenger cars and LCVs at 56 localities around Finland. About 200 tyre doctors from member companies assisted in the checks. In the period about cars and about tyres have been checked. The main objectives of the Summer Tyre Survey have been to collect information on the condition of summer tyres and the motorists' tyre awareness to collect research material as basis for communication programs to promote tyre safety to follow up the development of summer tyre condition In the survey summer tyres are divided into three categories of condition depending on the depth of tread: good (5 mm or more), satisfactory (3-4 mm) and poor (2 mm or less). Cars were rated according to the condition of their worst worn out tyre. Motorists tyre awareness was measured by asking them to estimate the condition of their most badly worn tyre. The Summer Tyre Survey 2014 Decrease in the number of cars with poor tyres The results are analyzed on basis of the worst worn tyre in the car. A summer tyre with a tread depth of 0-2 mm is classified as poor. In the autumn 2014 the share of cars with poor tyres was 15.3 per cent in comparison with the beginning of the follow-up period, when every fourth (24.4 %) motorist was driving on poor summer tyres. Compared to the whole automobile park in Finland the number of cars with poor tyres was about Cars in accordance with the safety regulations The law requires a tread depth of at least 1.6 mm but of safety reasons a 4 mm tread depth is recommended. In the autumn per cent of the motorists drove with tyres according to the recommendation, while the corresponding share in the beginning of the follow-up was 54.5 per cent. The development of tread depths The tread depths of summer tyres have clearly grown In the autumn 2014 the average tread depth of all checked tyres was 4.81 mm that is about 10 % more than in the beginning of the follow-up. The improvement of the most worn tyre is as good as 0.37 mm. In the autumn 2014 the tread depth of the most worn tyre was on average 4.27 mm.

5 Drivers estimations of their tyre condition Drivers were asked to give an estimation of the condition of their tyres using a scale from poor (0-2 mm), satisfactory (3-4 mm) to good (at least 5 mm). In the autumn per cent of the drivers gave a correct estimation of the tyre condition category. Awareness of tyre condition has slightly improved since the first checks because in 1997 only 56.4 per cent of the drivers were able to give correct estimations. 8. SALES STATISTICS The association s sales statistics have been published once a month. The statistics are compiled on information from 14 member companies, which are representing 186 of 251 member outlets. The number of product groups is 8. The coverage of the sales statistics is statistically quite remarkable. The association publishes each month's statistics in its own circular series. SALES STATISTICS The product groups Change in % Passenger Car Summertyres 4 % 2. Passenger Car Wintertyres - 4 % 3. Light Commercial Car Summertyres - 6 % 4. Light Commercial Car Wintertyres - 4 % 5. New Heavy Commercial Vehicle Tyres 2 % 6. Retreaded Heavy Commercial Vehicle Tyres (client retreading and retreading on own casings) 9. TYRE RECYCLING The systematic recycling of used vehicle tyres in Finland started in The main actors of the tyre branch set up the Finnish Tyre Recycling Ltd on October 31 st 1995 to take responsibility for used tyres. The company s main task is to bring discarded tyres into reuse. Owners of the company are ARL-palvelu Oy (owner: the Association of Tyres Specialists of Finland), Bridgestone Finland Oy, Continental Rengas Oy, Goodyear Dunlop Tires Finland Oy, Nokian Tyres Plc and Oy Suomen Michelin Ab. Within the recycling program of the Finnish Tyre Recycling Ltd tons of discarded tyres were collected in tons were sent for retreading, tons were used in civil engineering works and tons were delivered to energy production in By the end of 2015 Finnish Tyre Recycling Ltd had received ( ) tonnes of used tyres in total. - 8 % 7. Agricultural machinery tyres -3 % 8. Special rims 1 % 10. THE AGEING OF TYRES Over the years the tyre branch has made up a joint opinion of the ageing of tyres, as follows: An unused tyre maintains its original technical properties for as many as five years when stored in the right way. A tyre starts ageing after it has been taken into use. Age recommendations: Total age of tyres; Recommendation is 10 years max. The total age of a tyre = the tyre s technical age from the production date, which is marked on the side of the tyre in a four digit code in connection with the DOT designation; according to international practice, the total age of a tyre should not exceed 10 years. A tyre s service life; Recommendation is 6 years max. A tyre s service life = the tyre s age from the date of being taken into use; it is difficult to determine a maximum service life for a tyre, as the wear and tear, as well as ageing, depend on several factors; in accordance with international practice, a tyre should not be used for longer than six years; however, tyres normally wear out significantly faster than that. Tyres sold as new; Recommendation is 5 years max. Tyres as old as five years can be sold as new, as tyres maintain their original technical properties for as long as five years when stored correctly; in accordance with good business practice, a customer should be informed about the production date of the tyres if the tyres are over three years old. 11. TYRE SAFETY CARD The system of licensing safety cards for tyre mechanics is the first branch specific safety card system in Finland. The main objectives of the tyre card training are: to increase awareness of risks and responsibilities within the branch, to give guidelines for analysing your own work or working methods, to show safe working methods when handling tyres and rims and to teach safe methods when working with tyre pressure and to instruct workers to take appropriate safety measures at the working site. After having passed the tyre safety exam the tyre worker will be licensed with a personal tyre safety card. By the end of December 31 st 2015, persons have taken the exam and are thus Tyre Safety Card holders. 29