2017 Summer Issue TRICO RENEWS BEAM BLADE AGREEMENT WITH KOENIGSEGG We are delighted to renew our agreement with Koenigsegg, the Swedish manufacturer of high performance sport cars, to supply OE beam blades for all their current models. The philosophy at Koenigsegg is one focused solely on performance. Every single detail of a Koenigsegg car is measured against its continuing goal: to enhance vehicle performance. This is reflected in everything they do. Nothing is insignificant. The way they choose their raw materials, staff, the setup of their facilities, their software, tools, systems and maintenance. Everything. Every aspect of the development process is focused on performance, not only in terms of power and speed, but in every deliverable. From powertrain to safety every part must enable the car to deliver the best possible performance. Our Product and Brand Manager, Sam Robinson said: TRICO has built its strong reputation by combining an obsession with product performance and customer service with the ability to deliver on our commitment to quality. Our defect rate of less than 20 per million units puts us at the forefront in the industry. SUCCESS AT A1 TRADE SHOW We enjoyed a bustling A1 Trade Show engaging with the A1 members and talking to them about how they can help to grow their wiper blade sales and turnover in 2017. The Spring A1 Trade Show was held earlier this year at Sketchley Grange Hotel, Hinckley, with over 250 delegates including both members and suppliers attending. Sam Robinson said, The Trade Show was an absolute pleasure to attend. Our relationship with A1 continues to grow from strength to strength and that s in no small part due to events like these, where we can better understand individual members needs and work with them to improve their product offering, range coverage, POS and ultimately their sales. Page 1
Trico Exact Fit Blades awarded FOUR Blade Test STAR. in recent Auto Express Wiper We are delighted with the results following the recent Best wiper blades: 2017 group test, in which the TRICO Exact Fit range was rated four stars out of five. Auto Exress is the UK s leading title for car news and reviews, online and in print. It is the PPA consumer Media Brand of the Year, reflecting its commitment to excellence on all platforms. The weekly magazine sells more copies every year than any other automotive title. Auto Express tested nine sets of wiper blades and key benchmarks were: a clean wipe that did not leave smears, quietest designs on a dry screen, good clear instructions which are essential for simple fitting, and the price. Auto Express reported: A very impressive debut for TRICO s Exact Fit. The blade performs exactly as the name suggests it was the easiest on test to install. There are no added adaptors, and the blade simply clicks into place with ease. The jointless structure gives the Exact Fit a good balanced wipe. Page 2
TRICO Launches Own Beer! To celebrate 100 years of leading the market, we will be releasing our own brand beer named Brew 17. With a number of new products being introduced to celebrate the company s centenary year, the specially brewed beer, which can be widely considered as an aftermarket first for the industry, demonstrates how we continue to break the mould for innovative ideas and initiatives. To coincide with our renewed sponsorship of Redditch United, this unique beer will be launched exclusively on Tuesday 26th September at the TRICO stadium, where the Worcestershire-based club hosts Slough Town in the Evo-Stik League South fixture. A percentage of the profits from sales at Redditch will be going to the local Community Trust who engage with the Redditch community and deliver on outcomes combating antisocial behavior and crime, as well as working with underprivileged children, reducing health inequalities and providing education to help support employability. With an ABV of 4.0%, the beer is a light golden ale that, just like your vision with TRICO wiper blades, is crystal clear. The bottle itself proudly bears the TRICO name incorporated into a striking gold-label that commemorates a century of delivering the best products to its customers all over the world. Our Product and Brand Manager Sam Robinson said: This is an exciting time for TRICO as we launch this special, one-of-a-kind beer. The company has come a long way from its humble beginnings in Buffalo, New York and we are very proud of our history and tradition in the industry. Brew 17 is a great way for TRICO to celebrate this landmark and I hope it will be a success with not only the supporters at the match but also those who are lucky enough to get their hands on a bottle through one of the many promotions and giveaways we ve got planned watch this space! A Redditch United victory on launch day would of course help round off the celebrations in style! Page 3
New Blades for Summer! With summer here, drivers must prepare for a shift in weather and road conditions. This is when driver visibility is critical, and vehicles need to be equipped with highly functional and effective wiper blades. We have introduced additional new rear and hybrid blades to reinforce the comprehensive Exact Fit programme, which offers long-lasting performance, ensuring motorists are comfortable and can see clearly out of their windscreens. The TRICO Exact Fit programme is continually being updated and developed to offer coverage of the very latest vehicle applications, allowing retailers and garages to service 99% of all vehicle applications directly from stock. Our brand new wiper blade references cover various applications and include the brand new 19mm Push Button FZ connection system. Part of the complete Trico Exact Fit range, the new FZ connection is unique to applications such as the Lexus NX 2014 onwards, Toyota Mirai 2015 onwards, Toyota Prius 2016 onwards and Land Rover Discovery/Range Rover/ Range Rover Sport 2017 onwards. 19mm FZ adapter: Trico Assists Technicians with YouTube fitting videos. We have uploaded a number of useful stepby-step fitting videos for technicians on our own YouTube channel. With nearly 60 videos and 10,000 views the channel is proving popular. The videos include common issues technicians or consumers have in fitting particular wiper blades and a 30 second video for common queries. Sam Robinson: The videos which many customers have found useful are the pinch tab videos on; Flex, Exact Fit and Force as this is a common query. We hope the short videos continue to prove useful to our customers and consumers. To view the videos on our channel, click here. Please click here to see the full list of all the new blades Page 4
TRICO leads from the front for the Britcar Sprint Championship We are delighted to be sponsoring championship leading team Tockwith Motorsports (TMS) Ginetta G50 in the Britcar Endurance/Sprint Championship. Britcar is an endurance and sprint sports car series, which takes place around the UK s major race circuits. The 2017 season is made up of eight events during the year. Race distances comprise of a 50-minute sprint race and continues into a 2-hour endurance pursuit at Britain s major race circuits. The Britcar Endurance organisers are delighted that 2016 Championship winning team, TMS are once again returning to defend the title. This year the TRICO drivers are Edward Moore and Marmaduke Hall and after round 3 at Silverstone the team is once again leading the championship this time in the sprint category. TMS are known in motorsport for finding and developing young drivers and this year is no exception. Edward is 17 years old and Marmaduke only 16 years old. Sam Robinson said: The youth policy of TMS driver initiative is of great interest. We will use both drivers as ambassadors for TRICO, as getting our messages over to new drivers in the UK is as important, if not more so than existing drivers. We want them to be safe and our product messages will help them with this vitally important driving aspect. TMS team principal, Simon Moore added: We know that we have a fabulous team and with the backing from TRICO we are confident that we have everything in place to continue from where we left off with our success at Silverstone. Page 5
OE Spotlight Toyota choose TRICO blades for Optifit Range Our company was awarded significant Business in 2016 from Toyota, with its innovative Hybrid Blade design to service the blades on their vehicle range. Toyota launched these under the name of their Optifit Range in May 2017, using Trico s Hybrid Blades which are based on Trico s Hybrid Beam Blade design, providing a number of advantages, which were instrumental in Trico being awarded Toyota s business:- Trico Hybrid Blade is on average 40% lighter than the Existing OE Uni-Blade. Trico Hybrid Blade has Memory curve spring steel beam and variable curvature, provides uniform pressure along blade length for a clean, clear wipe throughout life. The OE Uni-Blade uses pressure points Trico s Hybrid range of 3-Off twin point couplers has been calculated to provide optimal loading for each blade length from 350mm to 700mm lengths. Trico Hybrid Blade is designed to work well in cold temperatures i.e. it has no moving parts whereas the OE Uni-Blade has joints. Trico Hybrid Blade has Best in Class proprietary Z7 Coating to reduce friction and provide a clean clear wipe throughout Blade life. Trico Hybrid Blade has High performance natural/synthetic rubber compound wiping element for longer life. Provides 4 seasons wipe performance capability, designed to wipe well both in the winter low temperatures and resist permanent set in summer higher temperatures. We used our proprietary Variflex software to determine appropriate blade curvatures based on Glass and Arm Load inputs to design appropriate loading throughout wipe pattern. You and your customer can benefit from the same hybrid performance and styling using our Exact Fit range of Hybrid wiper blades - using the same design, consturction & components as Toyota Optifit blades. Page 6