The new focus on Powersports marks the beginning of a journey to broaden the company’s European product portfolio to include Powersports tires, such as motorcycle, motocross, and scooter tires, alongside its already extensive range of automotive, bicycle and specialty tires.
At its well-attended stand, KENDA took the opportunity to showcase its entire Automotive product range (PCR, SUV, 4×4, Sporty and CVR) as well as selected Bicycle and Specialty tires. Visitors and customers from both inside and outside of Europe met with the team as well as KENDA Europe’s sponsored Drift driving champions Hunter Taylor and Fredric Aasbø who both race with KENDA’s UHP Vezda tires.
“This year’s exhibition was a big success. The positive feedback we’ve had is testament to the efforts involved in bringing new Automotive products to the market specifically designed for European requirements and conditions,” explained Henno Plaggenborg, Director of the Automotive Division at KENDA Europe. “We are proud to have built a business which doesn’t just sell products, but acts as a true partner for our customers, helping prepare them face the future challenges of an increasingly competitive market”.
New Product Launches
The four new Automotive products launched represent the latest product generation from KENDA, engineered for the European market and with a safety-first mindset:
In line with its objective to design and develop tires fit for European driving conditions, much of the background and testing work for the four new additions was carried out at the KENDA Europe Technical Centre (KETC). The centre was started in 2016 and now has over 20 dedicated engineers.
Currently, their focus is on developing an all-season Electric Vehicle (EV) tire for the European market. With a focus on smaller SUV and passenger cars, this tire will meet all EV requirements including higher weight carrying abilities, lower rolling resistance and lower noise levels, while maintaining great traction and handling.
New KENDA Europe Specialty business unit
KENDA’s commitment to its European focus and growth is strengthened further by the news that it has fully incorporated its daughter company STARCO into a Specialty business unit, concentrated on delivering tire and wheel solutions within three segments: Agriculture, Outdoor & Utility and Trailer & Caravan. STARCO has been manufacturing and supplying Specialty wheel and tire solutions since it was founded in Denmark in 1961 and became part of the KENDA Group in 2017 after many years of collaboration.
The news about the expansion of the KENDA Europe brand was announced in a keynote speech by the KENDA Group’s president, Jimmy Yang. “Many people ask me; why the name KENDA? KENDA is a direct translation from a Chinese word meaning that you are building something big. You never stop growing. You continue making progress”. As part of this growth journey, STARCO is now officially incorporated into KENDA as their European Specialty unit. “As you know, KENDA acquired STARCO in 2017. But today officially marks the change that we are now all one KENDA family.”
By uniting Automotive, Bicycle and Specialty (including Powersports) tires under one European brand, KENDA aims to strengthen their brand and market position further in Europe. “If you name almost anything that uses a wheel or tire, KENDA has a solution. Not many companies in the world can provide such variety”, said Jimmy Yang.
KENDA also aim to increase the availability of their products over time by utilising KENDA Europe Specialty’s (former STARCO) wide European distribution network and expanding their existing distributor partnerships. The goal is to build on the European customer care and distribution set-up to offer both smaller volume deliveries with shorter lead times from its European distribution centres and direct-from-factory deliveries.
KENDA’s successful showcase at The Tire Cologne 2024 underscores their commitment to expanding their European business through a stronger brand, flexible customer support and deliveries, and innovative products engineered for European needs and preferences.
Read more about KENDA Europe here: Meet KENDA Europe
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