International Dealer News IDN 149 June/July 2019 | Page 14

news ROOM RST partners with BRIEFS In&motion in new integrated airbag project NEWS Held at the Rauschenberg, Germany headquarters of SW-Motech, at the two- day annual meeting of the IVM (the motorcycle industry trade association Germany) former Vice President Henning Putzke, BMW Motorrad, was elected to a two-year term as President, replacing Ralf Keller (Yamaha Motor Germany), who has retired after 10 years in the role. Jan Breckwoldt, Peugeot Motocycles, and Jürgen Höpker-Seibert, Kawasaki Motor Germany, were newly elected 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents. Ronald Kabella of Bucher AG in Switzerland (MOTOREX oils) was re-elected as the aftermarket resentative to the management board. BMW Motorrad increased deliveries of its motorcycles and maxi- scooters by 7.7% to 38,606 units (2018: 35,858 units) in the United States, setting a new Q1 record for the eighth year in succession. Revenues grew by +11.8% to € 586 million (2018: € 524 million). EBIT also improved significantly, rising to € 89 million for the three-month period under report (2018: € 77 million; +15.6%). The first-quarter EBIT margin came in at 15.2% (2018: 14.7%). Brembo has concluded a € 100m investment in a new 67 production line, 40,000 sq m aluminium brake caliper production hub in Nanjing, near Shanghai, China. The facility will supply parts to European, Asian and American customers operating in China. The hub integrates a foundry with production lines in a facility that stands next to the plant that was inaugurated in 2012 for the production of brake discs. The combined facilities offer a production capacity of more than two million pieces per year. The Isle of Man TT saw British RST clothing brand owner MotoDirect and French specialist In&motion announce a collaborative partnership to develop a range of apparel that will have the In&motion wearable airbag technology integrated into the product. In what RST is describing as the "first integrated airbag garment riding apparel that combines comfort, discretion and high-end safety protection", RST says that "safety is at the core of everything we do. Where possible, we integrate CE back protectors into the garments, and we are the first British brand to have our entire range tested and CE PREN 17092 certified. "The next step for RST is to introduce a range of RST garments offering enhanced rider protection. The solution is to use airbag technology, and we are therefore very pleased to announce our partnership with In&motion - the experts in engineering wearable airbag systems. Just as armour is integrated into garments, the best way to improve rider safety is to fully integrate In&motion’s airbag technology into RST garments. "We have been working together to bring a special “Road Racing” algorithm dedicated to the Isle of Man TT. RST is the Official Safety Partner of the Isle of Man TT, and thanks to our partnerships with leading riders such Ian Hutchinson and the travelling Marshals, as well as ongoing work with the likes of Alex Lowes in the World Superbike and Kenny Foray in the French Superbike series, this has all been successful." Testing and development will continue throughout 2019, and the new products are due for launch in March 2020, for more information contact [email protected]. www.moto-direct.com www.rst-moto.com www.inemotion.com From left: David Johnson (Australia), Ian Hutchinson (16 times IoM TT winner), Jonny Towers (RST founder), Pierre- François Tissot (In&motion co-founder), Conor Cummins (9 IoM TT podiums), Valentin Honoré (In&motion co-founder) and Tony Duncan (TT Race Marshal)