Although production at Pirelli’s factory in Burton has lately been at a standstill, plant management are speaking positively about the future of the site and the jobs there – however it seems some level of cooperation from the worker’s unions will be needed.
Stapleton’s Tyre Services has announced a further increase to its stock capacity. Following the official opening of its new 70,000 square foot warehouse in Guildford, the retail and wholesale tyre supplier has space for an additional 100,000 tyres. According to Stapleton’s, the new Guildford premises will primarily supply customers located south of the Thames, and will give the company the scope to offer an improved delivery service in the area.
The German federal state of Lower Saxony wants Schaeffler Group to cut its stake in Continental AG to 10 per cent, according to Reuters. At the same time German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) has reported that the banks that supported Schaeffler Group’s acquisition of Conti are discussing a possible unwinding of the transaction. According to the newspaper, the lenders are discussing a plan to absorb all the Conti stock Schaeffler currently holds. This scenario would reportedly also include diluting the stake held by the banks to less than 50 per cent by virtue of a capital increase. FAZ reports that Continental will discuss the plan at its supervisory board meeting on 6 March.
Meanwhile Christian Wulff, chief minister of Lower Saxony told the Handelsblatt newspaper: “The owner-family can still play a small role if need be, perhaps with a stake of around 10 per cent.” On the subject of state aid Wulff said: “[It] is possible at the earliest when the company has presented a concept on how synergies of its Continental acquisition could be achieved and how the overall company would look.”
Following a two week pause, production at Birla Tyres’ factory in India’s Orissa state resumed on March 2. The plant closure, deemed necessary due to a drop in demand, was the third to take place since December, and may not be the last.
“We resumed full production today (Monday) even though the market condition has not yet improved,” a plant official – who wished to remain anonymous – told the Indo-Asian News Service. “We will review the situation after 10 days. If the market conditions do not improve, we may consider another shutdown.”
According to media reports in France, Continental Tyre intends to close one of the two facilities it operates in that country. Quoting union sources, radio station Europe 1 said that some 1,100 jobs will be eliminated if the manufacturer goes ahead with plans to close the Clairoix passenger car tyre factory, located northeast of Paris. Last year the facility produced some seven million tyres, and according to a Deutsche Bank report the plant is considered to be an extremely productive facility – annual production is approximately 6,500 tyres per employee.
Kumho Tire received some favorable press in Europe recently, earning honors in tyre tests conducted by German automotive magazines. The company received an overall assessment of “very recommendable” by Autozeitung, and its Road Venture MT KL71 was selected as “Off Road Tyre 2009” by German 4×4 magazine “Off Road.”
“European automotive magazines from Germany, Great Britain and Sweden hold tests several times a year to compare and rank performance of recommendable tyres,” said N.W. Cho, senior researcher for Kumho. “The tyre test results influence the purchasing decisions of European consumers, as they are an official recognition of performance and quality.” (Tire Review/Akron)
While the Japanese tyre marque Yokohama is mainly known for its high performance road, race and rally tyres, the manufacturer also produces a large range of tyres for the off-road and SUV market. The latest crop of SUVs as well as genuine off-roaders includes the ADVAN ST and Sport – part of the manufacturer’s flagship range – the Parada Spec X for the tuner market, and the Geolander range, designed for everything from on-road and light off-road to “hardcore” OTR usage.
The UK distributor, Yokohama HPT has recently introduced several new sizes across all ranges and now lists a further eight sizes for the Geolander A/T-S from 15” to 20”, four for the Prada SpecX from 20” to 24” and four for the ADVAN Sport XL from 17” to 21”. The M/T+ is available from 15” to 17”, allowing the off-road market to fit larger tyres than traditionally possible while the H/T-S ranges from 15” to 18” and the ADVAN ST, from 17” to 24”.
When the flag drops to open the 2009 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) racing season on 21 March, the M3 racing cars of the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team will be sporting new “shoes” from Dunlop tyres. BMW Motorsport has chosen Dunlop as its official race tyre supplier for the coming ALMS season after extensive winter testing. One of the strongest teams in the ALMS GT2 series, the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team will compete with two BMW Motorsport factory-supported cars in 2009. Dunlop tyres will provide the transfer of power to the track.
Martin Birkman, motorsports manager for BMW of North America, said, “The CSL coupes of BMW of North America’s very first racing program in 1975 raced on Dunlop tyres, and we welcome Dunlop back as a technical partner on the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3s.”
Just months ago, the earthmover tyre market faced production shortages so severe that manufacturers and vehicle operators alike were glad to fit any tyre they could find. Things are different now. At the end of February Tyres & Accessories met with OTR Tyres (OTR) production manager, Wayne Cornell, and asked how retreads are competing now the earthmover tyre market has switched from shortage to surplus.
The earthmover tyre shortage was great news for low cost tyre importers and retread manufacturers alike and those quick enough to react experienced significant sales increases. Now however, as the world’s media has reminded us all ad nauseam, the global financial crises has brought a recession in its wake that is affecting all areas of business. Construction was the first to feel the effect of the downturn in demand that has ensued, and at the time of going to a certain multinational mining company is negotiating with the Chinese government for investment. This in turn shows just how much the recession has slowed the growth – and therefore tyre needs – of key consumers. With OEMs and major end users requiring fewer tyres than before, tyre supply is much less of a problem. There are still some shortages giant tyres and some loader tyres, according to industry sources, but it’s a world apart from the situation 12 months ago.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance and UK company Elektromotive, a pioneer in zero emission transport infrastructure, have announced they are collaborating in the Partnership for Zero-Emission-Mobility, with the aim of accelerating the installation of charging networks for electric vehicles (EVs) in cities.
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the two companies ahead of an imminent and dramatic rise in the number of EVs on Europe’s roads, with the Renault-Nissan Alliance starting sales of purpose-designed EVs in Japan and the US from next year and globally by 2012.
The Reuters news agency has reported tha the German federal state of Lower Saxony wants Schaeffler Group to cut its stake in Continental AG to 10 per cent. At the same time, German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) has reported that the banks that supported Schaeffler Group’s acquisition of Conti are discussing a possible unwinding of the transaction. According to the newspaper, the lenders are discussing a plan to absorb all the Conti stock Schaeffler currently holds. This scenario would reportedly also include diluting the stake held by the banks to less than 50 per cent by virtue of a capital increase. FAZ reported that Continental is to discuss the plan at its supervisory board meeting on 6 March.
Meanwhile Christian Wulff, chief minister of Lower Saxony told the Handelsblatt newspaper: “The owner-family can still play a small role if need be, perhaps with a stake of around 10 per cent.” On the subject of state aid Wulff said: “[It] is possible at the earliest when the company has presented a concept on how synergies of its Continental acquisition could be achieved and how the overall company would look.”
Michelin reports its Energy Saver and Primacy HP tyres recently walked away with a “highly recommendable” rating in testing by the German motorist’s association ADAC and its Austrian and Swiss counterparts. Both tyres, representing 85 per cent of the summer passenger car tyres produced by the Michelin Group, received this highest rating in a comparative evaluation of eighteen different 185/60 R 14 H tyres and nineteen 205/55 R 16 W tyres.
Uniroyal has built up something of a reputation for delivering good wet weather performance, and its Rallye4x4Street is said to be no exception. The 4×4 segment tyre features Uniroyal’s trademark double V-tread, which the manufacturer says offers excellent performance in wet conditions by dispersing water away from the tyre’s contact patch. This is, says Uniroyal, the most effective protection against aquaplaning. By choosing Uniroyal, it adds, the driver has opted for wet weather safety and the retailer possesses a unique selling position and clear message for the customer.
Bandvulc Tyres is celebrating after being awarded “Supplier of the Year” by one of its key partners, Tructyre Fleet Management, for the second consecutive year. The criteria for the award is how well a company, whether they be a tyre, vehicle or ancillary supplier, measures up in terms of supplier performance, and commenting on the win, Bandvulc sales channel manager Tony Doyle said “It’s very nice for a supplier to recognise the hard work that all of the team at Bandvulc put into customer services and especially satisfying that we were able to maintain the hard work and commitment and for it to be recognised.”
Formula One tyre supplier Bridgestone has announced the compound allocations of its Potenza tyres for the first five rounds of the 2009 season. This year sees the return of slick tyres to Formula One after an eleven-season absence, and their comeback enables the implementation of softer rubber compounds – and this means more mechanical grip is available for competitors. This change, says Bridgestone, is significant for teams and drivers and is accompanied by considerable changes to the car aerodynamic packages, designed to reduce downforce and stimulate overtaking.
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