On November 19, vehicle engineering specialist MIRA announced the opening of a new office in Brussels. This location, says MIRA, will support the growth of its research and development projects within the EU and be better placed to react to Europe’s evolving political landscape and deliver appropriate technology advice to policy makers.
American Tire Distributors has parted with the last of the Am-Pac Tire Distributors retail stores it acquired nearly a year ago, Tire Review reports. ATD said it has either closed or sold off the 11 Tire Pros stores. Ten in California were sold in October to investors and store managers, while a lone store in Arizona was closed. This past June, ATD sold 26 Autotire Car Care Center stores in the St. Louis area to Monro Muffler Brake Inc.
Workers at Bridgestone Americas’ truck tyre plant in La Vergne, Tennesee, are voting on a new contract, one that reportedly brings an across-the-board $2.50 per hour pay cut. In return, USW Local 1055 will get a guarantee that Bridgestone will keep the plant open at least another four years. The results of the vote will be announced sometime after Thanksgiving.
Goodyear COO and president of its North American Tire unit, Richard J. Kramer, has been elected chairman of the Rubber Manufacturers Association. Kramer succeeds Jim MacMaster, executive vice president of Yokohama Tire, whose two-year term has come to an end.
During Pirelli’s third quarter conference call on November 5, company chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera confirmed plans to establish two factories in Russia. The first of these is to be acquired, the second a previously announced joint venture greenfield facility.
Deutsche Bank Equity Research analysts report Pirelli’s intention to purely concentrate on the company’s tyre business following the spin-off of its real estate assets by mid-2010. Once this has taken place, tyres will represent 95 per cent of Pirelli’s revenues, the report adds. Management at the Italian manufacturer is said view the coming year with confidence, a positive view driven mostly by a recovery of volumes in replacement markets. It believes the entire seven per cent decline experienced in the passenger car tyre market and half the truck tyre market’s 14 per cent drop can be recovered during 2010. This positive effect, comments the bank’s analysts, should more than offset a small increase in raw material expenses, as the tyre industry is expected to remain “disciplined” in passing on raw material price increases to consumers.
China’s growing automotive market presents rich pickings for tyre manufacturers looking to increase sales, and Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber is spending on advertising to ensure consumers know its products. During an advertising airtime auction held by the state broadcaster CCTV on November 18, the tyre manufacturer secured the top rated timeslot directly after the national news programme "Xinwen Lianbo". Hangzhou Zhongce is reported to have paid RMB 47.2 million (£4.13 million) for this premium airtime.
Pirelli has organised a 100 million euro loan with the European Investment Bank (EIB) in order to support research and development projects in the years between 2009 and 2012. A financing agreement was signed on November 12 and Pirelli states this new loan consolidates the relationship it has with the EIB, which in the past contributed to the company’s “constant commitment to innovation and development of its competitiveness on a global scale.”
Some say their employers want blood from them, and those at Kumho in South Korea may have grounds to make such a claim. But don’t worry – it’s all for a good cause. Due to the recent H1N1 influenza scare the country has experienced a dramatic drop in blood donations, and this has led to a noticeable shortage of the precious fluid needed for transfusions. According to Kumho, upon hearing this news, all Kumho Asiana Group executives and employees stepped forward to donate blood.
The 37th edition of the revered Pirelli Calendar was presented to the world at its London launch on November 19. Those fortunate enough to receive a first glimpse of the 2010 incarnation of ‘The Cal’ at the Old Billingsgate venue were treated to a visual banquet of 30 images produced by American photographer Terry Richardson, a man Pirelli describes as an “enfant terrible” known for his provocative and outrageous approach.
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Tire Review reports that venerable British band The Who – well, the two surviving members at least – is being lined up to provide the halftime entertainment for Super Bowl XLIV. Bridgestone Americas are the exclusive sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime.
Thailand-based P.C. Products International is a leading manufacturer of wheel balancing weights in Asia, with 20 years' experience of supplying original equipment to an impressive list of major automobile clients, including Ford, Toyota, Honda, Chrysler, Isuzu, Volvo, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Kawasaki and Suzuki. The company has invested heavily in R&D, as well as quality control and engineering design, working closely with vehicle manufacturers to tailor products towards specific OE requirements. The quality assurance department has access to a full facility testing laboratory which includes high-tech testing equipment such as the grain inspection machine and pull-force clip testing meter. Products are manufactured strictly to the OEM's own specifications and the JASO standard for general markets. P.C. Products International exports to Europe, America and the Middle East, as well as Asian markets.
The UK's streets and car parks could see thousands more charging points for electric and plug-in hybrid cars thanks to £30 million of Government funding. Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis today invited cities and businesses to join together to bid for the money which will help fund the installation of charging points on streets, car parks and in commercial, retail and leisure facilities.
Columbus McKinnon has sold its American Lifts unit to Autoquip for a reported $2.4 million. The plant at Greensburg, Indiana will be closed and sold. The acquisition will expand the Autoquip product range, adding scissor lift technology to complement Autoquip's vertical ram lifts and dock levellers. Manufacture will be moved to Autoquip's HQ in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
Britannia Tyres, part of Bridgestone’s First Stop tyre service network, has refurbished the reception of its Coventry Centre. Following significant investment, the company says that the reception area gives customers a modern, comfortable environment. The group’s Nuneaton, Hinckley and Derby centres have just taken the top three places in First Stop’s Elite Business Development Programme, designed to help First Stop dealers deliver the highest possible levels of service. Centres are rated by mystery shoppers, monthly mystery phone calls and a detailed audit from a Business Development Manager.
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