2009 - Page 189 of 205 - Tyrepress

Schaeffler Seizes Control of Conti Board

Schaeffler Group seized control of Continental AG’s supervisory board on 24 January. The Emergency General Meeting (EGM) held at the weekend concluded with chairman Hubertus von Gruenberg stepping down, reportedly to be replaced by Rolf Koerfer, a long-term Schaeffler Group legal aid and partner at Dusseldorf- based law firm Allen & Overy. At the same time, the ball bearing maker was able to negotiate the nomination of group owners Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler and Georg Schaeffler, not to mention company CEO Dr. Jürgen M. Geißinger to the Conti board.

This shift in the balance of power led to the supervisory board “taking note” of Conti executives’ suggestion to “initiate a process to create an organizationally and legally independent Rubber Group.” In Schaeffler’s words, to “carve out” the rubber group into a separate entity. According to the company, this process will be overseen by the current (but apparently outgoing) chairman of the supervisory board, Hubertus von Grünberg. So while von Grünberg “wants to make his chairmanship available at short notice” he will continue to be a member of the supervisory board.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Kesoram Industries Rords Drop in Net Profit

Indian tyre manufacturer, Kesoram Industries has carded a 63.55 per cent reduction in net profit over the final quarter of 2008, finishing at 391.5 million rupees (5.8 million pounds sterling). The company has declared a suspension of work between 17 and 31 January to deal with the general market stagnation, an action first taken between 17 and 31 December , 2008, reports India’s Business Standard.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

PCR & LTR Production to End at Bridgestone LaVergne Plant

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) has made was it calls “a difficult decision”. On January 22 the Bridgestone Americas unit announced that, in light of negative economic conditions, it will cease the manufacture of passenger car and light truck tyres at its factory in LaVergne, Tennessee. This sombre news follows a December 1, 2008 notification that 148 hourly and 10 salaried positions were being eliminated at the facility.

“Based on current economic forecasts, it appears that the global economic crisis is going to get worse before it gets better. We are not immune from these challenging times,” said Steve Brooks, president, US, Canada and Monterrey Manufacturing Group, BATO.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Construction of Kumho US Plant to Start This Year

Following a delay attributed to the economic slowdown, construction work on Kumho Tire’s new factory in the US state of Georgia is tentatively set to begin before the end of 2009. If work proceeds according to this schedule, the factory should be producing tyres in 2011, slightly more than a year after originally anticipated.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Sibur to Buy $600M of Amtel-Vredestein Debt

On January 22 Amtel-Vredestein N.V. reported its postponement of the general meeting of shareholders planned for the second half of the month. This decision was taken, the company discloses, because it is not yet “in a position to submit a decision on the disposal of its subsidiary Vredestein Banden B.V. to the general meeting for approval”. Amtel-Vredestein says plans regarding the subsidiary’s disposal are continuing, however it admits the sale process “may be impacted by certain legal actions taken by creditors of the company”. In a press statement, the company says it intends to conclude the sale process as soon as possible, thereby offering maximum value to all stakeholders. This is, admittedly, a best-case scenario; the statement contains the caveat that there can be no certainty of the successful sale of Vredestein Banden B.V.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

December Figures Show Marked Drop in UK Vehicle Production

December vehicle production figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited (SMMT) show a sharp drop in UK production of both passenger and commercial vehicles. During the month a total of 58,823 passenger cars were produced in the UK, a 47.5 per cent decrease on the previous year’s December production. Just 6,290 commercial vehicles were manufactured in the UK during December, representing a drop of 56.7 per cent.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Blackcircles’ Welch Honoured at BT Business Awards

Michael Welch has done very well indeed at the BT Business Essence of the Entrepreneur awards. Not only was the Blackcircles.com managing director named one of the UK’s top 20 entrepreneurs, Welch was voted Most Outstanding Entrepreneur, an honour that comes with a £20,000 business grant. This is, admittedly, a well-deserved accolade – in seven years of business the company has cultivated a customer base of more than 300,000, and annual sales of more than £10 million.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Truck Tyre a ‘Nifty Fifty’ Recipient

The Nifty Fifty awards are held each year by US based magazine Heavy Duty Trucking to showcase the editors’ favourite new products from the previous twelve months. Named as one of these fifty favourites in the 2008 awards has been Yokohama’s 103ZR commercial tyre.

The ‘Nifty Fifty’ are selected from hundreds of new products reviewed by the magazine during the year and evaluated for their utility to truck operators in terms of innovation, serviceability and performance. The Yokohama tyre was chosen, say the editors, on the merits of its longevity and fuel-efficiency. The manufacturer also made it onto the list in 2007, with its 703ZL tyre.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

JK Tyre Posts Fourth Quarter Loss

Despite increased sales in 2008, JK Tyre’s fourth quarter results reveal a net loss for the quarter and reduced profits through the entire financial year. The company reports net sales of Rs 40,524.8 million (£591.4 million) during the 12 months to December 31, 2008, up 43.9 per cent on the 2007 yearly result. During the fourth quarter net sales were Rs 7,798.2 million (£113.8 million), a more muted 6.9 per cent increase on the fourth quarter of the previous year.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Vee Introduce Taiga

Vee Rubber used the recent Sema show to introduce the company’s first light truck and SUV tyre developed specifically for the North American market – the Taiga H/T. The presentation was made by managing director Mr. Vitorn Sukanjanapong and included information about Vee Rubber, such as the fact that production during 2008 would total 24 million units.

The new Taiga has been extensively tested in a number of different climates and on many different surfaces, including off road and the result, says Vee Rubber, is a quiet, comfortable tyre with a long tread life; in the US, the tyre is offered with a 50,000 mile limited treadwear warranty. While the Taiga is not designed as a snow or all terrain tyre, it aims to allow drivers to face everyday driving with confidence, whatever the conditions.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

New Nitto NT05

Nitto Tire USA is introducing a summer uhp tyre (W rated) which the company describes as “our most aggressive non-competition street tyre.” Called the NT05, it takes its name from the fusion of two existing tyres; the NT01, Nitto’s DOT-approved R-compound and the NT555, Nitto’s popular uhp tyre. The name signifies that the new tyre is based on the NT01’s race technology, but designed specifically for maximum street performance.

The new tyre was developed through a mixture of extensive computer modelling and on-track testing to identify the optimal tread design and compound. Nitto’s top priority was to optimise dry performance; the large continuous centre rib and big outer shoulder blocks provide optimum tread contact with the road and the reinforced tread blocks give excellent rigidity and stability.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

BSI Promotes Kitemark Garages to Fleets

The BSI Kitemark campaign is promoting its registered garages to businesses and fleet managers as a way of “eradicating any potential dangers.” According to a press release published on 23 January, fleet managers can be reassured that by using a Kitemark garage the risk of poor repairs has been lowered, not just the cost.

In its report BSI refers to the Health and Safety Offences Act 2008, which came into force on 16 January 2009. This new Act increases penalties and provides courts with greater sentencing powers for those who break health and safety law. Therefore managers who turn a blind eye to maintaining the company’s business cars regularly will be more severely punished. The importance of specifically replacing car tyres was also highlighted.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Opens New Canadian Distribution Warehouse

Pirelli Tire Inc has opened a second warehouse distribution centre. The new facility is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the company reports that it is “dedicated to servicing customers in western Canada.” Pirelli has appointed Schenker Distribution to manage the operations effective immediately. Despite widely publicised tribulations in the automotive sector, Pirelli’s continuing growth in Canada makes capacity expansion necessary at this time, Marco Zambianchi, vice-president & general manager of Pirelli Canada, explained: “As our brand continues to grow, this addition will ensure that our dealers can fully satisfy consumer demand in a timely fashion.” Pival International Inc. remains the company’s primary distribution centre in eastern Canada.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

OTR Tyres Orders ‘Pneu’ Data Capture System

OTR Tyres a leading international earthmover tyre specialist has integrated an RFID-based data capture system into their tyre management system – TotalTyreLogic. According to the company, this is the world’s first commercially available, fully electronic, inspection and tyre management system.

The data capture system has been developed in partnership with Derbyshire based Pneu-Logic and is reportedly the first part of a multi-phase technology programme planned between OTR and Pneu-Logic. It involves using a handheld device to electronically capture and transmit tyre pressure and tread depth and wirelessly input it into OTR’s TyreLogic tyre management system.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Experience “Difficult F1 Test”

The official tyre supplier to Formula One, Bridgestone Motorsport has completed its first group test of 2009 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimão, Portugal, where two compounds of 2009 specification slick tyres were used, as well as current specification wet and extreme wet tyres. Five teams were present over four days of testing between 19-22 January.

Though the Algarve location is famed for its good weather, the test was affected by wet and windy weather, and at one stage hailstones fell on the track during the course of the four days. While Bridgestone’s soft and super soft compound slick tyres were available for use, teams predominantly opted for the wet and extreme wet tyres. Adding to the difficulty of the wet weather, the ambient temperature was also much cooler than is expected to be experienced at races this season. This restricted the amount of meaningful data that could be obtained. Compounding the problem was the relatively new circuit, whose surface was very slippery as a result of both the weather and its freshness.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

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