The government run business promotional organisation of India’s Tamil Nadu state is said to be in the final stages of granting Michelin in-principle clearance to establish a large project in the Chennai region. The State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) has set aside 290 acres of land for Michelin’s use, and the company is likely to begin construction work in February.
Following the signing of an agreement on January 5, Bridgestone Australia will be working more closely with Sydney based retail tyre network Jobson’s Discount Tyre and Mechanical. The agreement finalises Bridgestone’s purchase of JLK Holdings, which owns and operates seven Bridgestone Tyre Centre outlets across the metropolitan Sydney region.
Phil Jobson, co-owner and founder of Jobson’s Discount Tyre and Mechanical, said the agreement represented “an exciting new phase” for both businesses. “We have been planning a move such as this for a number of years, so I am delighted to be joining forces with Bridgestone as it allows me to stay very much at the helm of the business while also ensuring its long-term future,” he said.
As of January 1, Bridgestone Australia Ltd. (BSAL) and Bridgestone New Zealand Ltd. (BSNZ) have officially become a single organisation. The joining together means BSAL will be the shareholder of BSNZ. However, Bridgestone reports that the two companies will retain their own identity and maintain their respective Board of Directors.
Shawn Hara, BSAL Group chairman and managing director, said the closer relations between the two companies will allow for greater sharing of knowledge and resources. “This joining of forces will strengthen operations, giving the company a competitive advantage in the market,” commented Hara. “As the Australian and New Zealand markets are similar, the joining of operations provides opportunities to improve our joint product and service delivery to improve customer satisfaction and to increase our market share in both countries.
According to The Cumberland News, workers at Pirelli’s Carlisle plant will find out on January 9 whether they are able to return to work following the equipment failure that has delayed operations following the factory’s planned Christmas shutdown period. Although workers were scheduled to return on January 8, plant management informed them that the factory had not yet returned to a fully operational state.
“’During the start-up process after the shutdown period, leaks in the high pressure steam system were detected,” Pirelli said in a statement. “These require immediate repair, therefore there will be a delay in the timing of the start-up of the Carlisle factory planned for January 8.”
Kwik-Fit has issued its round of January promotions with offers on premium label tyres. The promotion includes 30 per cent off four, and 15 per cent off two premium tyres, including brands such as Pirelli, Dunlop, Goodyear, Firestone, Continental and Bridgestone. Customers can get a further reduction, which equates to 20 per cent off two tyres, if they book online at kwik-fit.com.
Continental’s Conti4x4Contact has been chosen as US market original equipment for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK. The tyre will be fitted to the new 4×4 in size 235/50R19 99H.
Hankook’s factory in Dunaujvaros, Hungary resumed production on the afternoon of January 8, following a stoppage the previous day due to gas shortages. The tyre maker had previously anticipated that the factory would remain out of operation until the evening of January 9, reported Hungary’s MTI news agency on January 8.
The unions representing workers involved in the PTL factory lockout in India are said to have bolstered their resolve following the breakdown of their second discussion with company management. According to India’s Express News Service, union leaders are accusing the Apollo Tyres supplier of changing their demands each time employees agree to the previous set.
“The workers have already agreed to the conditions put forward by the management for capacity utilisation in the wake of recession,” said Premier Tyres Employees Union president K N Raveendranath. “But, the management is behaving with certain ulterior motive and putting forward fresh set of demands every time.
Apollo Tyres, the sole recipient of products manufactured by PTL Enterprises, has expressed its hope that unions will work with management to save the jobs of more than 1,000 employees at the company’s Kalamassery factory. A list of 12 items management consider inherent for the survival of the factory were on the agenda at a January 7 meeting convened by the Kerala state labour minister, Mr P K Gurudasan. Of these 12 items, reports Apollo Tyres, unions agreed to consider only three. The remainder, they said, would be discussed only after the lockout is lifted. This has, says Apollo, left management “completely disheartened”, as it says previous lockouts have also taken this route without resolution to a single pending request taking place. All 12 items, says the Indian manufacturer, relate to better manufacturing practices and the need to expand and modernise for higher efficiencies. Company management has also appealed to the Kerala State Government to play a positive role, which it says will result in better industrial standards, more employment and even higher Government revenues.
Maxxis says that it is “among the top three manufacturers of quality tyres for the amenity market,” and with its wide variety of ATV, 4×4 and high speed trailer tyres, the company is confident that it can meet a variety of applications within the agricultural sector. “The agricultural sector accounts for a large proportion of our ATV tyre sales,” states Maxxis International UK’s managing director Derek McMartin.
As an OE supplier to many major ATV manufacturers, including Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Polaris and Suzuki, Maxxis ATV tyres are acknowledged for all-round performance across a wide range of applications.
President elect Barack Obama’s brand spanking new presidential limousine has been given the ‘Pimp My Ride’ treatment by the US Secret Service – and a set of tyres normally seen in regional haul trucking applications is but one of a basket of features to be found on the modified Cadillac following a masterful makeover by the White House appointed customisers.
Despite campaign promises to transform all White House vehicles into hybrids and have a million hybrid vehicles on US roads by 2015, the President-elect has had to concede to security concerns and stick with the petrol powered Cadillac. Or perhaps he was simply afraid Jeremy Clarkson would heckle him on the next series of Top Gear.
Occasionally the tabloid aficionado within struggles to escape, and with it looms the threat of sensationalism spilling onto the staid and respectable pages of Tyres & Accessories. Fortunately this beast can be mastered and controlled – otherwise readers would now find the headline “Tyre Hater’s Three-Year Rampage Finally Deflated” staring back at them. It’s a good thing this hasn’t occurred.
Whether or not the 60-year old New York State man actually hated tyres is a question that remains unanswered, and it is debatable whether his activities constitute a rampage. What is fact, however, is that the man, named as Michael Delisio, has been harbouring various grievances against a range of neighbours since 2006, and venting his negative emotions by booby-trapping their driveways with tyre bursting nails. According to New York’s Journal News, four people have made more than 40 complaints about the man’s behaviour over the last two years.
MAK Nova is described as a “sober” five-spoke design. The philosophy behind the product is classic quality and “smooth, tender” lines. The fact that it is a five spoke wheel means the MAK Nova can be fitted to the majority of current car models. The new wheel comes in a silver finish that reinforces the general theme. And furthermore, according to the company the silver finish MAK has employed for this particularly product means it is suitable for winter use and is therefore “very resistant against humidity, fog, salt and low temperatures.” MAK Nova is available in the following sizes: 6,5J15”, 6,5J16”, 7J16”, 7J17”.
As the world reels from the effects of the global economic slowdown, many may have wondered if this would have had a negative effect on SEMA 2008’s tyres, wheels and equipment section supported by the Tire Industry Association (TIA). As it turned out, while attendance was definitely down, the quality and buying power of attendees was in line with recent shows.
“What we found is that where a buyer might have sent six or seven people in years past – many of whom were not in key decision making positions – this year, they might have only sent two or three people; but they had the authority to make those purchasing decisions,” said TIA executive vice president Roy Littlefield. While Bridgestone has not exhibited at SEMA for a number of years, with the current fiscal conditions being what they are, it was likely that this was a major factor in the decisions of a number of other key players who did not exhibit at this year’s show. While manufacturers such as Michelin and Goodyear had very little, or no, presence at all, there were plenty of other manufacturers who came out in full force, such as Pirelli, Toyo, Yokohama, Cooper, Dunlop, Sumitomo, Hankook and Falken.
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“In 2008 the Ultra High Performance tyre market experienced changes unlike any year before it and as a result will never be the same again,” that’s the assessment Sentaida USA general manager Don Mathis recently gave Tyres & Accessories. In other circumstances this may have sounded exaggerated, but with the Bank of England slashing interest rates to their lowest point in the institution’s 315-year history and US interest rates heading even lower, the unprecedented economic conditions seem to suggest the international tyre trade is also entering uncharted territory.
“UHP aftermarket sales have been the main and nearly only shining star in the tyre business for the last eight to 10 years. The margins and growth have surpassed nearly every other segment of the market,” Mathis explained. However, this year has also been unlike any other in the experienced sales manager’s 36 years in the tyre business. He believes the unique combination of surplus capacity in UHP factories mixed with the early year surge in raw material costs, mid-year surge in fuel cost, and the credit crunch halting new car sales and taking aftermarket wheel sales with them means the market has hit a watershed.
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