2009 - Page 7 of 205 - Tyrepress

Malaysia to Regulate Regrooved Tyre Imports

Malaysia’s national news agency reports that as of next year permits will be required for the importation of regrooved tyres. According to Bernama, Deputy Transport minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said this change was occurring to ensure imported regrooved tyres were safe for use in Malaysia. "The ministry has made new legal provisions for motor vehicles which will be gazetted and implemented in 2010 to control the entry of regrooved tyres from other countries," he said.

9th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Donates to ‘Needy Neighbours’

Kumho Tire parent company the Kumho Asiana Group has donated three billion won (£1.58 million) to help needy South Koreans. On December 1 the CEO of Kumho Asiana’s Strategic Management Headquarters, Nam-Su Oh, visited the ‘Community Chest of Korea’ charity group in Seoul and made the donation. Following the donation, a Kumho Asiana spokesperson commented: “While we have been focused on corporate restructuring, we cannot neglect our contribution to needy neighbours. We decided to become the first [corporate] donor, considering our needy neighbours who have been suffered from a hard winter in this global financial crisis.”

9th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear EfficientGrip OE on Electric Renault Fluence

The prototype tyre containing the BioIsoprene technology developed by Goodyear and Genencor is gaining much attention at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, yet Goodyear points out that products it has already made available to consumers are also represented at the high profile event. The tyre major notes that journalists covering the conference are being transported around the Danish capital in a pre-production example of the electric-powered Renault Fluence Z.E. fitted with its EfficientGrip tyres.

9th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Environmental Award Acknowledges Green Efforts at BATO’s Aiken County Plant

Efforts to reduce pollution have earned the Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) factory in Aiken County, South Carolina an award from the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control. The “Spare the Air” award for positive environmental impact was given in recognition of staff activities, such as carpooling, the use of motorcycles or hybrid vehicles and volunteering an community environmental events, along with plant innovations such as the utilisation of volatile organic compound reducing cementless ‘Innovative Tire Building Technology’ and the use of emission-free hydrogen powered forklifts.

9th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

DriveRight Partners eBay

DriveRight has partnered with online sales giant eBay, introducing eParts as a feature of any eBay Store involved in wheel and tyre sales. Searching for products is now easier for online shoppers, reportedly resulting in superior conversion of eBay traffic for store owners.

With more wheel and tyre retailers launching websites to attract online shoppers, eBay stores are a popular way to manage web-based sales. DriveRight’s Tyrefit product behind eParts allows smaller sellers to leverage their eBay stores to even greater effect, providing their customers with an enhanced search function to locate a wider range of suitable aftermarket product for their vehicles.

8th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Analysts: Tyre Makers to Raise Prices in 2010

Financial analysts expect tyre makers to increase prices between 5 and 8 per cent in January 2010, in part due to increased demand and supply shortages in some markets. The Morgan Stanley analysts once again singled out Hankook for particular praise and a “Buy” rating, saying: “After raising tyre prices by an average 7 per cent in the US in mid-October, Hankook is planning to raise average selling by…6 – 7 per cent in other major markets from early next year.”

Yokohama, Continental and Nexen have all announced plans to raise prices by 5-8 per cent from January next year, the analysts explained, adding: “Hankook is also scheduled to begin price negotiations with…OEMs this month and is targeting a 3 per cent average selling price increase. These price hikes should help it offset natural rubber price hike to a large extent.”

8th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyres & Accessories November 2009

The November 2009 issue includes our popular annual motorsport review, a fleet business report and a special lifting equipment feature. Subscribers can read online by clicking more.

8th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Guangdong Greatoo Aims to Offer Cutting Edge Moulds

Guangdong Greatoo Molds Inc’s global appeal has increased since gaining ISO9001-2001 International Quality Certification, with company representatives describing the company’s current products as “the gold standard.” Tyres & Accessories/tyrepress.com met with the company’s senior technical consultant RNK Krishnan at November’s Reifen China show and asked what makes this Chinese mould making operation stand out?

What is different about Greatoo is the fact that, unlike some competitors, the company offers three kinds of mould manufacturing – CNC direct engraving, aluminium precision casting and Electric Discharge Machine (EDM) technology. The latter was obtained from aluminium casting experts at German firm AZ Mould. As a result the company reports it is now capable of producing “high quality aluminium moulds including winter moulds.” Their philosophy is that moulds are “critical parts in tyre manufacturing and require precision in all stages…their maintenance plays a vital role in ensuring the consistency of the tyre.”

8th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook OE on RUF Electric Cayenne

The Porsche Cayenne is possibly not the first vehicle that springs to mind when pondering environmentally friendly transport. Indeed, it is rumoured that some of the more militant green warriors would rather be harpooned by whalers than ensconce themselves within the German off-roader’s two-plus tonne bulk. But rip out the Cayenne’s sizeable petrol or diesel engine and replace it with an electrically driven system and you have another, more ocean friendly kettle of fish – the RUF Stormster. The German Porsche modifier has released a zero emission version of the SUV powered by a Siemens electric drive. Hankook’s UHP Icebear W300A SUV winter tyre in size 295/30 R 22 has been chosen as standard fitment.

8th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Euromaster Introducing Franchise System in Germany

Following on from its successful activities in France, Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic, which began in summer 2009, Euromaster is rolling out plans to expand in the German market through the introduction of a franchise system – and the company reports that numerous tyre dealers have already shown interest in working together with the tyre and wheel service provider.

8th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo’s Passenger Tyre ‘Grand Masters’ Meet in Beijing

International News

Some 186 Apollo Tyres dealers assembled in Beijing on the first weekend of December for the tyre maker’s “Grand Master Business Partners” meeting. A total of 170 India based partners and 16 international dealers, all of whom exceeded their projected passenger car tyre sales targets over the last twelve months, attended a three-day meeting with company officials in the Chinese capital. Apollo’s strategy for the coming year was shared with the partners, including specific plans and products relating to the passenger tyre segment. The ‘Grand Masters’ were also invited to give their own specific feedback.

8th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

GoldenTyre Takes Over as SuperMoto World Championship Tyre Supplier

From 2010 Italian manufacturer GoldenTyre will replace Dunlop as the sole tyre supplier of the FIM SuperMoto World Championship, which has operated under a single tyre policy since 2006. Championship organiser Youthstream states it looks forward to it new partnership with GoldenTyre, which begins in Italy on May 2, at the first of seven Grands Prix during the 2010 FIM SuperMoto World Championship season.

8th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Pro-Align Explains Hunter SmartWeight Award-Winning Benefits

Having been voted the winner of this year’s TAFF Innovation Award by the National Tyre Distributors Association judging panel despite tough competition from many other innovative products, the team behind the Hunter SmartWeight Balancing system was keen to reveal the benefits of using the product. Hunter says that it took “a completely fresh look at balancing methodology and came up with an entirely new system that works with greater efficiency and split tolerances, the features that helped it to the innovation award and which it says benefit operators over comparative products. Supplier of wheel alignment and balancing equipment, Pro-Align listed the features that helped SmartWeight on its way to the TAFF Awards:

8th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Winter Tyre “Market Leader” Conti to Attempt UHP Summer Segment Expansion

Nailing Continental’s colours to the mast, the company’s head of passenger and light truck tyres has spoken of its commitment to technological investment and growing its high performance passenger car range. Nikolai Setzer said, “Technology leadership is a decisive factor for further growth”, concurrently claiming that despite the financial woes of the past 15 months, the high-performance tyres market will continue to grow. Setzer sees new technologies, investment in research and development, and underpinning the sales in the replacement business through success in original equipment as the way to go. In the high-performance tyres sector in particular, he can see attractive opportunities for growth in Europe.

8th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Japanese Firms to Establish Singapore Synthetic Rubber Operations

According to a November 28 article in Japan’s Nikkei newspaper, two Japanese chemical companies, Asahi Kasei Corporation and Zeon Corporation, intend to establish synthetic rubber plants in Singapore to cater for growing demand for low rolling resistance tyres.

8th December 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

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