Goodyear India Ltd. has reported a 2012 fiscal year net profit of Rs 563.2 million (£6.9 million), 12.8 per cent lower than the previous year’s result. Net sales for January to December 2012 amounted to Rs 14,812.9 million (£181.5 million), down 2.2 per cent year-on-year, while profit from operations before other income, finance costs and exceptional items was Rs 711.7 million (£8.8 million), a year-on-year decrease of 23.2 per cent.
The UK was the only major European market to buck January’s downward trend in new commercial vehicle registrations. According to the ACEA, total commercial vehicle registrations in the UK rose 5.4 per cent to 19,198; total European Union registrations declined 10.6 per cent to 126,110 during the month. The decline in France almost hit double figures, with new registrations decreasing by 9.8 per cent year-on-year to 33,584 units. Other major markets suffered an even stronger downturn; new commercial vehicle registrations in Germany and Spain sank 15.5 per cent year on year to 19,913 and 5,912 respectively, while Italian registrations, at 9,452, were 23.6 per cent lower than in January 2012.
Dundee’s ‘first citizen’, the city’s Lord Provost Bob Duncan, has toured Michelin’s Baldovie Road plant as part of a series of fact-finding company visits planned for the coming weeks. The visit was hosted by plant manager John Reid.
Having tested last week in colder than expected conditions, Pirelli will expect this week’s trip to Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya to offer Formula One teams a better idea of the combined performance of their 2013 cars on the new P Zeros. Taking place from Thursday to Sunday, the final four-day session will complete the 12 days of practice allowed before the season opening Australian grand prix in March. Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsport director, said that he hoped to “find conditions that are slightly more representative, which will allow the teams to collect more relevant data.”
Following on from its highly rated performance in the ADAC summer tyre test, Michelin’s Energy Saver + has claimed a top ranking in another German auto publication. Gute Fahrt’s summer tyre test awarded the tyre top place with a "very good -" rating overall. Comparing twelve 205/55R16 W tyres on a Volkswagen Touran, Gute Fahrt judged the Energy Saver + to deliver the best all-round performance in wet and dry conditions.
In the February issue of Tyres & Accessories, as well as all the latest news, developments and product releases, we focus on Van Tyres and TPMS technologies. Subscribers can view their own virtual edition online by simply clicking more.
When it was published at the start of the year Tyres & Accessories' January 2013 edition kick-started the back-to-work season with special features on motorcycle tyres and agricultural tyres in addition to all the regular news and analysis you can expect. Subscribers can view this in e-paper format by simply clicking more.
Dutch company Bandenmarkt Tyre & Wheels says the new product range it is showing at this week’s SIMA show in Paris addresses a frustrating issue for farmers – tyre related breakdowns. The firm’s “Heavy Duty” agricultural radial range features reinforced steel and a puncture-resistant kevlar layer under the tread. Bandenmarkt Tyre & Wheels also says the tyre line-up has a higher load capacity than its competitors and extreme stability even at 65km/h.
Recent Plimsoll Analysis reports that the tyre wholesalers and distributors market is “in a healthy state” and on average sales are increasing at 7.9 per cent. Meanwhile margins are sitting at 2.9 per cent and 21 companies are said to be “struggling for survival."
Point S has appointed Jonathan Smith as a Pricing Analyst. As Pricing Analyst, Smith will be responsible for regularly reviewing the data provided to Point S by suppliers including Bridgestone, Michelin and Yokohama. Any insights gained from this information will then be fed back to member via the pricing area of the new Point S website. In addition he will also be developing a range of automated processes that will enhance member’s experience of Point S.
Nexen Tire Canada has appointed Jeff Bullock national sales director, Tire Review reports. The tyre-maker said Bullock joins the company after more than 20 years of experience in the industry, including positions at "several top manufacturers and distributors." Nexen continued, "His experience and vision of the future will be a great addition to our sales team."
Recently the French government was told it can keep its “so-called workers” at Goodyear’s slated-for-closure Amiens Nord factory, but news out of France suggests these workers may be offered an opportunity to keep their jobs, independently of Titan International or anyone else. On 26 February the CGT (General Confederation of Labour) union proposed forming a workers’ holding company, making the approximately 1,250 plant workers shareholders in the Amiens Nord operation.
Automotive supplier Continental has already conducted trials with a ‘driverless car’ in the US, and now the firm will further its work in this field through a research partnership with the BMW Group. Under this arrangement, the two German companies will pool their development capacities to define the long-term prerequisites for introducing highly automated driving on European motorways.
Nissan will fit Bridgestone’s Potenza S001 tyres to its new European market Nismo. The tyre manufacturer will supply wider 245/40R19 sizes on the front and 285/35R19 on the rear with a “tailor-made” compound. The tyre will respond to the V6 344-horsepower coupe’s cornering, sporty handling and power, Bridgestone says.
Firestone has announced details of its first tyre for the agricultural sprayer market, the Performer Row Crop. Displayed for the first time at SIMA 2013 in size 270/95R48, Firestone will expand the Performer Row Crop tyre size line up to include 85, 90 and 95 series in the near future. “Firestone concentrates on solutions that give farmers a more efficient and sustainable way of working, through savings in fuel consumption and working time” says Harald Van Ooteghem, senior manager marketing planning, Bridgestone Europe.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
