Korean manufacturer Nexen Tyre has announced its plans to increase production at its Chinese plant in Qingdao from eight to ten million units, this year. Speaking in front of around 100 Chinese dealers at the 2013 Nexen Tyre Annual Awards in Yunnan, China, Nexen said it also plans to expand its sales activities with more intensive regional marketing and innovate market-specific products from its Qingdao research and development centre.
Blackcircles.com managing director Michael Welch has hinted that company may employ a closer relationship with leading supermarket Tesco as one way of moving towards its goal of £100 million (around 10 per cent of the UK market) in the next five year. Welch revealed the plans in an interview with The Telegraph published on 26 February, which also gave details of the guidance the company has received from a number of ex-Tesco executives and particularly former CEO Sir Terry Leahy.
According to Emmanuel Ladent, president of Michelin’s Agricultural Tyres global business unit, exhibitions like the Paris-based SIMA show give the tyre maker an opportunity to demonstrate its capacity for innovation. Speaking at SIMA, Ladent commented that “trade shows of this size serve as showcases that enable us to demonstrate the tangible solutions we develop for our customers, whether they are users, dealers or equipment manufacturers.”
Simon Winstanley has taken over as Michelin’s motorcycle tyre sales manager for the UK and Ireland. Based at the company’s headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent, Winstanley will head-up a field sales force of four account managers and one key account manager. With 13 years of experience in the tyre industry, Winstanley has worked in a number of departments at Michelin and has held various marketing and sales roles. His most recent position was as manager of the Michelin customer service centre in Stoke-on-Trent.
Hercules Tire & Rubber is recalling certain 16 and 17-inch fitments in its All Trac A/T 10-ply road range. In a notification lodged with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the tyre maker reports that an unspecified number of tyres manufactured between mid-2008 and 2010 can potentially experience in-servnice belt and tread separations. Hercules says it will notify owners and replace the affected tyres free of charge.
An article printed in the China Daily states that Pirelli will double passenger car tyre production at its Shandong Province plant through a US$200 million investment. Pirelli Asia Pacific CEO Gregorio Borgo is quoted as saying the expansion is necessary due to potential domestic market demand for both passenger car and 4×4 tyres.
Despite a dip in the overall market last year, some analysts are predicting that global heavy and medium truck sales will increase “moderately” in 2013 owing to rising demand from so-called Next-11 countries and other emerging markets.
The report by Frost & Sullivan forecasts that the combined GDP of key commercial vehicle markets will grow at 3 to 3.5 per cent in 2013. This is expected to stoke medium-heavy truck sales growth at the rate of 4.3 per cent in 2013. Furthermore, the slowdown in Europe and moderate expansion in truck demand in North America will be largely offset by robust growth in Next-11 and other Rest of World (RoW) markets, resulting in global medium-heavy truck sales reaching 2.8 million this year.
Maurice Taylor may not be cut out for a high level diplomatic posting, but the man certainly knows how to run a profitable company. In the 2012 financial year Titan International increased its sales 22.4 per cent US$1,820.7 million – a record for the company. Gross profit for the year grew 26.7 per cent $294.1 million, or 16.2 per cent of net sales, as compared to $232.1 million, or 15.6 per cent of net sales in 2011. Income from operations in the current year was $174.7 million, compared to $132.2 million in 2011, an increase of 32.2 percent, while net income for year-end 2012 was $95.6 million, compared to $58.2 million in 2011, an increase of 64.3 per cent.
Apollo Vredestein is launching two new product lines this week at one of Europe's largest agricultural exhibitions, SIMA 2013 in Paris. The company is displaying the new Vredestein Greentrax for lawn and ground care equipment and new Apollo tyres for industrial and construction machinery. The Greentrax range will be available from March 2013, while the new Apollo tyres will be introduced by the end of the month. This is a significant step for Apollo, since the new products represent the launch of the Apollo brand in the industrial sector in Europe.
Kings Road Tyres (KRT) has announced that it will exhibit at the new construction industry show, Plantworx as distributor of Michelin’s industrial tyre range. Taking place on 14-16 May, 2013 at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry and, with backing from the Construction Equipment Association and more than 100,000sqm of space devoted to live construction equipment, KRT says it is likely to be the largest event of its kind in the UK.
Mitas has debuted its Super Flexion Tyre (SFT) at SIMA, the international agricultural exhibition, in Paris. Mitas SFT tyres are made for high-horsepower tractors (>180 hp). Mitas has been selling American-made SFT tyres in North America since summer 2012. The SFT tyre on display at SIMA has been manufactured in Europe.
Proxes R35A have been chosen by Toyota for original equipment fitment on the new Prius+. The first full hybrid seven-seater in Europe has been equipped with Toyo 215/50 R17 91V Proxes R35A from launch.
Toyo Proxes R35A tyres reportedly help the Prius+ to offer the lowest emissions of any seven-seater on the market.
Nexen and Stapleton’s have released details of the two companies’ holiday promotion after what they have described as “an overwhelming response that exceeded all expectations…” The seven lucky winners and their travel companions are now said to be looking forward to “some serious globetrotting, in considerable style”.
B&J Rocket has launched a long marketing programme, which the company hope will communicate that “loyalty pays off”. And it was with these words that Andreas Müller, managing director of B&J Rocket, kicked off the new Q-Plus global marketing campaign which stretches across the whole calendar year.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has reported its fourth quarter and full year 2012 results, including record net sales of US$1.1 billion in the final quarter, and increase of two per cent on the same period a year earlier. Operating profit also reached record levels in the fourth quarter, amounting to $124 million – $65 million higher than fourth quarter 2011 and 11.7 per cent of net sales. The company reported net income attributable to Cooper Tire & Rubber Company of $1.15 per share, or $73 million in the fourth quarter.
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