At Agritechnica Mitas unveiled its Very High Flexion (VF) tyre for sprayer applications, the VF HC1000. The company displayed the new VF 380/90R46 173D HC 1000 TL on its show stand ahead of the range’s 2014 commercial launch.
Indian off-road tyre manufacturer TVS Srichakra has unveiled its latest TVS Eurogrip tyre at the Agritechnica show. The Tigertrac is a newly-developed range of agricultural radials suited intended for both farm and on-road use.
During the Agritechnica show, Mitas reported that its new factory in the Czech Republic town of Otrokovice has commenced full capacity tyre production. The company built the 24,000 square metre plant within one year and invested approximately CZK 1 billion (£30.9 million) in the project. The new Otrokovice plant produces Mitas and Continental-branded agricultural radials and has a 42,000 tonne per annum capacity.
A Canadian firm is setting up what it says will be North America’s largest tyre retreading plant. The CA$37 million facility in St. Mary’s, Ontario will open in February 2014 and operator Green Arc Tire Manufacturing Inc. stated in a press release that it will remould up to 3 million passenger, SUV and light truck radials a year at the facility.
Two tyre makers have both pledged aid to support relief efforts in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan on 8 November, and a third is contributing to aid efforts following the earthquake there three weeks earlier.
Current low prices for butadiene rubber have been singled out as a key reason why sales within Lanxess’ Performance Polymers business declined eight per cent year-on-year to €1.1 billion in the third quarter of 2013 despite a 14 per cent rise in volumes. Lanxess says lower raw material prices, especially butadiene, led to selling prices dropping 19 per cent. Sales were also hampered by negative currency effects.
The Grizz, aka Maurice Taylor, would have growled at Titan International’s designation as Zacks Investment Research’s ‘Bear of the Day’ on 13 November. Explaining why Titan was Zacks’ Ursidae of choice yesterday, Tracey Ryniec, a strategy analyst with the investment industry firm, opined that Titan International continues to suffer from a build-up in tyre inventory in the farm and construction industries and weak pricing.
Toyo Tire & Rubber’s third quarter 2013 results, published on 12 November, show a 10.5 per cent year-on-year increase in net sales for the June to September quarter, to ¥268.2 billion (£1.7 billion). Third quarter operating income, at ¥24.7 billion (£155.6 million), was up 159 per cent year-on-year and offered a 9.2 per cent margin.
At this month’s SEMA show in the US, the China Manufacturers Alliance (CMA) displayed the first Warrior brand passenger car tyres sold in North America, the R29 and R30. The Warrior range, the product of a joint-venture between Double Coin Holdings and Michelin Tire Group and manufactured by Double Coin Group (Anhui) Warrior Tyre Co., was re-introduced in the Chinese domestic market in May 2012 following a two year absence.
A supply deal finalised with Mercedes-Benz in October will see some S-Class models fitted with 19-inch versions of Bridgestone’s Potenza S001 as original equipment. Bridgestone says the Potenza-equipped S-Class will be sold globally.
With its new SprayBib VF420/95R50, Michelin says it has introduced a size that is unique in the crop-conditioning segment. The new tyre is on display at Agritechnica this week and the tyre maker says this extension of the range demonstrates its “ability to integrate innovative technologies that satisfy farmers’ needs throughout the crop cycle.”
The head of the Syndicat des professionnels du pneu (SPP), the organisation representing the tyre industry in France, has added his voice to those who say the European tyre label has little influence on consumer purchase decisions. SPP president Régis Audugé was quoted by Reuters on 13 November as saying “The effect (of the label) has been weak, not to say non-existent.”
Didn’t know today was World Quality Day? Neither did we. Nevertheless, the United Nations-established event has been held since 1990 and aims to increase worldwide awareness of the important contribution quality makes to national and organisational growth and prosperity. Continental says 16 of its Tire division locations around the world are participating in the day; under the slogan “Continuously Striving for Best in Class in Quality, employees will organise events and activities in order to raise quality awareness.
Swedish tyre distributor and retreader the Colmec Group now operates in Poland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Finland, where it established a new service and sales organisation in May 2013. The company reports it has now taken the next step towards building up a full sales and service organisation there by appointing a sales manager for the Finnish operation.
As the Chinese government announced the modernization of its governance system – including further acknowledge of the role market forces play in its development – the minister responsible for the tyre industry joined other dignitaries in opening Reifen China 2013 in Shanghai today. Early visitor numbers are not yet available, but there are anecdotal indications that the show is on-track to achieve is pre-exhibition goals in terms of both visitor and exhibitor numbers. The show’s organisers also launched RubberTech Europe 2014 preparations on opening day (more on this below).
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