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The Bridgestone factory in Rome, Italy has become the company’s first tyre plant worldwide to achieve International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certification. The plant gained certification at the beginning of September thanks to its use of bio-circular and circular-based materials. Bridgestone EMIA says it will expand the assessment programme to further European plants from 2023.
India’s anti-dumping duties on Chinese-made TBR tyres are scheduled to expire this month, but tyre association ATMA requested a review of these on behalf of Apollo Tyres, JK Tyre & Industries and MRF. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies published the results of this Sunset Review on 16 September, recommending the government continue charging duties for a further three years.
Smart Automobile has unveiled the #1, a full-electric five-seater with a range of up to 273 miles. Official launch photos suggest that smart will offer all four models in the #1 range – the Launch Edition, Pro+, Premium and Brabus – with Continental tyres as a standard fitment. Images issued by the media team at smart Europe GmbH depict various versions of #1 equipped with Continental EcoContact 6 Q tyres in 235/45 R19 V XL.
The winter tyre tests conducted by European motoring associations this year include several recommendable, solidly performing products, as well as a few poor results. Testers looked at 33 tyres in the small car size 185/65 R15 and SUV fitment 215/60 R16. Reporting the results, they particularly encourage buyers to “take a close look at braking distances and wear” before choosing a tyre.
In response to growth in recent years, Falken Tyre Europe GmbH has added a further tier to its management. As part of this restructuring, Andreas Giese and Mario Pannwitz join Keiichi Miyamoto in the Falken Tyre Europe executive team. Falken will add “additional key positions” to the management tier over the medium term.
Continental considers the Russian dandelion an attractive alternative source of natural rubber for its tyres and has conducted research into its suitability for more than a decade. This Taraxagum project now has a new research partner, German plant breeder Kartoffelzucht Böhm.
Nexen Tire has become an original equipment supplier for the third-generation BMW X1 and the all-electric iX1. The tyre maker’s plant in Žatec, Czech Republic will manufacture a version of the Nexen N’Fera Sport tailored to meet BMW’s requirements for the compact SUVs. Nexen has not specified the tyre sizes it is supplying to BMW.
From 1 October 2022, Apollo Tyres will stop direct sales of Vredestein tyres in Norway and transfer distribution to wholesaler Norgesdekk. The two parties have negotiated an exclusive distribution deal covering supply of Vredestein-brand passenger car, light truck and classic tyres. Apollo Tyres Nordic AB will continue to sell the company’s off-highway and truck/bus products in all Nordic markets.
To meet demand driven by the rapid growth of its retread business, Bridgestone is investing US$60 million to expand its Bridgestone Bandag manufacturing plant in Abilene, USA. The project includes new mixing operations as well as an immediate shift to six and seven-day production schedules. The mixing facility will be operational by January 2025 and, together with the revised production cycle, will increase plant output by 16%.
This month, Hercules Tire and Rubber Company celebrates its 70th anniversary. Established as a cooperative by independent tyre dealers and retreaders seeking quality products at an affordable price, the company has grown into a value segment leader that today offers a comprehensive selection of tyres under its Hercules, Ironman and Dynatrac brands.
Sri Lanka-based off-highway tyre maker GRI has opened a new corporate office in the USA. Situated in North Carolina within the Research Triangle Park (RTP), a location chosen for its close proximity to a growing customer base, the facility will take over sales operations, customer support and logistics functions. This local presence will also facilitate GRI’s endeavours to develop products specifically for the North American market.
ZC Rubber claims to have been the first tyre company in China to recycle, reuse and repurpose its products, beginning its journey in 2005 with the establishment of its Recycling Technology and Service Center. The manufacturer is expanding its circular economy activities in 2022 with a new 5,000 tonne per annum tyre pyrolysis processing line as well as a Zhongce Recycling Technology production line that can produce 7,500 tonnes of liquid recycled rubber a year.
Thanks to its delivery of low-CO2 steel wheel options to commercial vehicle manufacturers and fleets, Maxion Wheels says it is “ahead of the curve on carbon footprint savings.” But the world’s largest wheel manufacturer anticipates that by 2025, it will be able to offer steel commercial vehicle wheels with a cradle-to-gate carbon footprint more than 65 per cent lower than current wheels.
Although Maxion Wheels is setting up a new facility for manufacturing forged aluminium commercial vehicle wheels, its traditional strength is steel wheels. Expansions in Turkey and Brazil have increased the company’s global capacity for these products to ten million pieces annually, and Maxion has now debuted what it claims is “Europe’s lightest mass-produced steel truck wheel.” The first of these lightweight wheels arrives in size 22.5 x 11.75.
The truck steel wheel plant that Maxion Wheels and Inci Holding have jointly built in Turkey is ready to open, and during last week’s IAA Transportation show the two companies additionally announced plans to set up a facility for manufacturing aluminium commercial vehicle wheels. Maxion Wheels says adding forged aluminium commercial vehicle wheels “rounds out” its globally leading steel wheels portfolio, making Maxion a “one-stop option for truck and trailer manufacturers.”
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