Cooper Expecting Continued RM Rise in 2011
Having raised the prices of its US passenger and light truck tyres by 6.5 per cent, Cooper Tire has told analysts in a conference call that the manufacturer expects raw materials costs to rise into 2011, as suggested by reports in the Financial Times and on tyrepress.com yesterday. Increased demand from automotive suppliers, especially in China and India, alongside unhelpful weather conditions in the rubber tapping season in south-east Asia have driven natural rubber prices continually upward in 2010.
Continue ReadingGajah Tunggal Boosts Profits with Increased Sales, Reduced Expenses
Indonesian tyre manufacturer Gajah Tunggal has increased its nine-month operating income (981.3 billion Indonesian rupiahs; £68.6 million) and net income (664.2 billion IDR; £46.4 million) by 29.4 and 10.7 per cent respectively on the back of rising sales in domestic and export sales during 2010’s first three quarters. A report by Bisnis Indonesia said the country’s largest tyre producer scored particularly high sales in the USA, which have risen 42.5 per cent to total 840.7 billion IDR.
Continue ReadingYokohama Reports Sales and Earnings Gains in 1H 2010
The Yokohama Rubber Company announced today that its sales in the first half of the present fiscal year (1 April – 30 September, 2010) increased 17.9 per cent over the same period of the previous fiscal year, to 238.3 billion yen. Sales in Yokohama's tyre operations increased 18.5 per cent over the first half of the previous fiscal year, to 184.9 billion yen, reported the manufacturer.
Continue ReadingBelshina to Open Brazil Trading House
Belshina has announced that plans are afoot to open a trading house in the Brazilian city of Vitoria to “develop the company’s goods distribution network” in one of the world’s fastest growing economies and across South America. The Belarusian company has exported agricultural, truck and bus tyres to the country for the last eight years.
Continue ReadingFormer Kumho Asiana Head Returns to Role
Kumho Asiana Group has re-appointed its former chairman Park Sam-koo. The Korea Herald reported that Park’s comeback was agreed amidst refinancing negotiations between the Group and the Korea Development Bank, its main creditor. Park Chan-bup stepped down from the chairmanship two months ago, and Park Sam-koo’s appointment will allow greater concentration on restructuring measures, which company officials told the paper would improve operational earnings.
Continue ReadingGoodyear EMEA Sales Remain High, Q3 Operating Income Down on 2009
Goodyear’s Europe, Middle East and Africa third quarter sales increased 7 per cent from last year on top of a “strong price/mix performance” to $1.7 billion despite being hit by $0.1 billion in unfavourable forex translation, making them the highest since the third quarter of 2008. The company continues to post improved figures for the year to date, with sales up to $4.68 billion in the first nine months (from $4.24 billion in 2009), yielding an operating income of $259 million – way up on last year’s $41 million.
Continue ReadingCooper Tire to Pay Out 155th Consecutive Quarterly Dividend
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company today announced a quarterly dividend of 10.5 cents per share on common stock, payable 30 December, 2010, to stockholders of record at the close of business 2 December, 2010. This will mark the 155th consecutive quarterly dividend paid by the company.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Posts Loss on RMs despite Highest Sales in 2 Years
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company today posted its highest third quarter 2010 sales and tyre unit volumes since the third quarter of 2008. Yet under pressure from spiralling raw materials cuts, alongside charges for refinancing debt, the manufacturer ended up with a $20 million loss largely due to consistently high costs throughout the quarter, especially in raw materials. The company made a net profit of $72 million in the same period in 2009.
Continue ReadingAPI Increases Select Brand Prices
American Pacific Industries increased prices by up to 10 per cent on all Achilles, Advance, Armour, Farmking, Gladiator, Hartland and Pegasus brand tyres, effective immediately, reports Tire Review. API cited “continued raw material escalation, led by the unprecedented increase in natural rubber” as the reasons for the increase.
Continue ReadingHankook Delays US Price Increase citing "Supply Difficulties"
Hankook Tire America , which previously announced it would raise prices on all consumer and commercial tyres effective with shipments on 1 November, has postponed the increase until 1 December due to “our current supply difficulty,” reports Tire Review.
Continue ReadingHankook Continues to Grow Sales in Q3, Operating Profit Down
Record quarterly sales in the emerging markets of Korea, China and Hungary helped Hankook achieve growth in sales following the slight downturn in 2010’s second quarter, though year-on-year operating profit remained 40.6 per cent down on the Korean manufacturer’s 2009 results. Sales topped 1.5 trillion South Korean won (£840 million), recording 7.1 per cent year-on-year increase. The company’s third quarter operating profit was KRW163.4 billion (£91.5 million), 8 per cent down on the second quarter, where rising raw materials costs have continued to be a factor. Hankook stated it aims to achieve a sales target that exceeds KRW5 trillion (£2.8 billion) this year.
Continue ReadingMichelin 9-month Sales up 20%
Michelin has reported that its net sales for the first three quarters of 2010 shot up 19.4 per cent to 13 billion euros. According to the company, the growing figures reflect increased unit sales growth across all sectors and follow a particularly sustained recovery in unit sales of passenger car and light truck tyres. As a result of the good third quarter figures, Michelin reaffirmed is predictions that the company would achieve around 12 per cent growth in unit sales by the end of 2010, “close to 9 per cent operating margin before non-recurring items” and positive free cash flow for the year. Referring to the company’s third quarter sales of 4.65 billion (which were up 24 per cent year-on-year), financial analysts praised the fact that the results were 6 per cent ahead of consensus estimates. However, writing in an investor’s note published 27 October, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote that this figure was largely down to better-than-expected foreign exchange rates. Sales growth is said to have equated to +15 per cent excluding foreign exchange effects during the quarter.
Continue ReadingTrelleborg Relocates in North American Headquarters
Trelleborg Wheel Systems is relocating its North American Headquarters and distribution centre, reports Tire Review. The move from Hartville, Ohio, to Fairlawn, Ohio, allows space for further expansion, greater warehouse capacity and more efficient logistics, the company said. “This was a difficult decision after 80 years in our Hartville location,” said Ydo Doornbos, managing director of Trelleborg Wheel Systems Americas Inc.
Continue ReadingConti to Pump 500 million euros into Emerging Market Tyre Production
Continental AG chief executive Elmar Degenhart has shared details of how the automotive supplier is planning to invest 500 million euros into its tyre business in an interview Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper. According to the report, Degenhart admitted that Continental should have invested more in its tyre division during the past five years.
Continue ReadingAnalysts Welcome Pirelli Broadband Sale, Expect Aggressive Capital Investment
Despite affirming that Pirelli’s recent sale of its broadband business confirms the company’s focus is on its tyre operations, some financial analysts have responded by saying Pirelli’s stock sentiment has peaked for the time being. Their thinking is that the company is on the brink of announcing a series of capital expenditure investments. In response to news that Pirelli sold its broadband operations to ADB for 30 million euros, a Morgan Stanley investor’s note said: “We valued the business at 13 million equity value, the sale price is 30 million (the difference is irrelevant for the share price).”
Continue Reading
