Bert Stellinga Leaves Vredestein
Vredestein (UK) Ltd managing director, Bert Stellinga, left the company on Friday 7 September. According to company officials, there are no plans to appoint an acting managing director and are no immediate candidates for the newly vacated position. Tyre & Accessories understands sales and administrative roles will be headed up from within the existing team while a suitable replacement is found.
Continue ReadingExtra Light Wheel From Carlsson
Carlsson wheels have always had a good reputation in the Mercedes tuning sector and the companys latest product – the 1/11 Evo Brilliant Edition (BE) looks set to enhance this even further. Based on the successful 1/11 BE wheel, the new 22 wheel has been developed for use on Mercedes ML, R and G class vehicles. As well as visual impact, the 1/11 Evo BE offers greater ride comfort and considerable weight saving, says Carlsson. The distribution of the 11 spokes means that the forces acting on the wheel are transferred to the centre of the wheel, thus making thick walls unnecessary and saving weight. Grooves in the spokes save even more weight, with the result that the 1/11 Evo BE weighs 20.3 kg – over 3 kg lighter than comparable, one-piece cast aluminium wheels, with no reduction in strength.
Continue ReadingPetr Zolotarev Appointed Amtel-Vredestein CEO
Petr Zolotarev recently stepped into the role of CEO of Amtel-Vredestein, following the anticipated resignation of Alexi Gurin. The company has further announced the appointment on July 1 of Vadim Pesochinsky as company CFO. Mr Gurin initially intended to leave the company once the terms of his departure were completed following his resignation becoming effective on July 1. However Mr Gurin agreed to remain as a member of the Executive Board until August 1 to aid in the transition to new management and to assist with the completion of the Companys debut Eurobond. Petr Zolotarev was most recently the chief executive officer of OJSC Russian Machines, which includes Group GAZ, aviation plant Aviacor and carriage-building enterprise Abakanvagonmash. Mr. Zolotarev also holds the position of chairman of the board of GAZ, the leading Russian commercial vehicle producer. Previously, he was acting president of Yukos Refining and Marketing.
Continue ReadingBeru Appoints New CEO
During a meeting on August 27 the Supervisory Board of Beru AG agreed upon the appointment of Dr.-Ing. Thomas Waldhier as member and chairman of its Board of Management, a position that he will commence on October 1. Dr. Waldhier has more than ten years of experience as a member of management boards in companies supplying the automotive industry. Since April 2004 he has been member of the management board at SAS Autosystemtechnik, Karlsruhe, a joint venture company between Faurecia and SiemensVDO.
Continue ReadingFormer BKT CEO & Equity Firm Buy Alliance Tire
Former Balkrisha Tyres CEO Yogesh Mahansaria and global private equity company Warburg Pincus have jointly acquired Israel’s Alliance Tire Co. for approximately US$150 million. The new owners intend to establish a greenfield facility in India to complement the agricultural and OTR tyre specialist’s existing Israel based production, with the facility in India serving as a site for the low cost sourcing of products. Joseph Anglister, president of Alliance Tire said “we welcome the new ownership. An investment by a leading international investor such as Warburg Pincus combined with Yogesh Mahansaria’s extensive experience in the off-highway tyre industry will provide an impetus to our long-term objective of growing Alliance’s product library, strengthening our relationship with existing customers and tapping new markets.”
Continue ReadingAmerityre Names Benninger as President and CEO
Amerityre Corp. has promoted chief operating officer Dr Gary Benninger to president and chief executive of the company. Benninger, 64, will become president immediately and will succeed Richard Steinke as CEO from 1 September. Steinke, 63, will serve as a full-time technology consultant once Benninger becomes CEO. In January 2007, Mr. Steinke announced his intention to step down as chairman and chief executive officer of the company as part of the company’s overall management succession plan. The board of directors selected Dr. Benninger following months of deliberations and interviews with several potential candidates proposed by an independent executive search firm. Dr. Benninger has been serving as the company’s chief operating officer since October 2005.
Continue ReadingASE Taps Zilke as New President and CEO
(Akron/Tire Review) The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has made some staff changes. The board of directors named current COO and CFO Tim Zilke to succeed Ron Weiner as president and CEO. Weiner had served as president and CEO for the last 25 years. Zilke, who first joined ASE in 1991, will take the reins as of Jan. 1, 2008. “Over the last 30 years, Ron’s contribution to the organization has been enormous,” said Stan Elmore, ASE board chairman. “Under Rons leadership, ASE has enjoyed tremendous growth and earned a prestigious reputation within the occupational testing industry. Ron has developed a great team that will step up to fill his shoes and drive ASE into the future without missing a beat. He has agreed to remain available to assist ASE as a consultant.” In addition, ASE promoted Trish Serratore to senior vice president and extended Bill Kersten’s tenure as president of the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation.
Continue ReadingPutin “Banned” Execs from UK Forum – Amtel-Vredestein CEO
According to Bloomberg news, a number of Russian business leaders have withdrawn from the annual Russian Economic Forum in London at the last minute, following what Alexei Gurin, CEO of Amtel-Vredestein NV called an unofficial and maybe official ban by President Vladimir Putin. Theres an unofficial, and maybe official ban for politicians to come to this forum in London, said Mr. Gurin. Russians tend to speak much more openly and frankly being outside of Russia. I dont know why it happens, but its a matter of fact.
Continue ReadingKumho Adds Three Sales Managers
(Akron/Tire Review) Kumho Tire USA Inc. has added three sales managers to its ranks. Aaron Duty joins Kumho as a regional sales manager for southern California and Arizona. He had been a district sales manager for Toyo Tire (USA) Corp. Before that, he served as a service technician with Sears Automotive and previously as a fabricator and engineering laboratory technician. Duty earned a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from California Polytechnic State University. John Krajewski has been appointed a regional sales manager for Wisconsin, Illinois and northern Michigan. He spent 15 years with U.S. Tire & Exhaust and five years with Chem-Trend, a company that sells mould release chemicals to the tyre industry. Krajewski earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northern Illinois University.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Employees Receive CEO Award for Safety Initiative
Bridgestone CEO and president Mr. Shoshi Arakawa has presented a special award to the company’s global sales teams in recognition of their efforts in promoting the Think Before You Drive road safety campaign. The campaign, which was launched in 2005 and emphasises basic safety measures including regular tyre pressure and tread depth checks, has in a short time spread to 73 countries around the world.
Continue ReadingHankook Tire Appoints New Global CEO
Hankook Tire has announced the appointment of the company’s current President and COO of Hankook Tire Europe, Mr. Seung Hwa Suh, to the position of Global CEO. Mr. Suh, the person Hankook accredits as the driving force behind its new production facility in Hungary, officially took on his new role on March 5.
Continue ReadingMore Women Wanted!
Automotive Skills has won a major bid for a Women & Work project for the UK retail motor industry – part of a wider funded Women & Work Sector Pathways Initiative. The £10 million initiative is designed to encourage women to consider careers in traditionally male-dominated professions. With an average of less than 20 per cent of the motor industry workforce made up by women, one of the key challenges facing the sector is how to attract a more diverse workforce which can contribute to increased productivity and performance and develop new ideas and improved methods of working.
Continue ReadingNew Appointments at Blackcircles.com Support Rapid Expansion
Innovative tyre retailer Blackcircles.com has announced two new additions to its executive team as it prepares for another year of exciting growth. Launched in 2001 by managing director Mike Welch (28), the online tyre retailer has set a new quality standard for the tyre industry and strong sales in 2006 has seen it create the two new posts of commercial director and head of finance.
Continue ReadingTyre Company CEOs Endorse Environmental Research Programme
The Chief Executives from leading tyre companies in North America, Japan, Korea and Europe met on 9th February in Los Angeles, to review progress and set a forward-looking agenda for their global research program dealing with potential environmental and health impacts of their products.
Continue ReadingAshley Croft To Leave Micheldever
Ashley Croft, Warehousing, Logistics and Wholesale Sales Director of Micheldever Tyre Services, has resigned from the company. Ashley Croft was one of the original six members of management involved in the Buy Out of the company in February 2006.
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