Versarien appoints chief technology officer
Versarien plc, the AIM-listed the advanced materials engineering group, announced on 7 January that it has appointed Dr Stephen Hodge as the companys Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Dr Hodge joined the companys board with immediate effect.
Continue ReadingTomket Tires sponsors SK Dynamo
One of the biggest football clubs in the Czech Republic, SK Dynamo České Budějovice, has named Tomket Tires as its back of shirt partner. The latest investment comes shortly after Tomket Tires announced its partnership with another leading Czech team, FC Zbrojovka Brno. The two Czech football sponsorship moves see Tomket Tires return to the company’s historic roots by sponsoring teams at the forefront of Czech football in the same manner as it does other teams in the top five leagues in global football.
Continue ReadingGoodyear and Conmet offer tyre and wheel hub analytics solution
In the US The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and ConMet announced a strategic collaboration to create combined digital solutions that will “better connect commercial truck fleets to the health of their tyres and wheel ends”. Billed as leveraging big data and utilising predict analytics, ConMet’s existing SmartHub is positioned as a stepping stone en route to autonomous vehicle technology.
Continue ReadingBridgestone: New technology to raise guayule rubber productivity
Bridgestone Corporation reports it has developed a new technology for improving the rubber productivity of guayule plants. It worked on this technology in a joint development project with Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, a company perhaps better known for beer and other beverages.
Continue ReadingContinental halving sticker waste
We associate the slogan ‘every little helps’ with a well-known supermarket, but the idea of small savings adding up to a large one applies to more than just baked beans and washing detergent. From this month, Continental is making do without one of the two stickers it previously affixed to new tyres sold in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region. By doing so, it expects to avoid around 110 tonnes of plastic waste per year from the stickers themselves as well as waste from the backing foil.
Continue ReadingGoodyear invests in autonomous delivery service provider
Goodyear Ventures, the venture capital arm of Goodyear Tire & Rubber, has added Starship Technologies to its investment portfolio. Goodyear Ventures joins multiple investors helping to raise US$17 million for the autonomous delivery company.
Continue ReadingDynamic simulator for Goodyear’s European test centre
With the addition of a new DiM250 Dynamic Driving Simulator, the Goodyear Innovation Center in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg will gain greater tyre testing capabilities. The equipment supplied by VI-grade, a provider of real-time simulation software and driver-in-the-loop simulators, will also enhance technical collaboration between Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s European operation and its headquarters in Akron, USA, where another DiM250 recently entered operation.
Continue ReadingBorbet Group joins ASI
At the start of this year the Borbet Group became a member of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). The alloy wheel manufacturer shares that its decision to join the ASI as of 1 January 2021 reflects an intention to actively address ecological challenges in the field of sustainable wheel production.
Continue ReadingPFPR takes on Vredestein public relations in Europe
Apollo Tyres Europe has appointed UK-based agency PFPR Communications to conduct public relations for the Vredestein brand in Europe. Working across the company’s business in the passenger car, off-highway, and truck and bus sectors, the specialist automotive agency will handle public relations strategy, media relations and asset generation alongside a host of other communication tasks.
Continue ReadingHankook partners with Tableau Software for next-gen business intelligence
Solutions provided by Tableau Software are driving digitalisation within Hankook Tire. The tyre maker shares that thanks to Tableau’s data-driven analytics platform, it has gained “next-generation business intelligence.”
Continue ReadingEuropean OE tyre sales down -18 to -23% in 2020 – ETRMA
The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) published its members’ sales for the year 2020 as well as the last quarter of 2020, reporting that Covid 19 “strong affected” the market. The Original Equipment (OE) segments were said to have been “most strongly affected”, recording reductions of -23 per cent in the consumer tyre business and -18 per cent in truck tyres. That much is logical in light of the widespread closure of vehicle manufacturing under pandemic-related lockdown conditions across Europe during 2020.
Continue ReadingThe top tyre stories of 2020
Even for the best forward-planners, 2020 was a year of surprises. And while the word “unprecedented” has been worn out during the last 12 months, it is difficult to find another more appropriate term. With everything from business closures, to a global pandemic (and with the pandemic resulting in lockdowns, factory closures and spikes in online and mobile tyre business), there certainly has been a lot going on. That’s why in January we crunched the numbers relating to our website traffic in order to find our what exactly were the top 10 stories of 2020.
Continue ReadingContinental expected to outperform Q4 2020 estimates
Despite the pandemic-led pressures of 2020, Continental AG will outperform the consensus of analyst estimates of its fourth-quarter 2020 financial performance, according to Jefferies Equity Research. Specifically regarding Continental AG’s fourth quarter 2020 results, Jefferies estimate group adjusted EBIT of 3.3 billion euros compared to a consensus of 2.7 billion, implying their calculations are 21 per cent above consensus:
Continue ReadingAir France extends, broadens Michelin partnership
A decade ago, Air France entered into a ten-year tyre supply contract with Michelin. The French airline has now renewed this arrangement, extending its partnership for a further ten years. The Michelin Group will equip the companys short-, medium- and long-haul aircraft, except for the Boeing 787, with new and retreaded tyres primarily produced at the company’s Saint Doulchard plant in Bourges, France
Continue ReadingNokian Tyres introduces flexible shift model at Finnish car tyre plant
A new contract covering the workforce at the Nokian Tyres plant in Finland will allow for more flexible working hours in 2021. Nokian Tyres says the contract covers approximately 400 people engaged in various functions related to car tyre production and “enters into effect immediately.” The contract remains in force until the end of the year.
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