Heads roll at Toyo in light of earthquake dampner scandal
On 23 June Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. chairman Akira Nobuki resigned and executive corporate officer Tetsuya Kuze was demoted in order to take responsibility for Toyo Chemical Industrial Products Co., Ltd.’s sale of non-compliant seismic isolation rubber products. Four more executives announced their retirement. All the personnel changes take effect from 1 July 2015.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Dunlop Tires Germany to relocate remaining Wittlich PCR production
Another of Goodyear Dunlop’s European plants has today announced plans to cease a portion of its production in addition to the planned withdrawal from Wolverhampton. Tyrepress sister site Reifenpresse.de reports that Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany informed its employees of its intention to relocate remaining car tyre production from Wittlich to other plants within the region EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa). PCR production has been shifted away from the plant gradually for several years, with the latest announcement completing cessation of Wittlich’s production of these products.
Continue ReadingFirst Goodyear retread redundancies expected in October
Following the news of Goodyear’s planned closure of its Wolverhampton mixing and retreading operations, Express & Star journalist, Peter Madeley has quoted “a union spokesman” on Twitter, saying that the closure proposal was “out of the blue”.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Dunlop Wolverhampton retread plant closure: history and reaction
The proposed closure of Goodyear Dunlop’s Wolverhampton retread plant will bring to an end 90 years of tyre production in the city. The factory was part of the first Goodyear factory outside USA, when the manufacturer first started producing new tyres in the city in response to post-World War One import tariffs designed to boost British industry. At its peak, the manufacturer’s operations in Wolverhampton were estimated to have provided more than 7,000 jobs, making it one of the most significant players in the local economy. This role diminished throughout the 2000s, as Wolverhampton job losses became a regular occurrence.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Dunlop to close Wolverhampton retread plant
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK has announced a proposal to close its Wolverhampton mixing and retreading facility. Under the proposal, the company would move its compound mixing activities and the production of commercial retreads to other existing sites across the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. It has been reported that the process of transferring operations would be completed over the next two years under the closure proposal.
Continue ReadingZC Rubber’s Thailand factory in production
Ge Guorong, vice president of Zhongce Rubber Group (known as ZC Rubber), visited Thailand for an update on construction progress of ZC Rubber Thailand factory in March.
Continue ReadingChemChina (UK) Ltd founded
On 4 June, Pirelli’s largest single shareholder, ChemChina announced that it had set up ChemChina (UK) Ltd., as a wholly owned subsidiary of ChemChina Petrochemical Co., Ltd. According to the company, this business serves as “a London-based trading platform that will effectively complement its sister company ChemChina (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. to build around-the-clock trading networks covering various fields”.
Continue ReadingPirelli and Rosneft expand partnership
During the course of the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Marco Pirelli CEO Tronchetti Provera and Igor Sechin (chairman of the majority of Russian state-controlled oil company Rosneft) announced that their companies had deepened the partnership entered into in late 2012.
Continue ReadingRosneft buys 30% of ChemChina subsidiary
Ren Jianxin, chairman of China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina) and Igor Sechin, President of Rosneft, signed an equity investment and crude oil supply deal on 20 June 2015 during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Continue ReadingLehigh Technologies establishes European subsidiary – local production to follow
In the eight years since US-based green materials manufacturer Lehigh Technologies first brought its micronised rubber powder (MRP) to market, the substance has been used in the production of at least 300 million new tyres around the world. Today Lehigh sells its MRP in numerous markets, including several in Europe, and in order to better serve its customers in our region (as well as those in the Middle East and Africa) the company has now opened a wholly-owned subsidiary in Spain.
Continue ReadingWest European trailer market starts 2015 well
A new report suggests demand for heavy goods trailers in Western Europe was strong at the start of 2015. Registrations of new trailers are forecast to grow by 12.8 per cent in the first half and 4.7 per cent in the second, according to the research conducted by Clear International. Overall the market is expected to be stronger than anticipated six months ago.
Continue ReadingApollo appoints J. Walter Thompson as global creative agency
Apollo Tyres has appointed J. Walter Thompson Company as its global creative agency. According to Apollo, the agency won after a multi-agency pitch. J. Walter Thompson Company replaces Apollo Tyres’ earlier agency, The Brooklyn Brothers.
Continue ReadingACEA guide underlines importance of automotive industry to Europe
The European Automobile Manufacturers Associations (ACEA) new Pocket Guide highlights the impact the automotive industry has on the European economy. This years Pocket Guide highlights the continuing importance of the automotive industry to the European economy, said Erik Jonnaert, secretary general of ACEA. Its statistics show an industry that continues to provide employment and mobility, generate tax and trade revenue, and lead the world in terms of innovation.
Continue ReadingDunlop Aircraft Tyres signs tyre supply contract with Garuda Indonesia
Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has clinched a three-year deal to support Garuda Indonesia’s fleet of Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen regional jets. Announced at Paris Air Show, Dunlop estimates that the contract with the airline’s maintenance company, GMF AeroAsia, will be worth in excess of US$3 million. It is the first time that Dunlop, the world’s only dedicated […]
Continue ReadingHankook Europa League sponsorship goes into extra time
Hankook has announced that its sponsorship contract with the UEFA Europa League will continue for another three years. The tyre manufacturer will be an official partner to the prestigious club competition until the end of the 2017/18 season, having started in 2012. Explaining the latest contract extension, Hankook stated that sport sponsorship activities are an integral part of the company’s marketing strategy in the region. It claims this strategy has contributed to 13 and 6 per cent increases in consumers’ awareness of and references to the brand respectively in the European market. Many of the tyre industry’s biggest brands have capitalised on the huge global popularity of the beautiful game.
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