Taraxagum – Continental unveils brand name for dandelion tyre rubber
More than three years ago, Continental stated that rubber sourced from the Russian dandelion was of “great interest” to the company as a potential substitute for natural rubber in its tyres. It commenced a joint research project with the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology and reported a breakthrough late last year. Now, at Continental’s press conference at the start of the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Germany, Tire division head Nikolai Setzer has introduced the brand under which the company will market its dandelion rubber products.
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Hankook a tyre supplier for Euro 6 Atego
In addition to supplying original equipment tyres to various MAN truck models, Hankook Tire has also secured original equipment approval for the vehicle said to be the best-selling distribution truck in the world, the Mercedes-Benz Atego.
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Nexen begins Czech ice hockey sponsorship
Earlier this year it announced plans to invest around £690 million to build a new 12 million tyre per annum factory, and now Nexen Tire has further strengthened its relationship with the Czech Republic by signing up as a sponsor for ice hockey team BK Mladá Boleslav. The agreement covers the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons and will give the tyre maker brand exposure in the stadium at home games and on player equipment, including helmets.
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Kumho Tyre begins Spanish La Liga football sponsorship deal
The Kumho tyre brand will be visible at La Liga BBVA football matches throughout the 2014/2015 season following the signing of an agreement between the Korean tyre manufacturer and the Spanish football league. The exposure will consist of a mix of free-standing logos positioned behind the goals and digital billboards around the periphery of the pitch. The initiative will support the work of both Kumho Tyre’s Spanish dealer network and those throughout Europe, by exposing the brand to the attendant crowds and an enormous television audience.
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Bridgestone holds annual TQM conference
More than 270 Bridgestone Corporation employees from around the world have attended the company’s fifth annual Bridgestone Group & Global Total Quality Management (TQM) Conference in Tokyo. Bridgestone reports that as has been the case since 2010, this years conference was held with the goal of encouraging ongoing and further improvement throughout the global Bridgestone Group. Examples were shared from various Bridgestone Group companies of activities that have led to improvements, with the aim of allowing attendees from around the world to learn from the efforts and accomplishments of their fellow employees.
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‘Obligations not fulfilled’ – Point S Development gives its side of the Dutch break-up story
In a statement released today, Point S Development has confirmed the March 2014 cancellation of the master franchise contract signed with shareholders in the Netherlands in 2010. A new Dutch headquarters, Point S Holland, has now been created. The statement arrives a day after Wim Reijmerink – managing director of the now defunct Point S Nederland operation – told Tyres & Accessories that a number of former partners were holding discussions to form their own tyre dealer cooperative.
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Hungary confirmed for first Apollo greenfield factory outside India
Apollo has confirmed Hungary as the location for its first greenfield facility outside India. The manufacturer says that Hungary was chosen having considered some of its neighbouring Central Eastern European and Asian countries. Apollo’s latest investment, which is planned to total 475m euros over the next five years, was approved by its Board of Directors today.
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Mahle Aftermarket introduces new division, appoints European head
This year’s Automechanika show in Frankfurt, Germany is the scene of several debuts for Mahle Aftermarket. The Mahle business unit specialising in spare parts is introducing its new Mahle Service Solutions division; this new division expands Mahle Aftermarket’s product portfolio to include repair shop equipment. Other first-time highlights on display this year (hall 3.0, stands A11 and A20) include complete solutions from Mahle for air management, oil management, piston systems and cylinder components, and engine cooling.
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Point S split in the Netherlands – “No winners, just losers”
For many years Point S Development has been coated in the glossy sheen of constant growth, but now a scratch has appeared in this growth story – and more than a dab of polish is needed to buff it out. The organisation’s Dutch operation is in acute danger of splitting in two as many local Point S partners consider the return on their master franchise fee too low, they see too little support coming from the company’s international headquarters and no real “European strategy”, and they wish to renegotiate their contracts. But the two shareholders in Point S Development – the national Point S organisations in France and Germany – appear uninterested in revising terms and conditions in the Netherlands, and therefore some Dutch partners are negotiating new franchise contracts elsewhere. Should Point S partners in other markets follow suit, we may see a process that results in no winners, rather only losers.
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Apollo Tyres to restructure African operation
Apollo Tyres Ltd has initiated voluntary business rescue proceedings for its Apollo Tyres Africa Proprietary Limited subsidiary. The company has informed the BSE that a specialist has been appointed to restructure its South African operation; the specialist’s evaluation will “decide the future course of action for the company in South Africa.”
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