MTP opens US$100 million off-highway tyre factory in India
Mahansaria Tyres Private Limited (MTP) commenced manufacturing at its greenfield off highway tyre factory in Panoli, in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
Continue ReadingCooper recalls 1,983 Cooper and Mastercraft tyres
In the USA, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has issued notification to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it is recalling 1,983 Cooper CS5 Grand Touring and Mastercraft LSR Grand Touring tyres. The affected tyres are 225 55R17 products, with DOT codes 2920 through to 3220.
Continue ReadingKumho wins Idea design awards for airless and hybrid tyres
Kumho’s next generation e-NIMF and e-TOPS tyres have been honoured with 2020 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). Having already received iF and Red Dot accolades in February and March respectively, has now won three of the world’s top design awards in the same year.
Continue ReadingReduced floorspace, more digital content – new format for The Tire Cologne
The exact timing for a return to a pre-2020 kind of normalcy is anyone’s guess, and this uncertainty makes event planning a risky undertaking. The organisers of tyre exhibition The Tire Cologne are therefore hedging their bets by combining the traditional trade fair format with a virtual show. Both are scheduled to take place between 18 and 20 May 2021.
Continue ReadingGPSRNR policy framework drives commitment to sustainable rubber sourcing
Members of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) convened the annual General Assembly on 23 September 2020. The event saw the approval of a members’ sustainability policy framework and the creation of a new membership category for smallholder producers of natural rubber.
Continue ReadingIran’s tyre manufacturing output refocuses on heavy tyres
The tyre manufacturing output of Iranian factories increased 26 per cent in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (1399 and specifically the period between 20 March and 21 August 2020) compared with the same period last year. Such growth is consistent with the Iranian tyre industry’s 10-year plan to double in size by 2025, which was publicised in 2015. And it also corresponds to earlier optimism related to Iranian tyre market growth, but what do the latest figures tell us about the product mix of the Iranian national tyre production base?
Continue ReadingSME Bank lends 48.7 million rubles to tyre pyrolysis firm Intech Eco
The Russian SME Bank has lent 48.7 million rubles (£497,000; 541,582 euros; US$633,100) to Intech Eco LLC, a tyre pyrolysis plant based in the Novokuznetsk industrial park, at the start of September 2020. According to local news reports the loan is for the purpose of building a large tyre disposal facility. Financing will be provided for five years under a program of Russias Ministry of Economic Development (according to the Russian Governments Decree No. 1764 dated 30 December 2018). The loan is said to be secured by a guarantee from Russian Small and Medium Business Corporation (RSMB Corporation), covering up to 50 per cent of the loan amount.
Continue ReadingBASF invests 16 million euros into Pyrum waste tyre oil recovery
BASF SE has announced that it is investing 16 million euros into Pyrum Innovations AG, a technology company specialized in the pyrolysis of waste tyres, headquartered in Dillingen/Saar, Germany. With the investment, BASF will support the expansion of Pyrum’s pyrolysis plant in Dillingen and the further roll out of the technology. BASF’s Pyrum investment follows the company’s partnership with New Energy, a similar tyre-derived oil project based in Budapest, Hungary at the start of September 2020.
Continue ReadingSiemens to bolster Nizhnekamsk plant logistics
Kama Tyres Tatneft’s Nizhnekamsk Truck Tyre Factory has signed an agreement with Siemens to expand the logistics system previously installed within the plant. This work is being carried out as part of the second phase of an expansion capacity project within the facility.
Continue ReadingNokian shifts tyre retail model focus
Nokian Tyres has shifted away from its Vianor retail franchise concept in Germany. The Finnish tyre manufacturer said that it is “continuing the close cooperation with our former Vianor dealers in a new, but similarly intensive way under our Nokian Authorised Dealers (NAD) marketing concept.” The move comes shortly after Nokian sold its US Vianor Tire Centers business to Point S, and signifies a move away from the Vianor branding outside the brand’s domestic-plus Nordic region, where Vianor is established with 186 Vianor Equity locations. Anna Hyvönen, SVP, Nordics & Vianor, told Tyres & Accessories that the company is enacting its plans to “optimise” its Central European and North American distribution network via NAD, “focusing on the quality of the partners and providing excellent support and benefits.”
Continue ReadingCooper Tire publishes 2019 Global Sustainability Report
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company released its eighth annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Report – “Responsibility the Cooper Way” – on 21 September.
Continue ReadingPirelli CFO partners with UN Compact ‘Principles of Integrated SDG investments and finance’
The UN Global Compact CFO Taskforce for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), brought together Chief Financial officers from leading companies around the world to launch “CFO Principles of Integrated SDG investments and finance” in the context of the 75th UN General Assembly on 21 September 2020.
Continue ReadingETEL, Kwik-Fit decline to comment on sale speculation
On Friday 18 September 2020, it emerged that Kwik-Fit and European Tyre Enterprises Ltd (ETEL) owner Itochu has appointed investment bankers Nomura to act as its strategic investment consultancy with relation to the future of its European tyre business. The move has been widely interpreted as sale preparation. In light of the news, Tyres & Accessories contacted ETEL and Kwik-Fit representatives in order to find out more. Both declined to comment officially. However, supplementary information on Itochu’s third-quarter 2020 and full fiscal year 2020 results give further details of the conglomerate’s explanation as to why the company did not present a 2021 profit forecast for ETEL as it normally would.
Continue ReadingDriveRightData partners with Bridgestone on Mobox project
DriveRightData is partnering with Bridgestone, providing tyre identification and product matching capabilities data for the tyre manufacturer’s recently-launched Mobox monthly tyre and car maintenance subscription service. DriveRightData information supplied includes brand name, product name, description, tyre and tread images, tyre size, pressure, rim size, load and speed index, run-flat capability, EU required labelling information and barcodes.
Continue ReadingHankook, SK Planet partner on road hazard detection sensor project
Hankook Tire & Technology Co., Ltd. Is jointly developing a road hazard detection solution with SK Planet. According to the companies, the sensor is designed to determine road conditions using artificial intelligence and deep learning technology in order to pre-emptively respond to road hazards. Analyzed road surface condition, and risk factors include rainfall, snowfall, black ice and accidents.
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