Work starting on Continental’s Russian dandelion rubber lab
For the past six years, Continental has worked with partners on projects to source rubber from Russian dandelions for its tyre production. In 2016, the company announced plans to establish a new facility for industrialising this process. A seven-acre site in Anklam, not far from Germany’s Baltic coast, was selected for this research laboratory. The tyre maker now reports that groundbreaking for the 35 million-euro initial phase of its Taraxagum Lab Anklam will take place this coming Monday.
Continue ReadingDmack to follow home rally victory with Rally Australia
Dmack is preparing for the final round of the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship still basking in the afterglow of its debut FIA World Rally Championship event victory at Wales Rally GB. The Kennards Hire Rally Australia, based around Coffs Harbour between Brisbane and Sidney, will bring the tyre supplier’s most successful season to a close. Dmack describes Rally Australia as a demanding way to round off the championship, with a varied mix of high-speed gravel roads on offer.
Continue ReadingNew real-life research into recycled tyre oil
New Australian research into the properties of oil from recycled tyres will evaluate the performance and emissions of commercial vehicles under actual operating conditions including engines that are representative of heavy duty trucks, light weight commercial vehicles, 4x4s and SUVs. The ‘on-truck’ tests will be conducted on a Kenworth K200 semi-trailer that will leave the Tytec Logistics depot at Wacol, Brisbane this week and undertake the 1200-kilometre journey to the Rio Tinto Hail Creek mine, south of Mackay, North Queensland. It was slated for departure on Tuesday 7 November, with the actual results to be calculated and revealed a week later.
Continue ReadingA maturing industry
For a long time people have referred to the European tyre market in general and the UK tyre market in particular as mature markets. This kind of maturity is generally taken to mean low growth markets that are already well developed. Here markets are significant in size and 1 to 2 per cent growth per annum is normal. However, a number of recent market research reports give us the opportunity to reconsider this assumption on two grounds - firstly, with technology developing as it is, quantitative growth should be considered in a wider context; and secondly there is the qualitative question.
Continue ReadingA third of VW ‘defeat devices’ remain unfixed
Mary Creagh MP, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, has written to John Hayes MP, Minister of State at the Department for Transport, to express the Committee’s concerns around the lack of progress of applying fixes to cars equipped with ‘defeat devices’, with a third of cars remaining unfixed. Meanwhile, On 30 October 2017 Judge Charles Breyer of the US District Court for the Northern District of California upheld car dealers’ arguments that Bosch’s involvement with the VW defeat device emissions scandal violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the same law used to bring charges for mafia-related crime and other organized racketeering.
Continue ReadingApollo Tyres & research partner obtain ENR patent
A patent has been granted in India for a special grade of epoxidised natural rubber (ENR) jointly developed by the research and development team at Apollo Tyres and the Rubber Research Institute of India. The tyre rubber compound was granted patent no. 287630 by the Government of India’s Patent Office on 21 September.
Continue ReadingGlobal TBR market to reach $152.4 billion by 2027
Smithers The Future of Global Truck Tires to 2027 research reports that the value of this sector will reach $107.6 billion in 2017. With year-on-year growth forecast at 3.5 per cent across the next decade, this will reach $152.4 billion in 2027. After adjusting for price and raw material fluctuations, gains in tyre manufacturing productivity, and then consumer potential of greater value adding features; volume consumption of all truck tires will increase at a rate of 3.2 per cent per year from 2017–2027.
Continue ReadingOsram and Continental planning intelligent lighting JV
Osram and Continental are set to establish an intelligent lighting joint venture. The global joint venture will operate under the name Osram Continental GmbH and have its registered office in the Munich region. Osram and Continental will each have a 50 per cent stake in the joint venture. The aim is to generate annual sales in the mid-triple-digit-million-euro range with a workforce of around 1,500 employees and 17 locations worldwide.
Continue ReadingGlobal brake market to reach $31.11 billion by 2025
The global automotive brake systems market is expected to be worth US$ 31.11 billion by 2025, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. This is said to be being driven by rising vehicle production and sales and growing disposable income.
Continue ReadingZC launches Smart Tire System
The SEMA Show in Las Vegas hosted the first overseas launch of ZC Rubber’s ‘Smart Tire System’ ahead of the cloud-based tyre lifecycle management platform’s release within the region. The system is intended for use with buses and trucks used in a range of application, and assists in the monitoring of tyre temperature and pressure, vehicle position, as well as fleet management. Through the use of the Smart Tire System, ZC Rubber aims to achieve “win-win cooperation” with its dealers and customers.
Continue ReadingFootball: Continental signs up for 5 more years with Bundesliga club Hannover 96
Continental has extended its relationship with German Bundesliga football club Hannover 96 through the signing of a new sponsorship agreement. The new contract covers a five-year period, beginning in the 2018/19 season, and includes television and in-stadium advertising slots. A further aspect of the new contract is Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH’s support of the new Hannover 96 junior academy that opened in summer and serves as a training facility and home ground for the club’s U11 to U23 clubs.
Continue ReadingUniversity of Arizona receives US$15 million grant to research Guayule
The University of Arizona has received a five-year grant of up to $15 million from the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Institute of Food and Agriculture to lead a new centre focusing on the mass production of biofuels and bioproducts in the Southwestern US.
Continue ReadingFalken 8th in updated social media ranking
In a preview of what may come in the 2018 Tyres & Accessories social media ranking, Falken Tyres UK has come eighth in an updated version of the 2017 table. Due to the fact that @FalkenTyreUK is a new handle and didn’t show up when we were conducting searches earlier this year, Falken UK’s data has only just come to light.
Continue ReadingAlfred Graham re-elected to ITMA presidency
Alfred Graham will continue as president of the International Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ITMA) after he was re-elected to the ITMA presidency. The vote was called as Graham had served his two year period of office, following which the association’s constitution requires the presidential selection process to be initiated. However, he was unanimously re-elected at the association’s annual general meeting recently held in Spain where it was also agreed he would continue as ITMA’s director.
Continue ReadingTrelleborg acquires tyre operation in Germany
Through its Trelleborg Wheel Systems business, Sweden’s Trelleborg AB has acquired German earthmover tyre specialist White Baumaschinenreifen GmbH. The transaction was consolidated yesterday.
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