ZC Rubber Group Co. Ltd., (ZC Rubber) China’s largest domestically owned tyre manufacturer, has established a Brazilian subsidiary company – ZC Rubber Brazil Importation and Exportation (ZC Brazil). The new company is located in San Paulo, Brazil’s capital city and economic centre. The subsidiary, overseen by Guorong Ge, ZC Rubber vice president, sales reportedly focuses on supporting the local distribution channel, developing new products for the local market and after-sales service for the wider South American market.
The BBC has claimed that VW deliberately cheated emissions tests in Europe, in addition to the US emissions scandal it has admitted to. In addition the BBC’s Panorama programme also questioned the emissions behaviour of an Opel Zafira, which appeared to emit more NOx in both hot and cold engine conditions than European legislation allows.
New Versaperm designed to speed up permeability testing
The new Versaperm VI is designed to make permeability testing “very much faster, cheaper and more accurate”, according to the system’s manufacturer. In addition, the new system simulates temperature cycling with it as well.
Kesoram asked to clarify Birla tyre plant ‘revival’ news
The BSE has requested a clarification from India’s Kesoram Industries Ltd regarding a news article that states the company is reviving a project to manufacture passenger car tyres at its Basalore Birla Tyres plant.
MRF receives state approval for Sadasivpet tyre plant expansion
India’s MRF Ltd has reportedly received approval from the government of Telangana to instigate an Rs 9 billion (£89.5 million) expansion of its Sadasivpet tyre factory in the state’s Medak district. The company first made its expansion plans public in April 2015, quoting an investment sum of Rs 9.8 billion and claiming the project would create an additional 900 jobs. The Sadasivpet announcement followed news in March 2015 that the tyre maker would invest Rs 45 billion in an ‘ultra mega project’ to expand its Perambalur and Arakonam plants in Tamil Nadu.
Yokohama’s Virginia factory becomes ‘zero landfill operation’
Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Virginia has become the latest Yokohama manufacturing plant to be a zero landfill operation. The tyre manufacturer’s US plant, in Salem, Virginia, has recently adopted processes and practices to reduce waste, and as a result “all waste generated at YTMV now goes to non-landfill options such as recycling, reuse or energy recovery,” according to Neil Dalton, Yokohama Corporation of North America director of environmental health and safety.
The US Department of Commerce (DoC) has granted Latin Expo Group LLC Trade Fair Certification to organize the official United States Pavilion at the Latin American & Caribbean Tyre Expo 2016 exhibition at the ATLAPA Convention Centre, Ciudad de Panama, Panama, 13-15 July 2016.
Omni United won the prestigious 2015 Enterprise 50 Award for the third consecutive year. This prestigious honour is given to the top 50 Singapore-based companies for their outstanding business management, innovation, market presence and contribution to the economic development in Singapore and abroad. In 2014 Omni United was ranked 13th in the Enterprise 50 Awards and this year the ranking has improved to 11th position.
TyreSafe helps Britain’s largest motorway police group measure tread depth
TyreSafe has presented Central Motorways Police Group (CMPG) commanding officer, Superintendent Paul Keasey, with tread depth gauges to help it implement its tyre safety policy. The CMPG is responsible for over 400 miles of Britain’s busiest motorway network, reaching from the Welsh borders through to Cheshire and across to the East of Birmingham. Comprising specially trained officers from the West Midlands, West Mercia and Staffordshire police forces, CMPG is the largest single motorway police group in Britain.
Fate distributing Cooper tyres in Argentina – production, research collaboration may follow
The signing of a letter of intent between Cooper Tire & Rubber and Argentine tyre maker Fate opens the door to a number of cooperative possibilities, including joint research and development and the offtake production of Cooper tyres in Argentina. Initially, however, the two companies’ work together involves Fate serving as a distributor of Cooper-branded passenger car, light commercial vehicle and SUV tyres in Argentina alongside its own tyre portfolio.
Some two years after Swiss firm Gebrüder Schaad was acquired in its entirety by Denmark’s Starco and relaunched as Starco GS, production of the former Schaad range has ended at the Sübingen site in Switzerland. Starco GS wheels are now produced at the Starco production facility in Beli Manastir, Croatia. Starco states that while this transfer of production “marks the end of a proud era of special wheel manufacturing in Switzerland,” it will also result in the Starco GS product range reaching an even wider market than before.
Bridgestone takes majority share in Slovakia’s A.R.S.
Bridgestone has acquired a majority shareholding in Slovakian tyre retailer and retreader A.R.S. spol sro. The Japanese tyre major hasn’t disclosed how much it paid for its shareholding or what the post-transaction ownership structure of A.R.S. looks like, however it states that the deal will “guarantee the stable growth of A.R.S. and will give customers access to best quality products and highest level of services.” The former Michelin strategic partner’s eight service locations will now be rebranded under the ‘Bridgestone Partner’ name and its retreading operation joins Bridgestone’s Bandag network.
Continental AG’s ContiTech division is close the 100-year-old former Goodyear plant in Bowmanville, near Durham, North Carolina, USA in mid-2016. Workers were told the news on 13 November 2015. The Bowmanville plant makes conveyor belts for mining, coal and tar sands operations and has reportedly been hit by slowing demand from the global mining industry.
Marangoni, GRP form Indian retreading joint venture
Indian reclaimed rubber producer GRP Ltd has announced its entry into a joint venture agreement with Marangoni S.p.A. The two partners will contribute a total of Rs 20,000,000 (£198,000) to the project; GRP says it will draw upon the Italian retreading specialist’s technical knowledge in order to commence the retreading of pre-cure retreading of commercial vehicle radials within India, and the company also expects the joint venture will strengthen its raw material collection network.
Doublestar and HF TireTech Group expand cooperation agreement
Qingdao Doublestar Rubber and Plastics Machinery Co. Ltd., the sister company of tyre manufacturer Qingdao Doublestar, has expanded its cooperation with well-known German tyre manufacturing equipment manufacturer HF TireTech Group.
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