Continental employees benefit from first company daycare centre
Continental describes the opening of its first children’s daycare centre as a “milestone in its strategy of supporting families.” The Hanover-based facility opened on 1 August and has space for 50 children aged between eight weeks and school age. Continental employees working at the Vinnhorst, Stöcken and Vahrenwald sites in Germany are able to use the new centre. In addition to local educators, an English-speaking employee will be present at the daycare centre at all times so that, as human resources representative Claudia Heinrich explains, “interactions with foreign languages will be integrated into the children’s daily routine in a playful manner.”
Continue ReadingSpeedline Truck exhibiting at Swedish truck show
Between 20 and 23 August Speedline Truck will participate at Elmia Lastbil, for the first time. The international commercial vehicle show is held every two years in Jönköping, Sweden, together with its Swedish distributor NicNac. With the focus on this large trucks and trailer fair in Scandinavia, Speedline truck reports that it aims to strengthen its position on the Scandinavian market in order to also take on a leading role there in the future.
Continue ReadingKanwar speaks on Cooper and future growth at Apollo AGM
Onkar Kanwar has used the opportunity afforded by his company’s 41st Annual General Meeting to share Apollo Tyres’ view of why the planned acquisition of Cooper Tire & Rubber never materialised. The Apollo chairman also spoke on upcoming plans and the market opportunities and challenges the tyre maker has identified.
Continue ReadingMichelin seeks participants in anniversary US treasure hunt
In 1889, Édouard Michelin took over a factory in Clermont Ferrand, France that produced farm machinery and rubber balls, and renamed it Michelin et Cie. Exactly 125 years have passed since that fateful acquisition, and part of its celebrations in this anniversary year, Michelin is calling on interested parties to take part in a “treasure hunt across the United States with the world’s largest location-based activity: geocaching.”
Continue ReadingHungarian union holds Hankook Tire demo
Yesterday the Federation of Chemical Workers of Hungary (VDSZ) held a demonstration against Hankook Tire Hungary Ltd. and what it views as the tyre maker’s harassment of union officials at its plant in Rácalmás. The VDSZ called upon other unions and workers to display solidarity by attending the protest.
Continue ReadingKumho seeks to repurchase bus company
Around two years ago, Kumho Tire’s parent company the Kumho Asiana Group was heavily indebted, and sold its Kumho Buslines bus operation to a private equity company. Now the Korean conglomerate intends to repurchase the business, however concerns exist that the purchase price may end up being too high.
Continue ReadingOver 70 killed in explosion at Kunshan, China wheel plant
An explosion at Zhongrong Metal Products Co Ltd killed at least 70 people on 2 August. One source put the figure as high as 75. According to the local People’s Daily newspaper, 44 died in the initial blast with others being pronounced dead in hospital. National broadcaster CCTV reported that 187 others were injured in the blast, although other sources put this figure at 200 or more.
Continue ReadingEuropean Commission approves Bekaert acquisition of Pirelli steel cord business
The European Commission has approved the proposed acquisition of the steel tyre cord business of the Italian company Pirelli by its Belgian-based rival NV Bekaert SA under the EU Merger Regulation. According to an official statement dated 31 July, the commission concluded that the acquisition “would not raise competition concerns as the merged entitys customers, which are large, multinational tyre companies, have countervailing buyer power which is further strengthened by over-capacity in the steel tyre cord market.”
Continue ReadingOTR sector worth more than $100 million to China’s retreading industry
In its report, China Tire Retreading Industry - Overview and Forecast to 2017, Shanghai-based China Research and Intelligence states that China’s retreading market increased by more than ten per cent year-on-year to reach a volume of 18 million tyres in 2012. This volume represented a market scale in excess of RMB 6 billion (£575 million, $972 million). Most retreading is carried out by smaller operations, added China Research and Intelligence; of the 500 or so retreaders in China, in 2012 only 20 had an annual production of more than 100,000 units.
Continue ReadingTyres punctured to express Ukraine solidarity
The Belarus Digest reports that some residents of capital city Minsk have taking to puncturing tyres on Russian-registered cars they encounter. The publication opines that these attacks on cars bearing Russian number plates are in part occurring due to the increasingly “radical” attitude of some Belarusians towards Russia, a stance linked to the conflict in Ukraine. “These tyres appear to be just one example of their growing displeasure,” wrote the Belarus Digest’s Ryhor Astapenia. He added that this radicalisation is also the by-product of the authoritarian political climate in Belarus, under which “many feel they have no way to express their dissent other than by piercing the wheels of cars.”
Continue ReadingEU new CV market rises for 10th month in a row
Figures from European motoring organisation ACEA reveal that, in June, the EU market of new commercial vehicles expanded for the tenth consecutive month. Demand increased by 10.3 per cent, totalling 166,107 units. Growth prevailed in the van segment, as well as that of buses and coaches, while the truck segment declined. All major markets expanded, from 3.8 per cent in France to 6.5 per cent in Germany, 8.6 per cent in Italy, 18.9 per cent in Spain and 25.5 per cent in the UK.
Continue ReadingSuperior Industries closing Arkansas wheel factory
Yesterday Superior Industries International, Inc. announced it will close its Rogers, Arkansas wheel manufacturing plant as part of an initiative to cut costs and increase competitiveness. The firm expects to cease operations at Rogers by the end of 2014. Production will be shifted to other Superior manufacturing facilities, including those in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Chihuahua, Mexico, and is anticipated to generate a net $15 million labour cost savings year-over-year. Approximately 500 jobs will be lost.
Continue ReadingFinal determination given in Toyo design infringement claim
In its final determination on the tyre design patent infringement complaint that was filed by Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. and Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas on 20 September 2013, the US International Trade Commission issued limited exclusion orders and cease-and-desist orders to the eight remaining respondents. These orders prohibit them from importing or selling any infringing tyres. Each respondent was found to be in default and in violation of the law prior to the 28 July determination.
Continue ReadingLatin Tyre Expo donates $10,000 to childrens’ charity
Organiser of the Latin American & Caribbean Tyre Expo, the Latin Expo Group has donated $10,000 dollars to Aldeas Infantiles SOS Panama. Around the World in SOS deals with children who are at risk when their basic needs are neglected terms of material, emotional, health care and education, or are abused - either because they have lost their parents, never have known them, or when parents do not have the resources or skills to properly care for their children.
Continue ReadingGoodyear reaches military employment target early, makes new pledge
Two years ago, Goodyear Tire & Rubber said it would hire 1,000 United States ex-military personnel over the coming three years. Today, the company announced it surpassed this goal more than a year early, and has pledged to hire an additional 1,000 veterans. The company has also formed an employee veterans association, which is devoted to supporting the transition to civilian life and enabling internal networking opportunities.
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