![AutoBild puts campervan tyres to the test](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/AUTO-BILD-Reisemobil.jpg)
AutoBild puts campervan tyres to the test
Not many tyre testing niches exist within AutoBild Group publications, and another one has now been filled: Testers have added a one-tonne load to a VW Crafter and tested seven size 235/65 R16C tyres on the laden vehicle. Two tyres – the Hankook Valtra LT and Pirelli’s new Carrier Camper – were voted test winners – and were rated “exemplary” along with Michelin’s Agilis+. Continental’s VancoCamper and Dunlop’s Econodrive occupied the mid-field with “satisfactory” ratings. Two tyres, the Firestone Vanhawk and the Nankang Passion CW-20, were rated “not recommended”.
Continue ReadingShort spell in prison for French Goodyear union members
Last week, five members of the CGT union, employed at Goodyear’s Amiens Nord factory in France, were briefly taken into custody for incidents dating as far back as 2008. Head of CGT representation at the plant, Mickael Wamen, plus Sébastien Lupo, Christian Hareux, Reynald Jurek and Franck Jurek were imprisoned on 26 March and released 38 hours later. Their time in custody was linked to a complaint filed by one of France’s trade union confederations, the CFE-CGC, six years ago. The complaint was dismissed at the time but later reopened. The five men are accused of acts of violence, vandalism and making death threats.
Continue ReadingMichelin seeking solutions beyond tyres in business incubator scheme
Michelin is working with Indian Angel Network (IAN), a New Delhi-based organisation that brings together entrepreneurs and start-up/early stage ventures, in a joint initiative to assist entrepreneurs in creating innovative mobility solutions for a more efficient delivery of produce from farm to market. The initiative, named Farm to Market Logistics (F2ML), is an incubator managed by IAN and supported by Michelin. It seeks ideas that will reduce waste in the food supply chain through new practices, behaviours and solutions.
Continue Reading![Media prize for Bridgestone tyre launch event](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/adrenalin.jpg)
Media prize for Bridgestone tyre launch event
Bridgestone has won the ‘Deutscher Mediapreis 2014’ award in Germany for its launch of the Adrenalin RE002 urban sports tyre in 2013. The tyre maker’s ‘Ultimate Experience’ launch event was voted top in the ‘Media Idea of the Year: brand experience/event’ category. The award was received by representatives of international media agency PHD Germany and OMG Fuse, agency for brand staging and social media, on behalf of Bridgestone Europe at the Mediapreis awards ceremony in Munich on 6 March.
Continue ReadingConti planning further PCR capacity in India
At the start of this month, Continental introduced truck and bus radials into the Indian market. The company is working towards an annual capacity of 220,000 TBR tyres in addition to the 1.1 million cross-ply tyres it produces each year in India. The company also has plans to further increase its passenger car radial capacity there.
Continue Reading![China to host Michelin’s ‘Challenge Bibendum’ in November](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/challenge-bib.jpg)
China to host Michelin’s ‘Challenge Bibendum’ in November
It’s back after an absence of three and a half years – between 11 and 15 November the Michelin Challenge Bibendum returns. This time the sustainable mobility action takes place in Chengdu, China; the choice of location was announced at a joint press conference by the Michelin Group and the Chengdu municipal government. The five-day event will mainly take place at the Chengdu International Intangible Culture Heritage Exposition Park and will follow the theme of “Innovation in Mobility at the Heart of Growth & Urban Well-being.”
Continue ReadingNokian Tyres revises forecast – sales, operating profit to decline
Due to a weaker economic forecast for Russia and the CIS, Nokian Tyres has downgraded its guidance for 2014 and now says net sales and operating profit will decline this year compared with 2013. This latest forecast replaces that published on 7 February, in which Nokian Tyres said it was positioned to show growth in net sales and operating profit this year.
Continue ReadingContinental signs first Canadian retreader
Continental Tire the Americas reports that it has signed up its first retreader in Canada. Montreal area retreader Pneus et Rechapage Uni has become the first retreader in the country to obtain a license for ContiTread brand flat pre-cure treads, and will now supply authorised Continental truck tyre dealers throughout Eastern Canada with ContiTread retreads.
Continue ReadingAeolus, Athlete, Linglong agri a Reifen focus for Heuver
Heuver Tyrewholesale has announced it will once again attend the Reifen trade show, which takes place in Essen, Germany this May. The wholesaler says its trade fair schedule features a lot of time for maintaining and expanding customer relations, while also highlighting the latest products by its important and exclusive (in eight markets) brand Aeolus. In terms of wheel rims, Heuver will give specific attention to the Athlete brand. It will also focus on the latest agricultural tyres by LingLong, which Heuver distributes in a number of markets. The Heuver stand can be found in Hall 2, stand number 2E48.
Continue ReadingMRF looking at growth options
Indian tyre maker MRF Ltd. is eyeing several acquisition opportunities but remains cautious over committing itself to inorganic expansion, chairman and managing director K.M. Mammen told The Times of India. Referring to the aborted deal of major Indian rival Apollo Tyres, whose acquisition of Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. came undone, Mammen told the newspaper, “You can acquire like how my dear friends did and then get slapped.” He added: “There is a way of acquiring. You should acquire what you can swallow. A bad acquisition can kill you.”
Continue Reading![Ceat radial production getting a boost in Sri Lanka](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ceat.jpg)
Ceat radial production getting a boost in Sri Lanka
Production capacity at Ceat Kelani Holdings’ site in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka will rise by almost 70 per cent following the entry into operation of a new plant dedicated to passenger car and SUV radial production. When the new tyre building machines and curing presses start production in April, CEAT Kelani will increase its radial tyre building and curing capacity from 23,000 tyres per month to 39,000. The facility has been established through an investment of Rs 600 million (£2.8 million).
Continue Reading![Groundbreaking takes place for Bridgestone’s factory in Russia](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/BS-Russia.jpg)
Groundbreaking takes place for Bridgestone’s factory in Russia
Almost a year after Bridgestone’s plans to establish a joint-venture factory in Russia’s Ulyanovsk Oblast region were made public, groundbreaking was held at the site of the tyre maker’s future passenger car radial factory on 1 April. The facility will be erected on an 81 hectare site around 900 kilometres (560 miles) southeast of Moscow, and production is expected to start in the first half of 2016. Plant output estimated to reach approximately 12,000 units a day by the second half of 2018.
Continue Reading![Conti to sponsor Asia Pacific football cup](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/conti-football.jpg)
Conti to sponsor Asia Pacific football cup
Football sponsorship has been a favoured means of brand promotion at Continental since it became a Champions League partner in 1995, and in addition to its numerous global, regional and national commitments it has now signed up as an official sponsor of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015. At the centre of this deal with the Asian Football Confederation is a championship taking place in Australia between 9 and 31 January 2015; teams from 46 countries will be involved and match coverage will reach up to 2.5 billion spectators.
Continue ReadingReiff posts a net loss for 2013
Germany’s Reiff Group, whose business portfolio includes tyre and wheel wholesale and retail activities, has reported that “two negative influences” affected its business in 2013: A one-off effect of €4.9 million and a drop in margins in its tyre business. Group turnover fell 3.6 per cent year-on-year to €509 million, with €358 million coming from its tyre and auto business. The company reported a net loss of €8.7 million; in 2012, it achieved a net profit of €0.6 million.
Continue ReadingUS motorists getting more tyre satisfaction
According to a new study from J.D. Power, the number of problems owners in the US experience with their original equipment tyres declined 22 per cent to 68.5 problems per 100 vehicles in 2014 - down from 88.3 in 2010. The 2014 Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study also found the incidence of all tyre problems measured has declined over the five-year span, with the largest improvements in fast tread wear, slow leaks and uneven wear. The study measured tyre owner satisfaction after two years of vehicle ownership in four segments: luxury, passenger car, performance sport and truck/utility. Satisfaction was examined in four factors: tyre wearability, tyre ride, tyre appearance, and tyre traction/handling.
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