Cooper plans Ohio technical centre to supplement Melksham facility
Cooper has formally announced its plans for a $35.5 million Global Technical Center in Findlay, Ohio, Tire Review reports. Located at the tyre-maker’s headquarters the new tech centre will occupy the same building as the company’s North America Technical Center (NATC). Expected to be operational by the end of the year, the GTC will supplement the tyre-maker’s regional tech centres around the world, including its Asia Technical Center in Kunshan, China, its European Technical Center in Melksham, England, and its NATC, on site.
Hankook scales back production, sets record inventory glut
Hankook has slowed its production in response to amassing a record inventory glut. Seoul’s Yonhap News Agency reports that the manufacturer has 660,000 unsold tyres, or 8.5 per cent of its monthly 7.75 million production capacity. The agency quotes an unnamed Hankook source as saying that the growth in demand expected after March had failed to materialise, leading to the surplus.
Kumho has confirmed that it is moving forward on its plans for a plant in the US, as Tire Review reports the Korean manufacturer has made a request for funding. Yonhap News Agency reported a Kumho official confirmed that a funding request has been made with banks for the Macon-Bibb, Georgia location. The official however hinted […]
Swedish agricultural implement manufacturer Väderstad has recently added Starco to its portfolio of certified strategic suppliers. In common with other certification processes completed by Starco in recent years, the Väderstad certification began with a comprehensive audit of the most vital aspects of Starco’s product and service, including quality, product variance, delivery on-time, cost, and service factors such as purchasing, spare parts, service quality and logistics. The audit also included two focus areas of importance to Väderstad; delivery precision and production lead time. Starco shares that it scored top points in the focus areas of quality and delivery.
China-based Triangle Group Co. Ltd. may already be the world’s 15th largest tyre manufacturer, according to Tyres & Accessories’ latest global tyre manufacturer ranking, but it is clear that the company is intending to go far further than this. Rhetoric to this effect is not uncommon amongst Far Eastern businesses, but as is always the case, actions speak louder than words. With its latest appearance in Essen Triangle has begun fleshing out its plans to take the company from being a Chinese manufacturer with export sales to being a large international manufacturer with global reach.
Falken Tire Corp to phase out Ohtsu truck tyres in USA
Falken Tire Corp., a unit of Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd., will phase out the Ohtsu brand name for commercial tyres in the US market, Tire Review reports. The company will re-introduce it to the market as an associate brand for its passenger and light truck tyre lines. US distribution of Ohtsu CV tyres, a fellow Sumitomo brand, was brought under the control of Falken Tire Corp. in 2009.
Australian tyre industry fixture Bob Jane has made headlines in his homeland again after violating a court order that forbad him from using his own name. On 19 June, the Federal Court of Australia found Jane in contempt of court for failing to comply with a November 2013 decision.
On 31 May Linglong Tire signed an two year sponsorship deal with the Federation of Uganda Basketball Association (FUBA). The partnership, which will see financial and material assistance extended to Uganda’s national basketball team, is the first of its kind in the African Continent.
Bridgestone postpones Thailand plant start as mining slowdown continues
It appears declining demand has prompted Bridgestone to postpone the start of production at its OTR tyre factory in Thailand. Bloomberg reports comments to this effect made by chief executive officer Masaaki Tsuya on 15 June. Tsuya said a new production start date will be announced when demand for mining tyres returns – adding that this may take “some time”.
Cooper Tire dedicates relocated Asia Technical Center
The formal dedication for Cooper Tire Asia’s new technical centre facility took place on 12 June, the company reports. The Asia Technical Center (ATC) in Kunshan, China is located near the Cooper Kunshan Tire (CKT) plant some 30 miles/50 kilometres from Shanghai. The new, purpose-built facility replaces the ATC operation in Shanghai and will house 65 material scientists and tyre engineers. The ATC is one of four Cooper Tire & Rubber technical centres around the world, and focuses primarily on the design and development of passenger car and truck tyres for the Asian and Chinese markets.
Fresh from entering into the top 10 of global tyre makers, Giti Tire has announced that it will build a new $560 million passenger car, SUV and light truck tyre tyre factory, creating about 1,700 new jobs in Chester County, South Carolina during the next decade.
Nexen appoints Seung-Do Jin as new European president
Nexen Tire has appointed Seung-Do Jin, a former Hankook Europe head, as president Nexen Tire Europe. Jin has years of professional experience and, according to the company, his team will be able to align the company in order to “meet all future challenges successfully”.
Members of the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company technology team are gaining assistance with two projects – one focusing on development of a coating for tyre moulds and the other on RFID technology – from the boffins responsible for the US space programme. On 12 June, members of the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company technology team were part of a group that consulted with scientists and engineers from the NASA Glenn Research Center at a meeting at the University of Toledo, and the tyre maker says a second Cooper team will soon travel to NASA Glenn Research Center for a similar consultation with subject matter experts.
Yokohama signs new labour agreement with steelworkers union
Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Virginia, LLC (YTMV) has signed a new four-year contract with United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1023, according to Tetsuro “Tex” Murakami, president of YTMV, located in Salem, Virginia.
“Both parties worked diligently to achieve a contract that is fair and equitable for all involved,” Murakami said, “and it highlights the positive working relationship between the two sides.”
The 85th Geneva International Motor Show will run between 5 and 15 March 2015 at Palexpo, the exhibition’s organisers have announced. In parallel, the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (Zurich University of the Arts) has been mandated for the creation of the official poster/graphic for the 2015 edition of the show.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
