Hämmerling sees ‘excellent opportunities’ in Africa
German wholesaler the Hämmerling Group reports a positive response at this month’s Tyrexpo Africa show in Johannesburg, with considerably more dealers, wholesalers and forwarding agents visiting the Hämmerling stand during the three exhibition days. A focus for Hämmerling at Tyrexpo Africa was its Athos and Mäxx truck tyres, Talas steel truck rims and Sämm truck retreads.
The project to expand Evonik Industries’ production of precipitated silica at its facility in Thailand is complete and officially opened on 14 March. The company says it invested a ‘lower double-digit’ figure in the expansion project, and while it hasn’t indicated the new capacity at the Maptaphut (Rayong Province) site, Evonik’s global capacity for precipitated silica, fumed silica, and matting agents now stands at around 500,000 tonnes. As well as supplying the tyre and automotive industries, Evonik will ship its precipitated silica to customers in the food, animal feed and paint and coatings sectors.
In its Annual Report for 2013, which was released today, Nokian Tyres estimates that approximately 111 million winter passenger car and van tyres were sold last year in its main regions of activity. This includes 69 million winter tyres sold in Europe (excluding the Nordic countries) out of a total of 230 million passenger car and van tyres sold in the region.
According to local body the Clarksville-Montgomery County Industrial Development Board, the site of Hankook Tire America’s future 140,000 square metre (1.5 million square foot) factory in the US state of Tennessee will be ready by 31 August. Board executive director Mike Evans said “we’re going to do everything we can to get the site ready to turn over to them by that time.” Evans told the full board that a contractor to handle the site work is expected to be selected shortly after a meeting on 17 March.
Conti planning to grow workforce by 7,000 this year
Assuming the market develops according to expectations, Continental intends to increase its global employee count by around 7,000 in 2014. This would bring the number on its payroll to approximately 185,000 by the end of the year. This is about 50,000 jobs more than in 2009, during the midst of the financial crisis. At the end of 2013, the employee count had reached around 178,000, with 50,000 of these positions based in the company’s home country, Germany.
Hankook gains European funds for second Hungarian plant
The European Commission has authorised €57.9 million of regional investment aid for Hankook Tire Hungary Manufacturing and Trading Ltd. This will be used to erect a second greenfield facility alongside Hankook’s plant in Rácalmás, which entered production in 2007. The new consumer tyre facility will produce ultra-high performance tyres, sealant and run-flat tyres, and these products will be sold globally.
France’s Groupe Massa (MPSA) has been appointed the sole national importer for the Aeolus consumer tyre range, which was first introduced into Europe last year. The company began supplying Aeolus products to the French market at the start of February and has accompanied its new distribution with an advertising campaign.
Team Toyo driver to attempt new ‘car ramp jump’ record
Toyo doesn’t produce aviation tyres, but this doesn’t stop its products getting airborne from time to time. On Sunday 16 March, a Toyo-shod vehicle will have a shot at the Guinness World Record for the longest car ramp jump; it’ll need a good run-up, as the record currently stands at 332 feet/101.19 metres.
It’s been a double victory for the home team as Continental receives first place in two German magazine polls. The tyre maker says, as you may expect, that it is very pleased with the results of the AutoBild and Auto Zeitung reader surveys.
Goodyear is Fortune’s most admired vehicle parts company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has been recognised as the world’s most admired motor vehicle parts company by Fortune magazine. The tyre maker rose from third place last year to top the current category list on the 2014 World’s Most Admired Companies list, and was ranked first within its category in five of the nine the key evaluated attributes: people management, use of assets, social responsibility, long-term investment and product/service quality. Goodyear’s overall score was 7.09. Michelin, the only other tyre maker named in the motor vehicle parts category, dropped two places since last year to number six and gained an overall score of 5.93.
US industry magazine Tire Review reports that workers at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co plant in Fayetteville, North Carolina were forced to evacuate the building early morning on Monday, 10 March. According to company officials, employees were evacuated at the plant around 2am after someone called in a threat. No one was injured, and […]
The new solution styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) manufacturing facility built by Sumitomo Chemical subsidiary Sumitomo Chemical Asia Pte Ltd in Singapore officially opened on 7 March. The 40,000 ton per annum plant will primarily supply the tyre industry and complements the company’s existing 10,000 ton facility in Japan.
Reifen show organiser Messe Essen reports that this year a fourth category is being added to the so-called ‘tyre industry oscars’, the Innovation Awards jointly bestowed by Messe Essen and main sponsor the BRV (Germany’s tyre trade and vulcanisers’ association) alongside the biennial trade exhibition. This new category is Motor Vehicle Service, which joins the existing Technology & Products, Service Concepts & Process Optimisation and Environmental & Resource Conservation awards in 2014. Messe Essen is accepting award recipient nominations until 31 March.
Nexen distances itself from Czech Republic plant rumours
Nexen Tire will soon make a decision on where to build its new plant in Eastern Europe, and several international news reports point to the Korean tyre maker choosing the Czech Republic. Yet Nexen denies having selected the country, or indeed any particular location, as its preferred site. Responding to news published by Czech News Agency and media questioning, an unnamed company official made clear what Nexen has already decided upon – and what it hasn’t.
Five weeks after its first high performance tyre was produced at the facility, Shandong Linglong Tyre Co. Ltd has inaugurated the initial phase of its ‘LLIT (Thailand) consumer tyre plant. The Chinese tyre maker’s first overseas project was opened on 22 February in the presence of approximately 500 guests from 180 countries. Upon the pressing of a ‘starting ball’ by Linglong Tyre president Wang Feng and six guests of honour, including Chinese ambassador to China Ning Fukui and Surender Singh Kandahari, president of the Al Dobowi Group, the production line stirred to life, marking the plant’s official entry into service.
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