The two Goodyear managers held against their will by workers at the company’s Amiens Nord factory in France have been freed, various news sources report. Their release occurred several minutes after police entered the facility. Related news: Amiens Nord workers protesting again Goodyear lodges complaint over managers’ ‘boss-napping’ Drug Sting Brings Arrests, Warrants at Goodyear […]
On 6 January, six U.S. International Trade Commission commissioners unanimously voted not to revoke the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on certain off-the-road tyres produced in China. The ITC says the decision was taken to retain the orders as their repeal “would be likely to lead to a continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.”
Goodyear kidnappings a serious crime, says Titan’s Taylor
Commenting on the enforced confinement of two Goodyear managers at the companys Amiens Nord plant in France, Titan Internationals Maurice Taylor has made it clear that he considers the action a serious crime. The Titan boss, whose company recently reappeared as a potential buyer for the Amiens Nord agricultural tyre business, added that he views the French governments lack of response to this boss-napping as crazy.
The tyre market in Saudi Arabia is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12 per cent between 2013 and 2018. Thats according to research published 6 January by TechSci market analysts. According to the TechSci, the strong growth rate comes as a result of continuous growth in automotive sales coupled with the increasing demand for tyres in the replacement market. The report, “Saudi Arabia Automobile Tyre Market Forecast and opportunity, 2018”also says that the majority sales in the country’s tyre market are contributed by the passenger vehicle segment.
Bridgestone rebranding, closing ‘Expert’ retail outlets in US
Following a recent review of its 80 Expert Tire outlets in the US, Bridgestone Retail Operations closed 15 centres at the end of last year and is rebranding the remainder. Of the 65 outlets still in operation, 63 will become Firestone Complete Auto Care centres and two are being rebranded as Hibdon Tires Plus stores.
Nexen signs sponsorship deal with Germany’s VFL Wolfsburg
Nexen Tire has taken on a new European sporting commitment with the signing of a sponsorship contract with German football club VFL Wolfsburg. The contract gives Nexen exposure through the 240 metre-long LED advertisement board and other advertising positions at the team’s home stadium, Volkswagen Arena, and on the VFL Wolfsburg homepage for the 2013-14 half season. Nexen also gains the right to use photos of the team’s players in its advertising and promotional activities.
On 18 December, point S Development and Portuguese independent tyre dealer network Mega Mundi announced the signing of a partnership agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, point S Development becomes stakeholder in Mega Mundi and both retail networks will merge together under the point S banner. This combination of Mega Mundi’s 50 outlets and the existing 24 point S centres in Portugal will form the largest retail tyre network in Portugal, with 74 points of sale and complete national coverage.
Audi A7 fitting Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season as OE in US
Audi has chosen the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season as OE for its A7 model in the North American market. Therefore Pirelli will supply 18 and 19-inch versions of the tyre to equip the companys most powerful sportback model. As a result the Cinturato P7 All Season will be marked “AO”.
Chinese authorities looking at Aeolus disclosure anomalies
Aeolus Tyre reports that the China Securities Regulatory Commission has contacted the company over potential disclosure violations. In a Chinese-language statement, the tyre maker confirms that the Henan branch of the CSRC has looked into a number of issues. Aeolus writes that it will cooperate with the CSRC and undertake corrective actions within 30 days of receiving a report outlining remedial action.
Although a date still hasn’t been set for the inauguration of its large new tyre factory in India’s Tamil Nadu state, on 18 December Michelin inaugurated two new certified Recamic retreading facilities in the state. The commercial vehicle tyre retreading facilities, located in the Chennai and Pudukottai regions, have been established in collaboration with TVS Tread, the retreading arm of TVS Group.
When Triangle senior-vice president Lin Xiaobin told Tyres & Accessories that “TYM is doing a really great job in the UK”, you can tell that it was more than just encouraging words. TYM International’s sales (of which the Triangle brand tyre sales represent a large part) have totalled some US$40 million over the last three years. But to give some impression of the growth arc, 2013 sales are said to have generated $13 million alone.
China-Europe rail link offers Heuver a new freight option
Several months ago a new rail freight service commenced between China and the German port city of Hamburg, and Heuver Tyrewholesale reports it intends to use this service as an additional channel for its tyre transport from China.
Singapore-based Omni United has appointed Tyre & Tube Australia (TTA) as the official Australian market distributor of its Radar Tires brand. The company says TTA began distributing Radar tyres to its network of around 150 tyre dealers on 1 October 2013.
Triangle opens Shanghai international sales and marketing centre
So while production capacity and scale can be impressive, what most Chinese-based tyre manufacturers have failed to do is establish themselves as makers of quality products that command quality prices around the world. With this in mind, the fact that Triangle appointed a new global marketing vice-president (a European ex-Goodyear man Jenner Powell) in the middle of 2013 suggests that the company is taking steps to elevate perceptions of its products and consistently communicate its strengths to the market.
In November Triangle announced that it is building its fifth plant in Weihai, Shandong Province, China. The news, which was first revealed at the SEMA show in Las Vegas in early November, followed renewed speculation about whether or not the company was planning to build a Russian factory earlier this year. This plans suggestions were denied by managers. However Triangle is internationalising fast and has been operating sales operations in dozens of countries for decades now, Weihai is really the company’s home.
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.
