Liqui Moly names Dr Uli Weller as joint MD
Liqui Moly’s long-standing commercial director, Dr. Uli Weller, has been appointed joint managing director of the company, alongside Günter Hiermaier. Dr Weller will become the second managing director of the group of companies at the start of 2023.
Continue ReadingGRI names Michael Connor as US director of sales
GRI is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Connor as director of sales for its US operations. In his new role, Connor will oversee GRI’s sales, marketing, operations and customer service efforts in North America, covering its Material Handling, Agriculture and Construction product portfolios.
Continue ReadingBorbet’s Solingen wheel factory to close
The Borbet wheel factory in Solingen, Germany will close on 31 December 2022. The wheel manufacturer told its workforce on Monday 28 November at a works meeting. Around 600 employees are affected. All previous attempts to find an economically viable future for the location had failed. A transfer company will be set up.
Continue ReadingMarangoni’s Europe sales force meet in Spain
Recacor (Recauchutados Cordoba) recently hosted a meeting of Marangoni’s Retreading Systems’ European sales force in Spain. The event was also marked 25 years of partnership between Marangoni and Recacor.
Continue ReadingEuropean Commission: Tariffs won’t be ‘levied’ during ongoing investigation
In September Tyrepress learned from China Rubber Industry Association (CRIA) that, on 14 September, CRIA and the European Commission (EC) investigators held an online hearing on the European Commission’s renewed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations relating to the imports of Chinese-made truck tyres. Shortly afterwards, Tyrepress reported that Laurens Elsen, an EC investigator, said that the EC would contact EU customs to ensure that during the re-investigation, the relevant departments will not “impose” any anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on the tyre companies that prevail in the judgment of the European Court of Justice. However, European Commission representatives contested that interpretation, arguing that the language of levying rather than imposition is more appropriate.
Continue ReadingDecision pending – Chinese TBR tyre distributors await EC’s tariff ‘recalculation’ details
The European representatives of Chinese tyre manufacturers continue to await the European Commission’s decision on the future of tariffs on truck tyres imported from the country following the European Court of Justice’s annulment of the tariffs introduced on 8 May 2018. While the EC’s deputies of the Unit DG Trade have talked about a “re-investigation” in response to Chinese representatives calling for the EC to implement fully the judgement of the ECJ, Tyres & Accessories understands that the more likely outcome is rather a recalculation of the tariffs the EC will apply, while manufacturers’ European operations are also bracing for the possibility of the backdated implementation of newly set rates. T&A asked Corrado Moglia, general manager of Triangle Tyre’s European operation, who has been representing the company’s interests in discussions with the EC, about how the situation is developing from his point of view.
Continue ReadingApollo Tyres hosts De Gea, Elanga and van de Beek in India
Apollo Tyres is hosting Manchester United footballers David De Gea, Anthony Elanga and Donny van de Beek who are in India to celebrate the launch of the third edition of Apollo’s “United We Play” grassroots football initiative. The three Manchester United first-team players will be seen in Goa on 1 December at the event, marking the maiden visit to India for any footballer from the current Manchester United first-team squad.
Continue ReadingContinental recycles Extreme E tyres into basketball court
Continental is donating rubber paving stones made from recycled Extreme E tyres for the construction of a community basketball court in Hanover. According to Continental, 200 Extreme E tyres have been recycled from the first season. The Extreme E tyres underwent “a particularly complex manufacturing process to extract all chemical components from the tyres” before transforming them into paving stones. Now the tyres will be given a second life as the foundation of a high-level basketball court.
Continue ReadingAvayler wins ATU contract in Germany
Halfords Group reports that its Avayler software is not only driving the group’s internal financial performance, but is also expanding into Europe as a product in its own right. Specifically, Halfords reports that Avayler has signed a contract to supply its services to well-known German autocentre chain ATU, which is part of the Mobivia group. According to Halfords, the roll-out is set to start in Germany through ATU’s mobile fleet.
Continue ReadingMarangoni expands in North India
Marangoni Group started its Franchising operations in India in mid-2018. Recently, the company established its first exclusive franchisee in North India. Manoj Tyres, an existing retreader at Kanpur, operates in one of the largest tyre markets in India in Uttar Pradesh (UP). Manoj tyres was sourcing retreading material from two leading Indian retreading companies before switching exclusively to Marangoni India. One result of the partnership is that a new greenfield facility has been commissioned with new equipment, including Marangoni’s RingTreader RT920.
Continue ReadingHankook Tire raided in unfair trading investigation
Prosecutors raided the offices of Hankook Tire & Technology Co. on 24 November as part of an investigation into alleged “unfair intra-affiliate trading”. According to the South Korean Yonhap news agency, investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office seized documents from “the headquarters and offices of its affiliates in connection with suspicions of unfair business practices among the groups affiliates”. Yonhap also reported that prosecutors specifically searched the office of Cho Hyun-bum, the chairman of Hankook Tire.
Continue ReadingShandong Province promotes tyre industry upgrading
On November 11, Shandong Province announced the ‘Action Plan for a Powerful Province of Advanced Manufacturing (2022-2025)’. The Shandong authority specifically emphasised in this guidance document the necessity to promote increased quality in the development of high energy consuming industries, including the tyre industry. In addition, the concepts of “intelligent upgrade”, “green transformation”, “service extension”, and “ecological agglomeration” mentioned in the Action Plan also set out a rough outline for the upgrade and development of tyre companies in Shandong Province in the next few years.
Continue ReadingMultiple factors affect Guizhou Tyre overseas market
Recently, Guizhou Tyre (also known as Advance Tyre) disclosed utilising production capacity. In 2022, China has implemented relatively strict control measures against the epidemic, and the logistics are not smooth, which indirectly leads to weak demand for truck and bus tyres. Affected by the above factors, Guizhou Tyre’s domestic plant has a capacity utilisation rate of around 80 per cent for all-steel radial tyres. Over the same period, capacity utilisation for OTR tyres was about 95 per cent.
Continue ReadingPinza HT joins Vredestein range for North America
The Vredestein tyre brand has been present in North America for two years now, and Apollo Tyres is expanding the range offered there with the USA launch of the Vredestein Pinza HT. This newest addition to the Pinza family is a highway all-season tyre designed for trucks, SUVs, and crossovers.
Continue ReadingBridgestone to invest $250m in Costa Rica over 5 years, increasing production
Bridgestone Americas will invest an additional $190 million to renovate and expand its Costa Rican tyre manufacturing operations. The newly announced funds extend the existing plan to invest $60 million in Belén de Heredia by 2026. Bridgestone will increase its production capacity by 36 per cent, adding more than 160 new permanent jobs.
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