Firestone Helps Keep America Tidy
Firestone Tire & Service Centers helped to collect 1.2 million scrap tyres, fit for recycling, as part of Keep America Beautiful’s (KAB) Great American Cleanup. “We wanted to build on last year’s success by helping Keep America Beautiful reach the 1 million tyre mark and continue increasing the recycling of used automotive batteries and engine oil,” said Larry Magee, CEO and president of BFRC. “Through the involvement of our teammates across the country, we not only met but surpassed this year’s goal. Firestone is proud to be a part of Keep America Beautiful’s efforts, and of our company’s track record in protecting the environment and helping strengthen our communities.”
Continue Reading2005 NTDA conference heads to Harrogate
Following its annual conference held in Marbella in September, the NTDA has decided to hold its 2005 follow up event in Harrogate alongside Brityrex next spring. As reported in November’s Tyres & Accessories the association felt it would be beneficial to hold an interim event to provide an opportunity to up date the industry on how the many actions arising from the September event were progressing.
Continue ReadingNew year New Price Increases
Continental Tire North America has announced that it will raise prices of its commercial and off-the-road tyres, from the 1 January 2005, as a result of rising raw material and other costs. The increase, which will be between three and six per cent will affect all of its truck and off-road brands including Continental, General and Semperit.
Continue ReadingFuture of Conti’s Moscow Venture Remains Open
Continental expects a decision regarding its joint venture with the Moscow Tyre Plant to be made by the end of the month, a company spokesman told a press conference in Hanover. The conference also saw the company present its latest Transportation Analysis. Negotiations on the future of the business enterprise are on going and an official decision has not yet been taken, reports Continental. Continental says a decision on whether or not to go ahead with its plans will be made by the end of this year.
Continue ReadingContinental Plans Repayment of a Bond Loan
The German tyre manufacturer Continental plans to use its current financial capabilities and liquidity for the repayment of a 500 million euro bond loan. Continental Rubber of America, (Wilmington, Delaware), which is an indirect subsidiary of Continental AG, invited all holders to submit a sales offer. “By these means Continental practices active balance management using additional liquidity in order to redeem our debts. This repayment shows the improved financial situation of Continental,” explains Dr Alan Hippe, CFO and member of the board.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Create Artificial Fin
Bridgestone has supplied a rubber fin for a dolphin that lost most of its tail fin to disease. Fuji, a 235-kilogram female at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, is the recipient of the manufacturer’s technology, and is said to have regained nearly all of her swimming ability since receiving the new fin. Bridgestone engineers believe that this is the first-ever successful development of an artificial fin for a dolphin. Volunteer employees at Bridgestone went to work on the rubber fin for Fuji in December 2002. The company subsequently assembled a project team which delivered its first prototype in September 2003 and its a second prototype the following month. After numerous tests it delivered a third and final prototype in March of this year. The fin is made of silicone rubber, a material that is highly compatible with living tissue. It has a cushion of patented foamed rubber called, “Everlight Moran,” where it fits against the dolphins body. ACM (Advanced Composite Material) provides reinforcement for the fin, and reduces the load on Fuji because of its light weight comparing to the metal. The Bridgestone engineers analysed the movement of dolphin fins in three dimensions and FEM (finite element method) used for designing tyres to optimise the fin design.
Continue ReadingSapphire Invests in Shredding Machines
Sapphire Energy Recovery has bought two additional Columbus McKinnon tyre shredding systems to add to its existing machines. With the two new machines in operation, the company says it now has the capacity to supply not only the LaFarge plants located in Cauldon, Dunbar and Hope, but has also signed contracts to supply tyre chips to Castle Cement and will shortly be supplying tyre chips for test burns at Rugby Cement. The two new CM Tyre Shredders feature a new Multi-Stack knife system. This new system allows the operator to re-sharpen the knives in the machine twice, and it is claimed that it lowers the associated maintenance costs by nearly 60 per cent. The plant now has the capacity to process more than 200,000 tonnes of tyres per year.
Continue ReadingRunflats in Europe from Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany
In the middle of November Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany in Hanau inaugurated a new manufacturing facility for runflat tyres. The company has invested approximately 250 million euros into its German locations over the last three years. In Hanau Goodyear Dunlop can produce about 3,000 runflats a day, a similar production facility is in Fulda factory. Goodyear Dunlop produces 26 million tyres per year and sells about 40 million. 14 million of the German produced Dunlop tyres are exported to sister companies. This year alone, the company in Europe sold 1.3 million DSST (Dunlop Self Supporting Technology) and Goodyear EMT (Extended Mobility Technology) tyres, making it market leader in this segment.
Continue ReadingMario Marangoni Inducted Into Hall of Fame
The TIA has inducted Mario Marangoni into the TIA Hall of Fame. At the beginning of November, during the SEMA show, the TIA made the award in order to recognise the company president’s “leadership and entrepreneurial ability.” As a company, Marangoni sees the award as an achievement that recognises the success of the Italian tyre industry in addition to its international business.
Continue ReadingATS Euromaster Appoints Group Customer Service Director
Tyre fast fit chain ATS Euromaster has employed Nigel Robson as group customer service director to head up a completely new customer service function. Reporting to group managing director Nick Gregg, Mr Robson will manage ATS Euromaster’s CRM activity. Robson spent 11 years at Arval PHH, most recently as head of networks. Here he headed up procurement and supplier management, operating a fleet of 300,000 cars and managing a team of 47. Nigel Robson is the fourth senior management appointment to be made by ATS Euromaster this year, the other three being Martin Saint, national sales director car, Robert Blaikie, divisional sales director and Phil Payne, national sales director, Truck.
Continue ReadingMichelin Russia to Treble Production
Jean-Yves Caux, managing director of Michelin’s Russian business has said that the company expects to treble its tyre production capacity by the end of 2005. The expansion plans are due to take place at the company’s Davydovo site, outside Moscow and will increase the plant’s production rate from 2000 to 6000 tyres a day. Speaking to French newspaper La Tribune, Mr Caux said Michelin will invest 18 million euros between 2004 and 2005 on top of the 70 million the company has already invested. The managing director did not rule out further investment in the country. According to the report, Michelin says it will create up to 200 new jobs in order to keep up with demand. The new jobs will be in addition to the company’s existing workforce of 754, of these 650 are presently based at the Davydovo site.
Continue ReadingCar of the Year 2005
The Toyota Prius has been awarded the European title of Car of The Year 2005.’ The car was chosen from a group of finalists including the Citroen C4, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, Renault Modus, Peugeot 407 and the BMW 1-series. Steve Cropley, editor-in-chief, Autocar magazine, was one of the six UK members of the Car of the Year Jury, he said: Toyota’s Prius is the most successful hybrid car available today and is being used as everyday transport by 120,000 drivers worldwide. Toyota has clearly demonstrated the way forward.
Continue ReadingRed Bull Racing Negotiates with Michelin
Tony Purnell, boss of the former Jaguar and soon-to-be-renamed Red Bull Racing, has hinted that the team will use Michelin tyres next season. “The team is in negotiations with Michelin for next year,” confirmed Red Bull Racing team principal Tony Purnell adding, “the 2005 (Jaguar) car was designed around Michelin tyres and we are hoping to continue that relationship.” Speaking to the officical Formula 1 web site, Mr Purnell insisted that the whole Jaguar sale process had made only minimal impact on development of the team’s 2005 car, with Ford having continued to invest in facilities right up until the sale to Red Bull. “A going concern we have been – it’s been business as usual,” he said.
Continue ReadingMAHA Expands After Sales Service
MAHA UK has expanded its after sales service to 15 field engineers, in a bid to improve its service coverage of the entire country. The field engineers will compliment the service department engineers based at the head office in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire to offer a wider service to customers.
Continue ReadingToyo’s Operating Income Doubles
Publishing its first half 2005 results, Toyo has reported that its operating income has rocketed 120.8 per cent, compared with the same period last year. In the period ended 30 September, the company’s operating income demonstrated the most marked increase growing from 1.893 billion to 4.18 billion yen (£21.4 million). Toyo achieved a 6.7 per cent increase in net sales rising from 120 billion to 128 billion yen (£657 million). One explanation for the rapid ascent of the figures is the company’s increase of UHP and SUV sales. Sales of these high margin products have gone up 25.9 per cent, with tyre sales in general improving by 8.7 per cent. In Europe the company says that this has been largely down to favourable sales and marketing of new products including its Proxes T1R.
Continue Reading