One Million Pound Investment In Tenneco Exhaust Factory
Tenneco Automotive is spending one million Pounds (1.6 m Euro) on a refurbishment programme at its Walker exhaust manufacturing factory at Tyseley, Birmingham in the UK. The investment will improve flexibility and reduce downtime between manufacturing different products. The factory produces two million exhausts a year.
Continue ReadingCo-operation Between Goodyear and Siemens VDO
Goodyear and Siemens VDO have announced plans to develop a progressive tyre pressure monitoring system which can be introduced to the market at an early date. The co-operation brings together Goodyears knowledge in the fields of tyre pressure control, sensors and interpretation of tyre temperature and pressure, with the know-how of Siemens VDO in electronics and common automotive systems.
Continue ReadingLexus Chooses Bridgestone Run-Flat As OE
Lexus has chosen the Bridgestone Potenza RE040 run-flat tyre (RFT) as original equipment for its new flagship SC430 cabriolet, allowing the car to travel safely even when the tyre has a puncture. The RE040 RFT also eliminates the need to carry a spare wheel, thus gaining valuable storage space in the boot of the compact car and saving weight.
Continue ReadingOngoing Pressure On Goodyear
According to the monthly investors update, the group is still under pressure. In the US the replacement business was quite good, not so in the OE business. In Europe, the group is suffering because of the warm weather, which is having a negative effect on sales of winter tyres, and in Asia, the company has been forced to lower prices due to the fact that cheap imports from China are putting pressure on prices. In a cost cutting move, Goodyear is offering an early retirement package for around 700 white collar workers, half of them working in the Akron HQ.
Continue ReadingWhich? Report On Fast-Fits – What Do You Think?
In a report in its magazine Which? the Consumers Association criticises UK fast-fits, accusing them of recommending unnecessary work on customers vehicles. What do you think? Is such criticism justified? Is dishonesty rife in the fast-fit trade? Or is Which? overstating the problem? Whatever your connection with the tyre trade, or if you are a customer, we welcome your opinions and ideas. Read our article (PDF file, size: 44.5 kbytes, Adobe Acrobat Reader required) first and e-mail us your comments – this is a matter which has profound implications for the image of fast-fits and this is your chance to have your say.
Continue ReadingPrice Rise For Nokian Tyres in Germany
The German subsidiary of Finnish tyre manufacturer, Nokian Tyres, has announced a 3% price increase for passenger car and SUV-tyres, and an increase of 2% for commercial vehicle tyres, effective from 1st April.
Continue ReadingConcorde “Had History Of Tyre Failures”
A report by French air accident investigators reveals that Concorde suffered damaged fuel tanks caused by tyre blowouts on no fewer than six occasions before the fatal crash in Paris last summer. The report also states that, since Concorde began flying in 1976, there have been 57 incidents of tyres bursting on the runway.
Continue ReadingMassive Drop In Profit Announced By Bridgestone
As widely expected, the Bridgestone Corporation has reported a massive fall in net profits of 80 per cent for the year 2000. Net profit was 17.7 billion Yen (US$ 155 million), which was better than the companys prediction late last year of 13 Billion Yen. Turnover was down too, by 3.8 per cent to 2,006.9 billion Yen, and pre tax profits were down nearly 38 per cent, from 200.8 billion Yen last year to 124.8 billion Yen. This is largely attributable to the effects of the Firestone recall. This is the companys worst result in ten years. Since the announcement of the tyre recall, Bridgestone shares have fallen in value by 50%.
Continue ReadingCar Parts and Accessories – 3rd BBE Conference in Cologne
On 5th April the consultant company had invited more than 150 experts from the car parts and accessories sectors for its third conference concerning the car component aftermarket. As tyres are counted as part this segment as well, trends from this part of the business were presented and discussed as well. In times where sales of new cars begin to drop, the importance of the aftermarket business begins to grow again. But on the other hand the competition in this field is fiercer than ever -due also to the internet and e-commerce. This was the reason why the event was subtitled The good times are over – means for success in hard times. And the topics of the internet and e-commerce were at least mentioned by almost every speaker, sometimes being even the main topic. These new media enable the industry to provide products directly to the end consumer, leaving behind the old traditions of trade via wholesaler and retailers.
Continue ReadingStrategic Alliance Among Auto Aftermarket Companies
Four companies – SKF, Tenneco Automotive, TRW and Valeo – have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop plans to enhance the services offered to their European automotive aftermarket customers. The companies will investigate opportunities to share skills and resources in the fields of training, technical support services and logistics, especially transportation. The four companies will remain independent. Any alliance between the companies resulting from the initial investigation will be subject to the necessary government approvals.
Continue ReadingTyre Offer Pulls In The Crowds For Kwik-Fit
Kwik-Fit GB has resumed its press advertising campaign, offering four tyres from 60 Pounds (two for 35 Pounds), excluding valve and balance. For certain H-rated sizes, four tyres are available for 100 Pounds. Over the Easter week, a record number of customers visited the groups centres and 21 centres recorded their best-ever week for sales.
Continue ReadingWinter Snowcontrol/Scorpion Ice&Snow From Pirelli
Two years ago, Pirelli launched its Winter Snowsport, a tyre with an asymmetric tread pattern, for sports cars and high-powered saloons. The same technological basis from which the Winter Snowsport was created has enabled Pirelli to offer two new products, extending the same guarantee of safety that Snowsport gives to top-of-the-range cars, to other important motoring segments. On a glacier in Iceland, Pirelli launched the two new products. With 21 sizes for 13 to 15 diameter rims, the Q- and T-rated new directional Winter Snowcontrol will be available in all European markets. The tyre offers performance in all winter conditions, particularly on ice and snow, to all drivers of cars in the medium to medium-low segment. Scorpion Ice&Snow is an asymmetric winter tyre specially developed for sport utility and recreational vehicles, which provides excellent performance on ice and snow and is highly versatile on snow-covered off-road surfaces. The tyre is based on the Scorpion concept for the 4x4 market and will be available in nine sizes from 15 to 18 inches (8x T-rated, 1x H-rated).
Continue ReadingNew Production Director For Goodyear
Goodyears Wolverhampton plant gets a new production director. Hugh Thompson brings 30 years experience in the rubber and plastics industry to the operation. Thompson was the vice president of manufacturing for Dunlop Tyres in North America. He replaces Serge Lussier, who has moved to Brussels to take up the post of director of manufacturing, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Continue ReadingKorean Tyre Output Hit By Strike
Korean tyre manufacturer Kumhos production at Kwangju and Koksung had been halted by a walkout by 4,000 union members in protest at Government policies blamed for the loss of thousands of jobs throughout South Korea. Originally, a General Strike was planned from 5th July. Kumho representative, Lim Yoon, said the company would have lost $2.7m per day as a result of the strike. But – as Kumho says – further conflicts could be avoided and production is back to normal.
Continue ReadingThreefold Increase In Goodyear Aircraft Tyre Production
On the eve of the Paris Air Show, Goodyear announced that it was to triple production of radial aircraft tyres at its plant in Danville, USA, where the company has recently invested $10 million. The production increase is in response to growing demand due to increasing radialisation in the aircraft tyre sector, although bias-ply tyres still make up the majority of this market. The radials will fit military and private planes, as well as commercial aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.
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