New Structure At Goodyear USA
In the USA, Goodyear has appointed Ted J. Fick to the newly-created position of vice president, commercial systems, which makes him responsible for leading Goodyears commercial tyre business unit in the North American market. Fick joins Goodyear from Toyota subsidiary Hino Diesel Trucks, where he was senior vice president and COO. This is one move in the introduction of a new structure, focused on distinct business segments; eight US regional offices will be closed and functional support activities run from Akron.
Continue ReadingExclusive Race Deal With Goodyear/Dunlop In US
The Grand American Road Racing Association has chosen Goodyear and Dunlop as exclusive tyre suppliers from next year to 2004. Goodyear radials will be used exclusively in Grand Ams SportsRacing Prototype I and GTS classes, and Goodyear bias-ply tyres will be used in the American GT class. Dunlop will be the exclusive tyres for the SportsRacing Prototype II and GT classes.
Continue ReadingBuy-Out At Just Tyres
On 10th November it was announced that 38 Just Tyre outlets had been sold to a team which includes three Just Tyres managers. Major shareholder in the buy-out is Ian Grant, who was Chief Executive of the Just Tyres Holdings group. The purchase price was not revealed, but it is understood that around 100 jobs have been secured by the deal. The group called in the Administrative Receiver in mid-October and 40 Just Tyres outlets were closed immediately. A further 12 were closed last week, leaving the most profitable 38 depots in the chain. Ian Grant said he was encouraged by discussions with suppliers.
Continue ReadingInnovation Award For Michelin PAX System
Michelins PAX System has been named as the runner up in the Transport section of the Business Innovation Awards, handed out by the Wall Street Journal Europe. A panel of fifteen judges, covering all aspects of business disciplines, decided on the winners from more than 220 nominations. The paper also revealed that the PAX system is to be incorporated on the Edonis, a car from Italian company B. Engineering SRL, designed to break the world speed record.
Continue ReadingKormoran EKOPRO Tractor Drive Axle Tyre
Michelin has launched the new Kormoran EKOPRO agricultural drive tyre to replace the AN-21. Designed for use on low to medium horsepower tractors, the EKOPRO is a standard profile radial, which will initially be available in 13 sizes from 9.5.R 24 to 18.4 R 38 with further sizes up to 20.8 R 38 available in 2002.
Continue ReadingAnother Loss Warning From Ford
Ford has warned that it expects to lose $900 million in the fourth quarter; which will be the companys third consecutive quarterly loss. This figure is in addition to the estimated $700 million one-off charge that the company will make to facilitate restructuring. Fords shares fell by 3.8 per cent at the news, despite a general rise in the stock market.
Continue ReadingWaste Tyres: A Problem Or A Resource?
Waste tyres are a problem around the world. The prominence given to dealing with the problem varies, depending upon the local conditions. So, on searching for news on illegal tyre dumping, we will find it is accepted that tyre disposal is recognised as a problem in all the leading, or developed, economies. The USA, Britain, Germany, New Zealand and Australia amongst others, all have severe problems with disposing of waste tyres. In many third world countries there is less of a problem, possibly due to a lower level of use, to lower environmental awareness, and, partly to economic pressures in catching up on the developed world. In the race to catch up many developing nations feel they have the right to use the same freedom from environmental restrictions that were enjoyed in the developed nations during the first 200 years of the industrial revolution. It is difficult for them to look at the USA or Europe and see what we have lost and compare it to what they have yet to lose. It might be argued that the burden of dealing with the environmental problems in the developing nations is possibly a problem which ought to be carried by the leading economies, rather than by the embryonic economies around the world.Whoever carries the cost, we must surely recognise that the tyre industry has a duty to ensure that the products created have as efficient a life span as possible. The production and the ultimate destruction of the tyres created must also be as efficient and as least damaging to the environment as is feasible. Right now, the leading nations are taking steps to address the problem of waste tyres. The biggest single step is the ultimate banning in landfill of waste tyres. However, this in turn, creates other problems for the tyre industry. If we produce millions of waste tyres every year, they will all, one day, have to be disposed of. It is estimated that some 21% of these tyres currently get landfilled. They get landfilled because there are no other uses for these tyres. If there are no other uses and the tyres can no longer be landfilled, what do we do with them?Alternative uses for old tyres would indubitably be more beneficial and more economic in the long-term. The environmental lobbyists at Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace continually scream that recycling old tyres as retreads is a far better option than burying or burning. However, there are problems associated with that too. The obvious one is that there is an insufficient market for retreaded tyres. The industry could doubtless remanufacture as many tyres as it could get its hands on, but where are they going to be sold? Instead of having massive stockpiles of old tyres, we end up with massive stockpiles of retreaded tyres no-one wants to buy. And in todays Just-In-Time economy, no manufacturer wants to stockpile unwanted goods. So that is not a real solution to the problem. Then, again, there is the reality of retreading. That it is only extending the life of the tyre, and, at the end of the day, it will still need to be disposed of. Retreading could reduce the number of new tyres manufactured and extend the lifespan of a tyre carcass, reducing the demand for raw materials - which most would argue is a good thing. The producers of the raw materials in South East Asia and the oil producing companies might disagree.So we need to find other uses for the end product. Turn the waste tyre into a raw material which can be mined to create a new product. This is not a new idea, and there are a number of possibilities available. Each though has its own costs and benefits which must, in turn, be considered. Sometimes the obvious options turn out to be less acceptable than we might expect.
Continue ReadingTyres And Motor Sports
Of course, most media interest in respect of tyres in motor sports nowadays is in Formula 1. In this top discipline Bridgestone and Michelin are the rivals, even the phrase war of tyres has been coined. But there are also World Championships in Motor Cycle Sports, national competitions with an exclusive tyre supplier or different tyre manufacturers take place. Sometimes the engagement in motor sports may lead to technical progress for tyres, but in the first line it is an instrument of marketing.
Continue ReadingConti’s Santa Claus Event in Scotland
It has become a tradition that the tyre producer Continental invites the press to a Santa Claus Event around the 6th of December each year, presenting a certain topic/issue about the market. Whereas the group had been international for a couple of years, Conti returned to the original concept of an only German speaking group in 2001. Last years topic was the development and construction of 4x4 winter tyres and the problems this presents in addressing the contradictions in the expectations of performance. In addition, an optimisation of existing test methods of 4x4 tyres off the road was discussed with the journalists. The event took place in the Scottish Highlands. One outcome: Tyre suggestions for 4x4 cars can only ever be just a compromise - even if on a high level. The tyre has to perform well off the road and on the road. Safety aspects have to be taken into consideration as well: braking, handling and high speed performance have to be convincing as well. In addition there is the strong goal-conflict between driving performance and rollover danger.To put it in a nutshell: The ideal tyre that fits perfectly on every SUV for every use does not exist. This statement is as true as it is simple - and was demonstrated to the journalists group in the Highlands. The cars (Land Rover and M-Class) that had been equipped with Continentals 4x4WinterContact had to capitulate very soon in the muddy ground, because the tyres have been developed for different ground conditions. What makes it even more difficult for tyre producers is the fact, that there are insufficient testing standards for tyres on 4x4 cars. Tests are made either by the car industry of by the car magazines. Uniform procedures have not been developed yet. There can only be recommendations for the best case scenario.
Continue ReadingDaimlerChrysler Awards For Eight Goodyear Plants
Eight Goodyear factories have earned the DaimlerChrysler Gold Award, given in recognition of outstanding service. Seven of the plants are in North America and one is in Europe, at Philippsburg, in Germany. Goodyear was rated as excellent in the areas of quality, delivery, competitive pricing and technology and acceptable in customer support.
Continue ReadingDunlop and the End of the Spare Wheel
At the beginning of October Dunlop GmbH (Hanau) invited trade journalists and vehicle manufacturers’ OE managers to a demonstration, Dunlop ’99: Innovations in the Interest of Safety and Mobility at Trier, or rather at the company’s own test track at Wittlich. The main aim of the event was to convince that it was high time to get rid of the spare wheel. People’s attitudes cannot be changed overnight; a lot of thinking is required about how to live in future without this fifth wheel on the car and yet remain mobile in a vehicle that has just had a puncture. Dunlop claims to have developed a forward-looking safety and mobility concept, consisting of several different components grouped together: a self-supporting tyre (DSST = Dunlop Self Supporting Technology), an integrated tyre pressure monitor called Warnair, and an equivalent system for the replacement market developed in cooperation with the Italian Alltech Car Security Systems company plus a tyre sealant Fill & Go on the basis of IMS (Instant Mobility System). In the next few years the company will introduce the practical application of each of these components on different vehicle models – Dunlop can already claim partial successes. For example, the increasing numbers of IMS applications have prompted the tyre manufacturer to speak of a breakthrough, but the company is realistic enough to know that in the case of the DSST tyre series a similar success can only be had through original equipment.
Continue ReadingSales Of Explorer Not Affected By Tire Recall
As US automotive sales figures revealed that the US domestic product was facing a massive slump in sales compared to almost universal increases by imported marques, sales of the Ford explorer held up against the national trend with sales rising 3.8% on the 1999 figure, despite the bad publicity onslaught from the Firestone recall.
Continue ReadingThird Quarter Figures From Hayes Lemmerz
Hayes Lemmerz International has issued its third quarter figures. Sales for the three months ending 31.10.2000 were down to $558 million ($599 million in third quarter 1999). Sales for the first nine months totalled 1,696 million ($1,731 m). A drop in sales to the North American heavy truck industry and the weak Euro were cited as reasons for the decrease. Hayes Lemmerz has initiated restructuring programmes to reduce spending and dispose of surplus assets. The workforce will be reduced by 1,200 globally.
Continue ReadingInternet Motorcycle Tyre Guide Launched By Dunlop
Dunlop Online has launched what it says is the most sophisticated guide to motorcycle tyres on the net. It gives surfers tyre fitment and pressure data for their motorcycles, along with the recommended Dunlop tyre for their machine. Details are on ww.dunloptyres.co.uk/motorcycle
Continue ReadingE-Business Partner For Michelin USA
Michelin North America has selected Modern Media, a e-retail software specialist to develop its B2C initiative in North America. Michelin North America Incs Debra Track said, Modern Media will help us create a platform that will allow us to go after a new generation of consumers that dont necessarily use traditional media in their shopping habits. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
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