UK Motorcycle Tyre Market
The motorcyclist has long been regarded as being knowledgeable about his tyres, much more so than the car driver. The motorcyclist is also more likely to be fussy over which brand of tyre he puts his trust in. We take a look at whats on offer.
Continue ReadingCompound Interest
Tread rubber and compounds are continually changing, in order to meet changing needs. The motorcyclist wants superb grip, the truck haulier wants long mileage and the ordinary motorist wants both. Developments such as silica compounds and precure treads that are axle-specific help to achieve these objectives. Whats next on the horizon - using reclaimed rubber perhaps?
Continue ReadingBrakes And Clutches
Does your depot offer a brakes and clutch service, or do you regard yourself as a tyre supplier pure and simple? If you dont offer such a service, you could be missing out on profits.
Continue ReadingBack To The Land
Agriculture in the UK has suffered over the past few years, with the foot and mouth crisis and farm incomes falling. Farms have grown larger as people have left the business and farms have been amalgamated. Machinery has become more powerful and harder-working and the tyre manufacturers products have changed to accommodate this. The scope of agriculture has widened as new machines appear on farms - backhoe loaders, ATVs, forklifts etc. We look at some of the tyres available and at the industrys premier showcase, the Smithfield Show.
Continue ReadingKirkby Tyres: Re-focusing For The Future
Kirkby Tyres is a major wholesaler in the agricultural sector and is increasingly turning towards that market to develop its business. Kirkby Tyres has been around for a long time, almost 50 years in fact. In that time the business has seen many changes but through all the changes it remains in the hands of the Rosenthal family, with Gordon Rosenthal, grandson of the founder Joe Rose at the helm. The company started as a casings collector and dealer, before developing into wholesaling. When the wholesaling of new tyres outgrew the casing side, the company made the decision to concentrate on new tyre distribution. Gordon Rosenthal took over from his father, Leslie Rosenthal, as Managing Director in 1980. Gordon is now Chairman, with Dave Dorrity joining the company in 1999 as Managing Director. Kirkby Tyres operates with three depots to cover the British Isles. The head office is at Liverpool and there is a depot in Perth, Scotland which offers a very similar stock profile to that in Liverpool, though the demand for high performance and premium car tyres is stronger north of the border. Ireland is covered from Dublin by Kirkby Tyres (Ireland) Ltd and in addition to the full range offered in the UK is the Irish agent for Ohtsu/Falken, and is the sole distributor of Wolfrace and Smiths alloy wheels in Ireland. The Group has a turnover in excess of 16 million pounds and employs 61 staff. It is worth noting that the breakdown of the business puts the agricultural sector at 45 per cent of the Groups turnover, truck at 35 per cent, and car and earthmover at five per cent each.
Continue ReadingShanghai Tyre & Rubber Company Limited: Double Coin
Along with the dawn of the 21st century, Shanghai has very quickly become the international economic trading capital of China. The city is the showcase of reform, increasingly attracting foreign investment in new business enterprises. Just outside the city centre is the industrial district of Min Hang and this is home to Chinas largest tyre producer, Shanghai Tyre & Rubber Company Limited. The Shanghai Tyre & Rubber Company was incorporated on 4th July 1992. It was restructured from the two oldest tyre manufacturing plants in China, both having a history stretching back over seventy years, the Ta Chung Hua Rubber factory and the Tsen Tai Rubber factory. In the early 1930s these two tyre producers first established the brand names Double Coin and Warrior. In September 1998 a joint venture was agreed with First Tractor Group of China to produce agricultural tyres, expanding the existing capacity by nearly 50 per cent to 900,000 tyres and consolidating its access to the agricultural market. In the same year the company completed a $95 million US dollar expansion programme at the Min Hang factories. Weak domestic demand and the Asian crisis did see a downturn in profits as the decade came to an end, at the same time, selling prices were cut by ten per cent in order to compete with some foreign, and particularly South Korean, tyres. This was a setback, but no more than that. The company has shown itself to be extremely perceptive and very determined. Within the Shanghai Tyre Company today there are three principal tyre producing factories. An all steel radial truck tyre plant manufacturing the Double Coin brand, and a passenger and light truck tyre radial factory producing the Warrior brand; this plant has been a joint venture with Michelin since March 2001. Finally, a bias-ply plant manufacturing passenger, truck, a massive range of agricultural, off-road, industrial and motorcycle tyres in a total of over 350 specifications. The company is the 15th biggest tyre producer in the world, employing over 11,000 people.
Continue ReadingFord in 51.1 Million Dollar Settlement Over Advertising
Ford, last week, reached a settlement with Tennessee Attorney general and 52 other jurisdictions regarding alleged deceptive trade practices relating to the sales of Ford SUVs. The Attorneys alleged that Ford failed to disclose a known safety risk concerning tyre failures with certain Firestone ATX and Wilderness AT tyres which came equipped on some Ford SUVs. The State also alleged that Fords advertising misled consumers as to the safe use of Ford SUVs. Other allegations included certain aftermarket tyres sold through Fords Around the Wheel program were the same tyres as the tyres that came equipped on Ford SUVs when that was not true. Ford denied all such allegations. However, they have agreed to settle nonetheless.
Continue ReadingGoodyear PAX System On Show
A concept car fitted with a Goodyear PAX system will be one of the vehicles on show at the North American Auto Show, to be held at Detroit later this month. The tyre, resulting from the joint venture with Michelin to develop the PAX system, is one of more than two dozen concept tyres that Goodyear will be highlighting at car shows during 2003. Concept tyres are more than just a bit of fun - Goodyears Aquatred, which had a deep, circumferential aquachannel groove, first appeared as a concept tyre in the 1980s. It was redesigned for the road a decade later by tyre engineer Sam Landers, who now heads Goodyears runflat development team, which includes the PAX project.
Continue ReadingGibara Misses Last Opportunity As CEO
Within less than a week our office has obtained eight links giving access to an electronic letter from Sam Gibara to all Goodyear associates. Gibara restated that as from the 1st January, Bob Keegan has taken over as CEO and that he remains as Chairman of the Group. Gibara looked back at the past year which he described as marked by wins throughout Goodyears world and he speaks of foundations established for future success and of opportunities seized, none of which would have been possible without the associates support. He adds, You are making a difference and our company will prevail because of you. With a degree of bitterness some of these associates said that Gibara had ultimately missed the opportunity to explain why the company is in such deep water. They point to the fact that Gibara has never shown any sign of admitting have made mistakes himself. Instead, it was always the economy, the environment, the exchange rate, the high costs of raw materials and so on. However, he has not convinced the associates, many of whom feel that it is a big mistake to play down big problems. The staff is willing to fight, but needs guidance. If indeed the company has the best brands, great distribution and the best people, why then is the company fighting with its back to the wall whilst its big competitors are making money?
Continue ReadingGoodyear “Disappointed” At Rating Downgrade
Goodyear president and COO Robert Keegan said the company was disappointed at the decision of Standard & Poors Rating Services to lower its rating of Goodyears debt by two degrees, from BB+ to BB-. This is the minimum rating required as a condition for borrowing in some cases. Keegan said that Goodyear was fundamentally sound and that the companys plan to improve operational and financial performance was on track, adding that 2003 will be a transition year for Goodyear.
Continue ReadingChanges At Bridgestone USA
Noburo Tim Kawakami, president of Bridgestone/Firestone manufacturing operations in the USA, is to retire on March 31 next year. His place will be taken by Masao Wada, currently manager of the factory at Aiken County, South Carolina, and succeeding Wada will be Mike Rose, operations manager at the facility. In keeping with events in Europe, the American subsidiary is changing its name, from Bridgestone/Firestone Americas Holding to Bridgestone Americas Holding.
Continue ReadingFeu Vert Buys 55 Centres From Carrefour
French fast fit auto chain, Feu Vert has purchased 55 auto centres which operate from Carrefour shopping centres in France. This brings the number of Feu Vert centres to 370. 300 in France and 62 in Spain, plus others in surrounding countries. Feu Vert turnover is now in excess of 700 million Euros. The company is 62 per cent owned by Monnoyeur and 38 per cent by Casino. The company is also the majority shareholder in Mondial Pare-Brise - the auto windscreen company.
Continue ReadingNigerian Standards Organisation Destroys Sub-standard Tyres
The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has recently destroyed large amounts of sub-standard goods in a move designed to emphasis the need to improve the quality of goods traded in Nigeria. The latest batch of goods to be destroyed included second-hand tyres imported and sold by Sanusi Gbenga Tyres Enterprises. According to a spokesman for SON the tyres which were branded Dunlop, Michelin, Continental and Kleber were full of flaws, cracks, blisters, and foreign materials. These, according to him, are unreliable and potential death-traps.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Gets Go-Ahead For Indian Investment
Indian Commerce Minister Arun Shourie has approved 23 foreign direct investment deals, worth 920 million Rupees (US$ 19.1 m). One of these is for Bridgestone to increase its equity holding in its Indian subsidiary from 90 per cent to 100 per cent, with an investment of 666 million Rupees (US$ 13.85 m).
Continue Reading2002 US Tyre Shipments Rise
In the USA, the Rubber Manufacturers Association is predicting that 2002 tyre shipments for new vehicle owners will rise by 7.3 per cent to 58.5 million units. This rise is fuelled by the heavy incentives and zero-finance offers from car manufacturers. The RMA also forecasts that car tyre OE shipments next year will stay flat and are expected to rise again in 2004 as the economy improves. An improved economy will also mean an increase in truck and trailer tyre shipments, says the RMA.
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