Concorde Tyres Destroyed By Runway Debris
Goodyear can at last draw a deep breath, at least for the time being. The provisional results of the investigating authorities suggest that it was debris on the runway which destroyed the tyre, thus setting off the tragic chain of events which occurred on take-off.
Continue ReadingGhosn Stands By Bridgestone
President of Nissan Carlos Ghosn has said that the company will continue to use Bridgestone/Firestone as an original equipment tyre supplier.
Continue Reading“XL” Winter Tyre: The “ContiWinterContact TS 790 V”
In the context of summer passenger car tyres the V speed rating is a common application. However, in the last year V-rated winter tyres have also entered the market; a development that even quite recently was unthinkable. This year German tyre manufacturer Continental is launching a V-rated winter tyre – the ContiWinterContact TS 790 V XL. According to the press release it is the first true V-rated winter tyre, allowing for speeds of up to 240 kph. The XL stands for extra load, meaning that the new tyre has been developed with a higher load index than competitors products. This compensates for obligatory load reductions which usually mean a tyre with a normal load index is permitted to drive at up to 220 kph on a full load, or the wheel load has to be reduced by 9 % to allow it to run at 240 kph. With the higher load index on the Continental TS 790 V XL no compromise will be required, and the tyre may be run at 240 kph at full wheel load. The new tyre is available in ten sizes to cover 96 % of the market segment. Prices will be 11 % higher than the H-rated version of the TS 790. Find out more in the November issue of NEUE REIFENZEITUNG.
Continue ReadingRedundancies And Closures At Finelist
There are reports of redundancies and closures at car parts group Finelist, which went into administrative receivership. Rumours that 120 staff had been made redundant and that 50 Motor World car accessory shops had been closed down, were not confirmed by receivers. It is believed that over 100 companies have expressed an interest in buying parts of Finelist, with ten or so willing to buy the group as a whole.
Continue ReadingNot only Firestone: Now Huge Recall At Ford
Car manufacturer Ford has – as American news agencies have reported – recalled 876,000 cars of the types Explorer and Mercury Mountaineers because of faulty chassis parts. 262 incidents, mainly occurring in Canada, have been reported to date. The owners of these models will be informed by mail. The Ford press department in Cologne does not regard Germany as being involved in this recall.
Continue ReadingISO 14001 Certificate For Rumal
The Dutch company Rumal – part of the Kargro Group – recently received the ISO 14001 certificate. They process more than 25,000 tons of truck scrap tyres into granulate and rubber meal per annum.
Continue ReadingChina Tire Holdings Seeks $3.5 bn Damages From Goodyear
China Tire Holdings, listed on the NY Stock Exchange since 1993, has brought a law suit against Goodyear in Ohio. Amongst other things the Chinese company accuses Goodyear of violating the RICO statutes and is seeking US$ 3.5 bn in actual and punitive damages from the American rubber giant.
Continue Reading‘Show Me The Logo’
Michelin has embarked on a major new marketing programme that is designed to further enhance their position as the leading tyre brand in the UK. The campaign involves a series of television commercials using the catchphrase Show me the logo which will centre around customers demanding the Michelin brand when purchasing tyres.The campaign will be supported through dealership promotion.
Continue ReadingBMW US Factory Expands
The BMW factory at Spartanburg (South Carolina), in which in addition to the Roadster ever more X5 off-road vehicles are produced, will soon face production capacity problems. A higher vehicle output could also benefit American wheel suppliers such as Superior Industries or Alcoa/Reynolds.
Continue ReadingFast Fit Offered By Mercedes
In this year Mercedes wants to establish a so-called Express-Service covering the range from exhausts to brakes. Within one hour customers utilising this special service are assumed to be on the road again.
Continue ReadingCooper Tire & Rubber Record Figures
Cooper Tire & Rubber, the US tyre and rubber manufacturer, announced sales of US$ 2.2 bn, which is an increase of 17% compared with 1998. Net income was US$ 135.5m. This figure is 6.7% up on 1998.
Continue ReadingUSA Replacement Tyre Market – Michelin To Raise Prices
Following price increases of between 3 and 5% by Cooper, Goodyear, Pirelli and Yokohama in the US market, Michelin is increasing its prices of passenger car and light truck tyres by 5%. Tyre manufacturers need a minimum price increase of 3% merely to compensate for the 8% increase in raw material costs (rubber, oil, carbon black).
Continue ReadingMichelin Introduces New Truck Tyre Brand
Michelin is introducing its Riken brand into the truck tyre market. The newly-developed tyres will be produced by subsidiary company Taurus in Hungary.
Continue ReadingAt the beginning of April the sixth
At the beginning of April the sixth round-table conference about tyres and tyre technology organised by the Tip Top Stahlgruber company took place in Munich. This year’s 85 participants came from many varied backgrounds: There were tyre dealers, retreaders, material suppliers, representatives of associations (ADAC, BRV, DEKRA, TÜV etc.), scientists and representatives of the vehicle and tyre manufacturing industries. Some of the highlights of the event included Hans-Jürgen Drechsler, deputy managing director of the BRV (Association of Tyre Traders and Non-Industrial Vulcanisers), speaking about development tendencies in the tyre trade with plenty of figures to back up the claim that the general tendency to concentration in the tyre trade is accelerating and manufacturer dependence or orientation also on the increase. Dieter Hatzfeld, formerly Michelin, now in a leading position with RuLa GmbH, the truck tyre cold cure retreader, spoke about the lop-sided pricing policy in the truck tyre field. The gist of his talk was: The price relation between new and retreaded tyres is no longer right. The subject of Mobile Fitting was also under discussion. Long-term participation in the truck tyre business means participation in the large fleet business and offering comprehensive service schemes, Drechsler said. Norbert Schygulla (Deutsche Goodyear), Michael Zoeppritz (Bridgestone/Firestone), Dr. Bernd Löwenhaupt (Dunlop), Ludwig Nelke (Michelin) and Hugo Verschoore (Butler Engineering) then introduced their own companies’ tyre run-flat systems (EMT, DSST, PAX) complete with practical fitting and maintenance suggestions. All in all, the range of subjects was far-reaching, offering something interesting for each of the guests present. Read more in NEUE REIFENZEITUNG 5/2000.
Continue ReadingAWI Plant Closes
Alloy Wheels International (AWI), a subsidiary of South African company Murray & Roberts, has closed its Cardiff plant because of an expected fall in demand from oe customers Rover Cars and Land-Rover and reduced competitiveness because of currency problems. 250 jobs are lost.
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