Recall At Firestone Ends Sooner Than Planned
Bridgestone CEO Yoichiro Kaizaki has announced that, currently, 4.2 million of the total of 6.5 million tyres that were involved in the Firestone recall have been exchanged. The complete recall will be completed in November, much earlier than was previously announced. In August Firestone estimated that the recall would take until the summer of next year.
Continue ReadingThe Tyre As Part Of A System
The tyre can no longer be regarded as an isolated part of a car but is integrated into an increasingly complicated network or system. Progress in electronics especially has been revolutionary and has enormous influence on the work of tyre technicians. The engineers have to think in systems and integrate the tyre into all parts of the motive power of the car. Between the two corners tyre wheel system and the engine, is a wide field which the car makers and their suppliers are exploiting step by step. Immediately next to the tyres are modules such as brakes, shock absorbers and axles. Around the tyre is the chassis. The producers of certain of these elements in the past developed their own product without contacting the producers of neighbouring chassis parts. They were driven by their customers in the car industry, who gave information about the performance of the product with the target that all the parts should be compatible. As development progresses, this becomes harder and harder. In the future the suppliers will be forced to cooperate one with another, in order to make the best possible technology available for the car.
Continue ReadingFinancial Markets Advise Care With Automotive Shares
There is unanimity amongst financial institutes that anyone with investments in automotive shares should be very careful of their investments. The coming quarter does not look too promising; BMW, Peugeot/Citroën, Porsche and Renault (particularly thanks to Nissans better than expected results), should hold their position, but there seems to be no end in sight to the decline at DaimlerChrysler.
Continue ReadingNokian Ends Cooperation With Tofan
Nokian Tyres has terminated the agreement, made in November 1997, with Tofan, under which the Romanian manufacturer produced some agricultural and industrial tyres for the Finnish company. The reason given was that Tofan was unable to meet quality expectations.
Continue ReadingWinter Test/System Comparison 2000 – Winter Tyres are Indispensable
It has almost become a tradition by now: Once a year the German subsidiary of Japanese car manufacturer Mazda invites the trade press to a winter test/system comparison. The journalists attending in Saas Fee in the Swiss canton of Valais were asked to perform a number of driving tests under various conditions. The necessary winter tyres and know-how were provided by workshop partner Continental, and the computer-aided evaluation of the results of these practical tests was handled by representatives from TÜV Rheinland/Berlin-Brandenburg. The most important part of the workshop results was: On snow and ice winter tyres are absolutely indispensable! The tendencies worked out in theory were generally confirmed but, contrary to expectation, no significant difference in handling was discernible between front and rear drive. Similarly, the two front-driven vehicles – whether on TCS or ESP – ended up with nearly the same result. But brake tests with ABS did demonstrate the expected differences in the performance of winter and summer tyres, with the average traction quotient of 88 p.c. (winter tyre = 100 p.c.) for a front-driven summer tyre, however, considerably higher than the 76 p.c. estimated by the group.
Continue ReadingStinnes-Reifendienst: Record Figures For Main Shareholder
The london-based Legal and General Group has announced that it is managing assets worth £102 billion; a 25% increase. Subsidiary company Legal & General Ventures Ltd. is the main shareholder of Dorana, which purchased Stinnes-Reifendienst last year.
Continue ReadingStock Exchange Unfriendly Towards Tyre Manufacturers
While Pirelli and Toyo shares - although only from time to time - displayed an upward trend in February, most of the other important tyre manufacturers (for example Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper, Goodyear and Michelin) were among the losers. Their shares have fallen to a new 52-week low, but shares in Yokohama rose 20 per cent at the end of February.
Continue ReadingWolfrace Wheels Acquired By Smith’s Wheels U.K.
Smiths Wheels U.K. have announced the acquisition of the assets, brand name and tooling of Wolfrace Wheels.
Continue ReadingWheel Report, Part 2
NEUE REIFENZEITUNG, having focused in its wheel industry report on original equipment and vehicle manufacturers in its March issue, will in April concentrate on the pricing of wheels (manufacturer to customer), on technical features, the takeover merry-go-round and on the replacement market. It came as no surprise that motor manufacturers were not too keen on our trade magazine investigating the pricing procedure – which only serves to make this exercise that much more interesting. We are still a very long way away from completing the consolidation of the industry, as can be gathered from the takeover rumours that spring up afresh every week and from the commitment of large market players to use their strong growth potential. As our last issue went to press, we reported the sale of the Norwegian manufacturer Fundo, for instance. Who will be next? In the April issue we also take a closer look at some companies operating in the replacement market, which have influenced the most important European market, i.e. Germany, in 1999, e.g. Alcar, Artec/RH Alurad, Brock/Rad Center Derkum and many others.
Continue ReadingSandra Farmand Wins World Cup
Sandra Farmand has won the Snowboard World Cup. Farmand is the promotional star for the Pirelli Winter Snowsport winter tyre.
Continue ReadingCornelius Blanke Moves From Bridgestone To Wella
The PR Manager of Bridgestone/Firestone Germany, Cornelius Blanke, is leaving the company to join Wella AG (Darmstadt/Germany).
Continue ReadingGerman Tyre Replacement-Market At A Record Level
According to the German tyre dealers association BRV (Bundesverband Reifenhandel und Vulkaniseur-Handwerk), in 1999 more than 50 million tyres were sold in the German replacement market, 43 million of them in the passenger car sector. Especially, a new record in winter tyres sales was achieved. Sales in the commercial vehicle sector increased five p.c. to 5.7 million tyres. Whereas retreaded truck tyre sales were stable at 1.7 million units, the fall in sales of retreaded passenger car tyres continued.
Continue ReadingUS Unions Target Bridgestone
As a matter of practice, US unions choose one tyre maker as the basis for labour negotiations, targeting standard contracts for the coming year to apply to the other tyre companies also. This year they have decided to negotiate with Bridgestone/Firestone.
Continue ReadingFor Sale Again: Alloy Wheels International
South African Diversified company Murray & Roberts has a new Chief Executive, Brian Bruce. In an interview Bruce announced that M & R is again in discussions with some players to sell subsidiary company Alloy Wheels International (AWI). The producer of oe aluminium wheels closed a factory in Cardiff (Wales) a few weeks ago.
Continue ReadingBest-Ever Result for Dunlop Germany
Deutsche Dunlop GmbH, part of the Goodyear Dunlop Tire Group (Western Europe), has announced a record turnover in 1999 of 835 million Euro and a net profit of 63.3 million Euro. The operating profit was 12.5% of turnover. Dunlop Germany invested 68.5 million Euro, which represents 8% of turnover. The company has capital of 300 million Euro. Whilst employment in the rubber and tyre industry in Germany has decreased over the last ten years by 30%, Dunlop has increased its number of employees by 21% over the same period to 5,176 at 31st December 1999. The income of the four directors was excellent, averaging 2.9 million marks each as recognition of delivering outstanding results. From a German standpoint it is worth noting that the management have boosted location Germany. They showed the business world that it is possible to achieve excellent results in a German environment. The management remains optimistic for the future. Finance director, Dr. Volker Wingefeld, said that Dunlop expect to achieve results for this year comparable to those of 1999. The work of marketing director Dieter Seibert should also be mentioned. The Dunlop brand is stronger than ever before in Germany. The willingness to buy Dunlop is increasing significantly. Until last year the management held a press conference every year in Frankfurt, close to Hanau. Now, as part of a much bigger group, they are calling it a press-breakfast to get their message across.
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