Rumours Regarding The Ford PAG Group
There is speculation in some business newspapers that Wolfgang Reitzle, boss of PAG (the luxury car segment), might leave his post. Reitzle is a close friend of Jacques Nasser, who recently had to quit his job as CEO of the Ford Group. It is said that the European luxury segment could become part of Ford Europe and lose its independence.
Continue ReadingNew Products From Michelin and Kleber
Michelin wants to underline its reputation for innovation concerning agricultural tyres with the presentation of three new tyres: MACHXBIB, XM 28 for tractors exceeding 180 horse power and the trailer tyre CARGOXBIB. The first one comes in two versions: an on-land version (650 mm wide) for transport and for work along the furrow and the in-land version (900 mm wide) with significantly reduced soil compaction and excellent traction performance. Highlight on the Kleber stand is the new FITKER a 70-series tyre that will be available in the two dimensions 480/70 R28 and 580/70 R38, and which replaces its predecessors, the Super 8L and 9L.
Continue ReadingRestructuring For Bridgestone/Firestone Inc.
US company Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. has announced a new corporate structure from Dec. 1st. The reorganised company will be known as Bridgestone/Firestone Americas Holding Inc (BFAH), which will be the holding company for a number of subsidiaries. John Lampe will be CEO and president of BFAH. The change has been made to take advantage of better financing rates and to re-focus on core businesses.
Continue ReadingWorld’s Largest Tyre From Bridgestone
Bridgestone has developed the worlds largest tyre, the 59/80R63 V-Steel E-Lug S, a radial tyre for dump trucks carrying loads of 380-400 tons. Customers in the mining industry are using increasingly larger equipment and tyres are evolving to match. The new tyre, which will go on sale next spring, stands 4.02 metres (13 ft 2.5 ins) tall and is 1.47 metres (4 ft 10 ins) across. Each tyre weighs 5.1 tonnes and has a load rating of 101 tonnes.
Continue ReadingExpansion For Bridgestone In South Africa
South African company Bridgestone Firestone Maxiprest is expanding and forming a new organisation. The company is to acquire West Cape Bandag and merging four outlets of tyre distributor Prima bande to form Primax Tyres. The outlets will distribute the Maxiprest range of retreads and related tyre services. Maxiprest has 100 retail outlets and 20 retread factories across South Africa.
Continue ReadingMore News On Kumho Sale
In South Korea, Kumho has revealed that it is on the verge of selling 80 per cent of its tyre unit for a price between $1.2 and $1.5 billion. The buyer is named only as a foreign investment fund but unconfirmed reports link the sale with J P Morgan and the private equity fund Carlyle Group. Carlyle was favourite to buy the ContiTech division when it was up for sale. Another report says that three foreign potential purchasers are in the running and an agreement should be reached in the next few months. The Kumho Group is having to sell assets in order to pay off debts; it currently has debts of $2.52 billion against assets of $3.3 billion.
Continue Reading“Ypsilon” by Continental
With the new Ypsilon tyre, which was shown for the first time at Agritechnica in Hanover, Continental is breaking into the 22.5 inch tyre sector. The Ypsilion combines all the benefits of implement and MPT radial tyres and is approved for speeds of up to 90 km/h (56 mph). Its all-round suitability means it can be fitted not only to trailed axles but also drive axles. In addition the new, revised Technical Manual comprising of over 100 pages has been published to coincide with Agritechnica. It contains a wealth of information about agricultural tyres, their tread patterns, tyre pressures and application conditions.
Continue ReadingTie-Up Between Titan And Case New Holland
In the USA, Titan tyres and wheels will be available from any of the thousands of Case New Holland dealers. CNH is the second largest North American company in farm equipment sales. Titans aim is to generate an additional $100 million of business over the next few years and the offer may be extended to other equipment dealers.
Continue ReadingExtended Break For Pirelli Factory
Workers at the Pirelli factory in Carlisle, UK, will enjoy a longer-than-usual break this Christmas. The plant will be closed from Christmas Eve to New Years Eve, instead of re-opening as planned on December 28th. Pirelli UK says that the move is in accordance with a decision by the parent company to reduce stock levels worldwide and it has been taken with the full agreement of the Unions. The Carlisle factory produces 10,000 tyres a day.
Continue ReadingBritish Supercar Fits Bridgestone 100 Per Cent
British supercar manufacturer Noble is to fit Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position tyres as 100 per cent OE to its new sports car, the M12 GTO. The car won Top Gear magazines 2001 Drivers Car Award and it delivers 310 brake horse power through a twin-turbo-charged 24 valve engine.
Continue ReadingBrazilian Recall For Bridgestone/Firestone
The Brazilian subsidiary of Bridgestone/Firestone is recalling almost 40,000 tyres, fitted on Ford F-250 and F-350 pick-ups. This follows 16 tread separation incidents, but Bridgestone/Firestone stresses that the recall is purely a preventative measure and there have been no accidents or injuries reported.
Continue ReadingNew Sizes for Vredestein
Dutch tyre manufacturer Vredestein is adding some new sizes to its existing product range, for example the dimension 350/60-16 12 PR TL to the Flotation+ profile. With the new Traxion+ sizes 420/70 R 28 and 520 R 38 it is also possible to choose extra wide tyres in the most popular horse power categories. Last but not least the Flotation Pro in 22.5 inches is now suitable for speeds up to 65 km/h. Additional sizes are also in preparation, such as 600/55 R 26.5, 700/50 R 26.5 and 800/40 R 26.5.
Continue ReadingCash Injection For Firestone From Parent
The Bridgestone Corporation is to inject $1.3 billion (1.46 bn Euro) into its North American subsidiary, which is expected to post a loss of $1.6 billion for this year. Debts currently stand at $2.7 billion and BF Inc. has suffered from costs involved in the closure of its Decatur plant, litigation costs and falling sales following the recall. It was announced that BF Inc. is to be reorganised under a holding company structure and Bridgestone President Shigeo Watanabe is optimistic that the company would soon return to profitability, saying that the company has become a leaner and more efficient organisation.
Continue ReadingTravel Ban At Continental
Employees of the business unit Continental International are being encouraged to travel less and to hold more video conferences instead. It is understandable that travel in dangerous regions or countries is not advisable, but the complete travelling prohibition is just justified by the need to save money. The complete business unit is highly insecure and seems to be on the point of collapsing. In any case the directory board has made it clear that acquisitions in the Asian region are no longer to be considered and that the restructuring process has only just started. By this means the advances made in past years have been wiped out.
Continue ReadingFour New Motorcycle Tyres From Bridgestone
Bridgestone has launched four new motorcycle tyres. The first is the Battlax BT-090 an ultra-high performance tyre for mid-sized motorcycles. The tyre uses cutting edge technologies to create an ideal sporting on-road and race tyre. The second, the Battlax BT 012SS, is designed to give uncompromising performance for motorcycles over 600cc. Also announced are two new motocross tyres for medium and medium to hard circuits, the M401 (front) and M402 (rear) for medium terrain, and the M601 (front) and M602 (rear) for hard terrain.
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