OE Supplies From Goodyear May Be Cut
Goodyear Tire and Rubber is considering cutting sales to vehicle manufacturers due to declining profits. The company may also shift some manufacturing to sub-contractors in an attempt to improve margins. Goodyear claims that OE supply could be cut by as much as 24 per cent in three years. 30 per cent of Goodyear tyre sales are to vehicle manufacturers. Unless the tyre manufacturer can secure price increases for OE tyres production could be cut by as many as 5 million units. There have also been suggestions that Goodyear may sub-contract private label production to third parties.
Continue ReadingThe Supreme Way Forward For Claydon’s
Tyre wholesalers, R.H. Claydon today announced a new series of additions to their Supreme brand of agricultural and industrial tyres. The companys business development manager, Dick Anderson said, we do not consider our Supreme range to be classified within the budget sector. It is a brand that delivers quality at an economical price.
Continue ReadingSuperior Wheels For GM
Superior announced the award of several new and replacement programs under the previously announced long term supply agreement which has now been finalized and signed with General Motors Corporation. The first of these programs will begin production in the Spring of 2002 and include the Saturn vehicle name plate; a first for Superior Industries. These recent business awards demonstrate the value of this unprecedented year contract to both General Motors and Superior Industries because it was based on long term performance in delivering the highest quality, technology and service at competitive prices, said Louis L. Borick, President and Chairman of Superior Industries.
Continue ReadingLow Rollers From Goodyear
According to Goodyear, the tyres used on tomorrows electric vehicles will be low rollers. Low rolling resistance tyres. Tyres used on General Motors Autonomy fuel cell car were 22 inch diameter and pumped to higher pressures to ensure low rolling resistance. Ride has been improved by adopting a rounder profile sidewall on a narrower rim. The tyres are designated E-metric - for use on electric and hybrid vehicles.
Continue ReadingRegenerative Brakes For 2003
TRW Chassis Systems has entered an agreement with a major vehicle manufacturer to develop and supply regenerative braking systems based on electro-hydraulic brake technology. TRW Chassis Systems claims that 5 per cent improvement in braking can be gained through the new brake-by-wire technology involved. It is estimated that the system will be launched on the market in 2003.
Continue ReadingHayes Lemmerz To Close North American Factories
Hayes Lemmerz has decided to close two North American plants, one producing steel wheels, another producing aluminium wheels. The aluminium wheel plant is at Somerset, Kentucky (formerly Alumitech), which the world’s largest wheel manufacturer only took over in 1998 from a 50/50 joint venture. The Somerset plant manufactured mainly one-piece cast wheels for the Mercedes M-class. In future the Hayes Lemmerz factory in Hoboken (Belgium) and Ronals factory in Mexico will supply the M-Class with aluminium wheels.
Continue ReadingNew MD For Bridgestone/Firestone
John McNaught, 52, has been appointed managing director of Bridgestone/Firestone UK and will assume his role on Monday 4th February. He has worked in the UK tyre industry since 1976 when he started with Goodyear. He moved to Central Tyres, part of the Pirelli organisation, in 1985, rising to the position of operations director and then switched to National Tyre Service, part of Continental, as a regional director. Mr McNaught became the managing director of National Tyre Service in 1998 and managed the sale of the business in 2001. Since August last year he has worked as director of commercial products for Continental Tyres. Bridgestones marketing director, Chikuma Otsuki has been acting managing director since the retiral of Jim Wilson.
Continue ReadingBridgestone And Continental Cooperate In Run-flat Tyre Systems
Bridgestone Corporation and Continental AG signed a technical agreement on January 21, 2002 in Tokyo. It provides two companies to cooperate in creating global standard systems in run-flat tyre systems for installation on standard wheels for passenger cars and light trucks. Under this agreement, Bridgestone will furnish technology and grant license to Continental on its Self Supporting Runflat Tyre (SSR), which has earned high regard and multiple fitments from leading automakers globally. At the same time, Continental will furnish technology and grant license on its original technology on the ContiSafetyRing run-flat system (CSR) to Bridgestone.
Continue ReadingInsolvency At Intra
On January 16th, aluminium wheel manufacturing group Intra (Bruchsal/Germany) filed for insolvency. Elements of the group are the ILG casting facility, Intra Fleischmann + Wacker, Exip Autoparts and leasing company Intrex. The insolvency administrator has the task of saving as many of the 260 employee positions as possible and the intention to restructure the company, which is a key OE wheel supplier to Opel. Negotiations with credit institutions and suppliers are ongoing and production is being maintained.
Continue ReadingItaly: Retreading Quote for Public Fleets
A new Finance Act that was passed at the end of December by the Italian Parliament provides that public bodies and the managers of public services will have to reserve at least 20 per cent to retreads in their orders of spare tyres for their fleets of passenger cars as well as commercial and industrial vehicles. The Italian retreading association, AIRP, representing a large concentration of machinery manufacturers and more than 100 specialised retreading companies, sees interesting prospects for their industry and underlines that the retreaders must now operate in compliance with EEC-UN Regulations 108 and 109 providing for retreads the same strict tests to be carried out as for the approval of new tyres.
Continue ReadingBuyback To End At Ford
Ford will cease its buyback offer for Firestone tyres at the end of March. Martin Inglis, the chief financial officer said that Ford had replaced around 9.5 million of the 13.5 million tyres included in the programme. The end date was intended to encourage the changeover of the remaining tyres at the earliest opportunity.
Continue ReadingLow Inventory Lifts Delphi Hopes
Parts supplier, Delphi, hopes that the automakers inventory reduction over the past year when production has been at a low, will result in a boost in business as low inventory forces manufacturers to place orders for new stock. In the meantime restructuring continues, with the loss of 11,500 jobs and the closure of nine factories.
Continue ReadingLosses At Lincoln Mercury Blamed On Firestone
Ford’s Lincoln Mercury division has been badly hit by the Firestone affair. Ford claim that the recall hit the Mercury Mountaineer brand hard. Losses of around $1 billion have been reported. Despite this downturn, Ford plan that Lincoln will concentrate on the SUV/Cross-over sector, and is expected to contribute around a third of the company’s profits by 2005.
Continue ReadingSpanish Moves For Goodyear
Goodyear Spain has reached an agreement with Neumaticos JM Martinez which will assist the tyre distributor switch core business from distribution to manufacturing. JM Martinez is to cease distribution of Marshal and Lassa and will concentrate on selling Goodyear brands. The Spanish press speculate that this may open the door to a Goodyear takeover of JM Martinez.
Continue ReadingOne Million Dollar Bill For Clean-Up
A tyre dump dating back to the 1950s which has lain unserviced since the death of the owner in 1977 is creating problems for Burlington County, Philadelphia. The stock of one million scrap tyres has been subject to arson attacks. However it is the fight against West Nile Virus, spread by mosquitoes which breed in the sheltered stagnant pools of water in the tyres that has finally generated the effort to clear the dump. Contractors are asking for one dollar per tyre to remove the stack, the operation may be grant funded - but the owners may be asked to pay back the grant over an extended period.
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