Internet Motorcycle Tyre Guide Launched By Dunlop
Dunlop Online has launched what it says is the most sophisticated guide to motorcycle tyres on the net. It gives surfers tyre fitment and pressure data for their motorcycles, along with the recommended Dunlop tyre for their machine. Details are on ww.dunloptyres.co.uk/motorcycle
Continue ReadingReshuffle At Cooper-Avon
Cooper-Avon Tyres has reshuffled many of its management team. André Korynevsky – responsible until now for retreading materials – has been appointed European Sales Director, liaising with the companys offices in Germany, France and Switzerland. He will continue to manage the retread materials business. Phil Caris is the new European Sales & Marketing Director with responsibility for multi-brand strategies, coordinating global product management. As European Major Accounts Director, Steve Cundy will head a team of three, which will service the business with European retail chains, marketing Avon house and private brands, as well as developing fleet business.
Continue ReadingSubsidiary Company To Develop Nokian Intelligent Tyre Technology
Nokian has established a subsidiary company for commercialising and internationalising its recently-created intelligent tyre technology (ITT). The company is called RoadSnoop Ltd. and it will be responsible for the product development, production and marketing of ITT. Called the RoadSnoop Safety System, it consists of lightweight sensors installed in the tyres which monitor tyre pressures and temperatures. Should the pressure drop, the system sends an alert to the drivers mobile phone, in-car computer, or even to a separate display at a garage forecourt.
Continue Reading2000 Figures From Nokian
Nokian Tyres has released financial results for last year. Net sales were 398.5 m Euro, 23.5 per cent higher than 1999. Allowing for acquisitions made during the year, the figure was 359.8 m Euro, or 11.5 per cent higher. Operating profit was 39.4 m Euro (1999: 42.1 m), affected by a 1.7 m Euro loss incurred by the tyre retail chain. Net profit was 19.8 m Euro (1999: 25.7 m).
Continue Reading“Sam” Gibara Joins SRI Board
Samir G. Gibara (61), chairman and chief executive officer of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, has been elected to the board of directors of Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. in Kobe, Japan. Gibaras election is in conjunction with Goodyears 10 percent ownership of SRI, following the companies global alliance, completed in September 1999. This ownership makes Goodyear SRIs second-largest shareholder. SRI holds 1.4 percent of Goodyears common stock.
Continue Reading“Technical Manual” From Fulda
A new edition of Fuldas Technical Manual has been introduced. Experts and end users will find a lot of information about all different types of tyres, about tyre technology and, last but not least, about legislation. The completely revised manual is available in English and German versions.
Continue ReadingBank Analysts View C3M Factory Tyre Production
At its so-called annual strategy day, Michelin had only partly good news to tell. Following the disastrous Firestone tyre recall, the price increases in the US-replacement market appear to have stuck. However, recent price increases in the US truck tyre replacement market have not held and this is squeezing the EBIT margins. For the first time ever, analysts were allowed to see a tyre made by the C3M process. Michelin is convinced that it can increase market share significantly in the UHP market with the help of C3M, while analysts from Deutsche Bank see C3M as a key driver to achieve an EBIT margin of 10 per cent in 2005, compared to 7.6 per cent in 2000.
Continue ReadingBusiness As Usual In South Africa – Ford And Bridgestone
In South Africa, Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone have announced that the split between the two companies in the USA will not affect their 50-year relationship. Ford SAs director of corporate affairs Craig von Essen said that the recall problem was a matter for the US companies and that, as far as the South African company was concerned, it was business as usual. Bridgestone supplies South African companies with ATX and R45 Wilderness tyres, manufactured locally. As well as Ford SA, it supplies tyres to BMW SA, Toyota SA and Nissan SA.
Continue ReadingTurnover Up, Net Earnings Down For Marangoni
Italian tyre and retreading group Marangoni has revealed its financial results for last year. Turnover rose by almost 10 per cent to 264.5 million Euro, but net earnings plummeted by just over 76 per cent to 1.79 million Euro. There were mixed sales performances from the different divisions: new tyre sales were 70 m Euro (+18.3 per cent), retreading material sales 90.8 m Euro (+7 per cent) and retreaded tyre sales were 63.1 m Euro (+12.8 per cent). It is indicative of the state of the retreading industry that sales of equipment used for retreading and recycling were 6 m Euro; down by over 14 per cent. Marangoni cited increased raw material costs as the main reason for the fall in profits.
Continue ReadingRingtread Marketing Begins Successfully For Ellerbrock
A short time ago there was just one production facility for Ringtread products in the whole of Europe: at Marangoni in Frosinone (Italy) which is the patent holder for this product that has already been described several times in NEUE REIFENZEITUNG. Marangonis German subsidiary Ellerbrock has invested millions of Deutsche Marks in its plant located in the north of Hamburg in order to be able to produce the tread rings for itself. In addition Ellerbrock has assumed the distribution rights from Marangoni for the Ringtread products, covering the German speaking countries and Denmark. By the end of this year Ellerbrock (turnover 2000: > 60 million DM, 125 employees) wants to achieve complete coverage for these products within Germany. Up until now three retreaders have been working with this technology. The company has completed successful negotiations with a couple of other companies, as was underlined by Clemens Zimmermann, Director of Organisation and Systems at Ellerbrock. One of these companies is Reifen Ihle; one of the largest retreaders in Germany. There will be no cannibalisation effects on the other product lines. Ringtread will be offered in addition to the conventional product range, consisting of Kontur and PRL treads. The marketing strategy is a two-dimensional one: on the one hand Ellerbrock goes with the Ringtread retreader to the customer, the end user, in order to convince him of the advantages of this technology. On the other hand Ellerbrock searches for new customer groups which have until now exclusively used new truck tyres and not considered retreads. Zimmermann is convinced that the positioning of the products following the slogan Next to the New will be a helpful argument in this context.
Continue ReadingThe Financial Experts’ Favourite – Michelin
Reports from financial and industry analysts generally agree that the tyre industry, among others, is facing a difficult time with market conditions having worsened recently. Despite this, the Deutsche Bank AG, London is recommending Michelin shares as a buy, even though the organisation is downgrading its 2001 profits forecast for the French manufacturer by 3%.
Continue ReadingThe Retreading Of Truck Tyres
Whereas the incidence of car tyre retreading is slowly diminishing (in summer tyres this segment is virtually insignificant, in winter tyres market shares are falling dramatically and are approaching the ten percent mark), truck tyre retreading seems to be stable across Europe. But there are significant national differences especially regarding the incidence of retreading and the relationship between new tyres and retreads. Looking back over the last decade, not from the technological viewpoint but at the main players and their market shares, it was (before Michelin’s Recamic came on the scene) the Marangoni group (including Ellerbrock), which showed most growth. Kraiburg also showed positive development but the world’s no 1 in cold retreading Bandag showed signs of stagnation. If these three players have improved, strengthened or defended their market shares then there must also be losers, these being the new tyre producers who supplied the retreaders with materials for their business but especially the hot retreading. The four big players in the European truck tyre market (Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Continental) have tied up packages which should be regarded by the retreading specialists (like Bandag, Marangoni/Ellerbrock, Kraiburg) with some discomfort because the result is a lessening of their influence. New tyre manufacturers, retreaders and dealers find themselves as part of a package. The importance of retreaded truck tyres grows, while the importance of retreaders shrinks. The retreaded truck tyre is an integrated part of a very complex marketing concept. The retread is another item in a customer relation program, a marketing instrument, which is designed to lead to the sale of the next new tyre.
Continue ReadingSuperior Earns GM Agreement To Supply Wheels
Superior Industries International has been chosen by General Motors Corp. to supply aluminium road wheels for multiple GM vehicle lines over the next several years. Superior is a 2000 GM Supplier of the Year and was awarded the unprecedented contract based on its ability to consistently provide GM with world-class levels of quality, technology, service and price.
Continue ReadingGloomy Outlook For World Auto Industry – Report
The latest report from industry consultants Autopolis makes gloomy reading. The title A sharp decline to come: the outlook for the global vehicle industry to 2005 and 2010 says it all. It predicts that car and truck sales will drop by 11% from their peak before the end of next year. That is six million units, or the equivalent of the whole Japanese market and the report predicts fundamental changes to come in the worlds auto industry.
Continue ReadingHow Far Will Pirelli Shares fall?
The engagement with Telecom Italia has become an expensive adventure for Pirelli. Because telecommunications have fallen from favour on the stock markets the shares are rated even worse than those of automotive companies and analysts do not agree with Pirellis change in strategy. Pirelli shares are in a deep fall. This just as the so much abused tyre division presents admissible figures in a very hard market.
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