Commercial Truck Steel Wheels From ArvinMeritor
ArvinMeritors expansion at its San Luis Potosi (Mexico) manufacturing facility includes the production facility and machinery to produce steel wheels up to 22.5 inches in diameter. The addition of steel truck wheels augments its wide range of steel wheels currently produced for passenger and light truck OEMs.
Continue ReadingKumho UK: The Need To Raise Awareness And Prices
J. M. Kim is the new managing director of Kumho UK and he comes to the new post with his own ideas and plans. He talks to TYRES & ACCESSORIES about the difference between the UK and markets elsewhere in Europe, especially the emphasis on price. He wants to raise the brand image – and selling price – of group products and he believes that this can be achieved by linking the Kumho brand to motorsports performance. Mr. Kim also talks about forthcoming changes and his ideas of working with importers to get a better price for the groups tyres; something which he admits will not be easy to achieve.
Continue ReadingQuestions Raised Over Explorer Ad Campaign
Under pressure in Venezuela, Ford has produced an advertisement listing statistics that show that the Explorer compares favourably in safety terms with other SUVs. Although no competitive vehicles are mentioned by name in the advert, both Daimler/Chrysler and GM (Venezuela) have objected to it and are casting doubts on the accuracy of the figures.
Continue ReadingDeutsche Bank Recommends Michelin Shares As A “Buy”
Despite the difficult environment which is not likely to lead to improvements in the coming half year Deutsche Bank is recommending Michelin shares as a Buy. The analysts believe that the focus on high performance tyres will pay off and they believe also that, due to the anticipated sale of the Pirelli truck division, competition will be lower in the future for Michelin, which is very strong in that market.
Continue ReadingLegal Threat From Bridgestone
Bridgestone President Shigeo Watanabe has said that the company is prepared to sue US regulator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if that organisation were to order another recall of Firestone tyres. Last week the NHTSA asked Bridgestone/Firestone to recall more tyres, but the company refused, threatening court action if the NHTSA declared the tyres defective. At a news conference in Tokyo, Shigeo Watanabe again said that the investigation should focus on both tyres and vehicles. Fears over the possibility of protracted legal action were reflected in a fall of over 15 per cent in Bridgestones share price.
Continue ReadingGerman Tyre Components Factory To Close
It has been announced that the former Kleber tyre factory at St. Ingbert in Germany will close at the end of June next year. The factory began making tyres in 1970 and ceased tyre production in 1994. Since then it has manufactured tyre components such as textile fabrics and rubber mixings. 200 jobs will be lost and the closure is part of the Michelin Groups on-going restructuring programme to improve competitiveness.
Continue ReadingATS Moves To Birmingham
In the UK, ATS Euromaster has announced that Birmingham City centre will become home to its new National Administration & Finance Centre, creating over 150 jobs in the process. Commenting on the announcement, Roland Combes, Managing Director, said: We want to develop our strategic base in the city of Birmingham to complement our state-of-the-art Customer Service Centre in Aston. The new facility means we will be able to provide seamless operational support for our centres, whilst continuing to deliver the best possible service to our growing UK customer base.
Continue ReadingWilson Retires As MD of Bridgestone/Firestone UK
Jim Wilson, Managing Director of Bridgestone/Firestone UK since 1995 has retired to return home to the USA. Wilson joined Firestone in 1965 and has worked overseas since 1967. His position will be held by marketing director Chikuma Otsuki until further notice.
Continue ReadingTurnaround for Dunlop Africa
African tyre maker Dunlop has seen a turnaround in its fortunes, turning a loss of $18.3 million (20.23 million Euro) into a profit of $25 million (27.64 million Euro) in the first half of the year. Sales have increased by 52 percent from $577 million (637.85 million Euro) to $879.6 million (972.31 million Euro). Developments at Bulawayo and Harare, new radial tyre ranges and the development of the Common Market for Southern Africa indicate that the improvements should continue for the foreseeable future. Kenyan tyre chain Kingsway Tyres has signed a deal with Dunlop to the exclusive distribution rights to Dunlop tyres and tubes. Dunlop hopes the move will bring its products closer to the Kenyan market.
Continue ReadingGerman Acquisition For Watts
Watts Industrial Tyres has strengthened its European operations by the acquisition of Kollenbach, of Rheinberg, Germany. Said Jean-Paul Mindermann, MD of Watts-Industrie Reifen: We had outgrown our own premises in Langenfeld and the Kollenbach acquisition has enabled us to double our operation in the Ruhr area.
Continue ReadingReferendum For Michelin’s 27,000 Workforce
Under the new French employment laws Michelin are to hold a referendum of its 27,000 French employees on the establishment of a 35 hour working week. The proposals include a reduction of the working year by 15 days, a 5% pay increase for the coming year and inflation linked increases for the following two years, more flexible working patterns and includes the employment of another 1,000 workers. According to Michelin the offer is more generous than that dictated by the recently introduced regulations for a 35 hour working week. The referendum will take place on the 25th January and is part of French government proposals to reduce unemployment.
Continue ReadingEarly Retirement Offer From Goodyear
In the USA, Goodyear has offered an early retirement package to 700 white collar workers, around 8.5% of the white collar staff. Workers have until the middle of January to decide whether or not to accept the offer.
Continue ReadingInternet Usage Inefficient
According to research from Deloitte & Touche, businesses are not making the best use of Internet trading facilities. Most, they say, concentrate only on the supply chain element of their e-trading. According to the Deloitte & Touche report a full integration of the demand chain and supply chain, from basic supplier to consumer, offers greater shareholder value, increasing profitability by up to 70 percent.
Continue ReadingAcquisition In The Automotive Field Planned By ThyssenKrupp
Last year there were rumours concerning a possible hostile takeover bid for Continental by ThyssenKrupp. However, ThyssenKrupp was not able to bring its steel subsidiary company to the stock exchange as planned and it seemed that the acquisition pressure had been halted. On January 15th, the ThyssenKrupp management mentioned during a press conference that they are planning a bigger acquisition in the automotive field. No further details were made available.
Continue ReadingNo Co-Operation Between Eustex and ETRA
The planned co-operation between the European Scrap Tyre Exchange (Eustex) and the European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA) will not now take place, said Michael Laasch, Managing Director of Eustex. At the beginning of December, Eustex had shown interest in a costless internet co-operation between the two organisations. Laasch had suggested the provision of an ETRA-News button on the Eustex Webster. In return, ETRA would recommend the use of Eustex to its members.
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