“BioTred” To Replace Soot And Silica
According to the US tyre manufacturer Goodyear, they have developed a filling material for car tyres on the basis of renewable raw materials. Thanks to this new rubber mixture, as reported by the press officer Mr Fischer, tyre production will be less harmful to the environment and, compared to the normal silica tyre tread mixture, it offers a lower rolling resistance. Above all, it should be fuel saving. This new technology, which will be used for the first time in the summer tyre GT 3, will offer additional advantages for safety and handling. Presenting the BioTred for the first time to the German press at the end of January in Frankfurt, the company attracted a lot of interest. BioTred is an artificial name, with a deliberate spelling difference to tread, in order to highlight its ecological advantage immediately to the consumer. BioTred is a patented tread mixture containing an element from corn starch. However, in parts this element will replace the substances soot and silica which have been used for processing up to now. According to Dr. Annette Lechtenböhmer, who is a chemical engineer at the Goodyear Technical Centre in Luxembourg and also a university teacher at the Hanover University Institute for Process Engineering, this new filling material will reduce CO2 emissions in different ways. On questioning it was confirmed that the starch suitable for producing the filling material could also be generated from potatoes. Since Goodyear has spent five years developing this material and holds a couple of patents, a lead over the competition should be possible.
Continue ReadingHeavy Truck Tyres Rolling Slowly In The USA
The prospects for manufacturers of heavy trucks in the USA are rather gloomy for this year, as experts are expecting a decline of up to 30 per cent. Despite this, analysts are not pessimistic about the prospects for Michelin, as the turnover from OE sales of truck tyres is only about 3 per cent of total group turnover. Better results than for 1999 are expected too for Goodyear, due to the downward trend in raw material prices and, last but not least, the recently-announced tyre price increases look like they will stick.
Continue ReadingMore Action For Bridgestone
The beleaguered north American division of the Bridgestone Corporation is under yet another attack as a Philadelphia law firm has filed a class action lawsuit in Nashville accusing the company of stock fraud. The lawyers claim that the firm misrepresented its fiscal viability to stockholders by concealing claims against them in the ATX tyre failure episode. Further, the firm failed to disclose the cost of settlements and of replacing tyres. The law firm is seeking involvement from all investors who bought Bridgestone stock between March 31,1998 and August 31, 2000.
Continue ReadingMassive Drop In Profit Announced By Bridgestone
As widely expected, the Bridgestone Corporation has reported a massive fall in net profits of 80 per cent for the year 2000. Net profit was 17.7 billion Yen (US$ 155 million), which was better than the companys prediction late last year of 13 Billion Yen. Turnover was down too, by 3.8 per cent to 2,006.9 billion Yen, and pre tax profits were down nearly 38 per cent, from 200.8 billion Yen last year to 124.8 billion Yen. This is largely attributable to the effects of the Firestone recall. This is the companys worst result in ten years. Since the announcement of the tyre recall, Bridgestone shares have fallen in value by 50%.
Continue ReadingRainSport 1 And rallye 680 From Uniroyal
The two latest offerings from Uniroyal are classed as wet weather tyres. The RainSport 1 is a high speed (V and W rated) tyre which succeeds the RTT 2 and features include a directional tread with a double-V tread pattern and a silica compound for improved wet grip and lower rolling resistance. The rallye 680 is a T-rated tyre, aimed at the family driver, and it is a replacement for the rallye 580. Again, the compound is silica-based and Uniroyal claims improved performance in the areas of aquaplaning resistance, wet braking, tyre life and noise generation.
Continue ReadingBalancing The Scales
Our January issue carried items concerning the possible consequences of the EU Vehicle End of Life Directive, notably the suggestion that lead wheel balance weights might be banned for fitting as original equipment. Tin weights were suggested as a possible alternative. The article stirred up a very strong reaction from the pro-lead weights lobby, which is indicative of the depth of feeling that the matter can generate in the industry. As well as a letter from the Lead Development Association, Hofmann asked if they could answer some of the points raised in the article. We are always ready to put the other side of an argument, so this article examines the case for continuing with lead on economic, technological and practical grounds.
Continue ReadingNew Plant for Nissan
Japanese car producer Nissan is investing 930 million US-Dollars in a new plant in Canton (Mississippi). Construction began at the beginning of April. The new plant will have a production capacity of 250,000 cars per annum and employ 4,000 people.
Continue ReadingRecall Spreads To Europe
Ford is planning to recall 23,000 vehicles sold in Europe in order to replace the tyres. The vehicles in question are mainly Explorers and the figure is around 60 per cent of Explorers sold over the past decade. Other models affected are Ford Expedition SUVs and Ranger pick-ups, although the numbers of these are small.
Continue ReadingFinancial Times Report – Bridgestone Falls From Global List
The UK newspaper Financial Times has published its annual list of the worlds 500 largest companies, ranked by market capitalisation. The only tyre company to appear last year was Bridgestone, at number 300. The company does not make this years global top 500. Among Europes top 500 are the following tyre companies, with their positions. Michelin (301) Pirelli (242) and Continental (479). Mention should be made too of Sabanci Holdings, the ultimate parent of Lassa/Brisa, which appears at number 331 in Europe.
Continue ReadingBrake-By-Wire-System From Bosch
The electro-hydraulic brake (EHB) in vehicles will replace the traditional mechanical-hydraulic brake within the next few years. This concept of the future has become commonly-known by the term brake-by-wire and will be a milestone in the total car electronic network. Continental subsidiary Teves is also developing such a braking system, but the EHB system about to be introduced on the market by Mercedes-Benz was developed by Teves competitor Robert Bosch.
Continue ReadingTyrexpo Asia 2001
Tyrexpo Asia 2001, to be held at the Singapore Expo Centre from 11 – 13 September, is the third Tyrexpo Asia to be held in Singapore. Although the name is the same, the exhibition has changed hands since the last show in 1998, but there is still a measure of continuity as the MD of the new organisers, ECI Ltd, is Paul Farrant, who was a director of previous organisers Labelex Exhibitions. And of course this show, like the first two, is being sponsored by TYRES & ACCESSORIES and German sister magazine NEUE REIFENZEITUNG. In reality, the Asian market is a collection of individual markets, each with varying degrees of potential. This has been recognised by others, and we have seen a number of exhibitions, loosely connected with the tyre industry in specific markets over previous years. In many cases, tyres and related equipment and services have been added on as something of an afterthought. Not so Tyrexpo Asia, which Paul Farrant describes as the only show in the area dedicated to the tyre industry, and the one which is the best-established and which has built up a solid reputation. The first show was held at a time of great optimism, with the phrase Asian tiger economies on everybodys lips. What a difference there was two years later, with the words Asian tigers being replaced by Asian crises. But Asia is fighting back – car sales are increasing steadily, and cars mean tyres. The influence of south east Asia in the worlds tyre industry should not be under-estimated, neither should it be forgotten that four of the worlds ten largest tyre manufacturers are based in Asia and no fewer than fourteen of the worlds top twenty hail from Asia or the Indian sub-continent.
Continue ReadingDropping General Ameri* 550 To Have Negligible Effect
Continental AG has responded to Fords removal of the General Ameri* 550 from its Firestone replacement programme by stating that it will have a negligible effect on sales performance. The company has produced some two million of the tyres and the investigation only affects 4,300 fitted to Ford Explorers. Continental is confident in the quality of the tyre and does not expect any further ramifications. However, other commentators suggest that the incident will have an overall negative effect on the company image, damaging the repositioning of the Conti General brand.
Continue ReadingProject Wholesaling
In spring the editorial staff of NEUE REIFENZEITUNG and our sister magazine TYRES & ACCESSORIES started an in-depth look at wholesaling in the tyre business. The reason was that the function of wholesaling has changed significantly during only a few years as a bridge between industry and the retail sector – a process which is still on-going and which is still evolving. What began as a small project, like Topsy just growed. As a result of this we can give a basic introduction into the function of tyre wholesaling. We also noted that this market has a lot of niches with very specialised players in areas such as agricultural, industrial, motor wheel, vintage, sports, aviation or other niche tyres. So the result of our work is more than a range of company profiles but an overview of the different facets of wholesaling with only two connecting elements; all are involved with tyres and we always have to recognize that there is no manufacturer able to supply all potential retailers. The wholesaling of tyres has a very important function. And it becomes clear that the idea of some manufacturers carrying out a little bit of dealing along the way is today more than ever a mistake. Tyre dealing has a future, and tyre wholesaling has too.
Continue ReadingHighest Prices For Passenger Cars In Germany
The latest comparative study of the European Commission regarding car prices, shows that 46 of a total of 81 passenger car models cost over 20 percent more in Germany than in at least one of the other Euro-zone markets. Companies such as PSA, Fiat, VW, Ford, Opel and some Japanese manufacturers follow a high-price strategy in Germany. The cheapest prices for new cars to be found in the Netherlands, Finland, Spain and Denmark, which does not even belong to the Euro zone.
Continue ReadingTyre Wear Sensor Prototype For Goodyear?
Goodyear has reached an agreement with the Spanish Institute of Magnetism and electronics manufacturer 3BYMESA to develop a prototype tyre wear sensor for possible mass production. Initial development has been by the Institute of Magnetism, further development of the sensors, antennae, transmitter and receiver will be the responsibility of 3BYMESA.
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