Superior 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.
Continue ReadingImproved Sales And Profit For Nokian
Nokian has released interim financial figures for the first nine months of this year. These show an increase in net sales of 7.4 per cent to 277.7 m Euro and an operating profit of 25.3 m Euro (11.9 m Euro for the same period last year). Net profit reached 9.1 m Euro (2.7 m in 2000). Nokians target for the year is to achieve a sales growth of around 10 per cent and improve on last years profitability.
Continue ReadingNHTSA’s Preliminary Evaluation Against Goodyear
The NHTSA is still conducting a preliminary evaluation of Goodyears Load Range E-tyres, but the manufacturer is confident that its tyres are totally OK and that the evaluation will come to an end soon.
Continue ReadingA Change For The Better – Cooper-Avon Tyres
In 1997, Avon Tyres, a British-owned rubber goods and tyre manufacturer for over 120 years, was taken over by the American manufacturer Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. The subsequent three years or so have been among the most eventful in Avons long history; fears that the British company (annual turnover in excess of 100 million Pounds) would be absorbed by its new parent (annual turnover approaching $4 billion) proved to be groundless. This came as a relief to locals, as Avon was (and still is) the town of Melkshams largest employer and plays an important part in community life. On the contrary, Cooper has invested heavily in its first manufacturing base outside the USA and Avon has reorganised, rethought its product offering and, in an uncertain economic climate, prospered. Our article examines how the company has changed and examines its prospects for the future. Managing Director Ron Shield and Marketing Director Julian Baldwin outline the events since the takeover and the way that the Cooper-Avon relationship has developed.
Continue ReadingGloomy Outlook For Asian Auto Makers
A report from automotive consultants autopolis is predicting tough times ahead for most of Asias car markets this year, due to falling currencies, lower prices, declining exports and political uncertainty. The average fall is expected to be 7%, with markets outside Japan falling by more than 10%. For Japanese sales, a 4% decline is expected. Sales are expected to fall in most places, excluding China, with South Korean and Indian markets being particularly hard hit.
Continue ReadingFinal Of The Third Dunlop Drivers Cup in South-Africa
In the middle of February the time has finally come: altogether 30 winners of the national qualification heats that were held in Groß Dölln near Berlin in September 2000 could participate in the final of the third edition of the Dunlop Drivers Cup. The event was organised by the German daughter of the tyre producer in co-operation with Toyota, Meiers Weltreisen, South African Airways and Maier Sports. After Patagonia (1999) and the Southwest of the United States the authorities had chosen South-Africa as the final place for this sporting event that aims to combine driving training and adventure/fun. The 26 males and four females had to face different driving tests of skill with passenger cars, 4x4 vehicles and quads, a kind of a four wheel motorcycle. With this event, Dunlop wants to focus attention on the topic of driving safety and to interest people in motorsports. The rally began in Durban. The 2,280 km long tour passed through the provinces of Kwazulu Natal, Eastern and Western Cape. The finish of the rally was in Cape Town. In the middle of the tour the Landcruiser offroaders had to be changed in Port Elizabeth. The competitors had to carry on with a Toyota Lexus IS 2000 Sport, shod with the Dunlop SP 9000 high performance tyre . The result of the race was in doubt up until the end, a sign of the high standard of driving skills of the qualifying teams. The next Dunlop Drivers Cup will be held in February 2002 in Australia. The scope of the 2002 qualifying sessions will be widened, including a European dimension.
Continue ReadingAnalysts Rate Goodyear Shares A “Buy”
Despite the admission of chairman and CEO Samir G. Gibara that Goodyears 4Q results were disappointing, some financial analysts have recommended the companys shares as a buy. The results were better than forecast, plus the analysts are confident that Goodyear will start to turn things around before long.
Continue ReadingCombined UK Offices For Dunlop And Goodyear
In the UK, Dunlop and Goodyear have decided to combine their administration offices to increase the effectiveness of the joint venture. The offices – and a new distribution centre – will be in Birmingham, preferably at Fort Dunlop. The Wolverhampton offices will eventually be closed, but production at Wolverhampton will not be affected. The two sales divisions will function independently, even though they will operate from the same location. The move will be completed over the next 12 months.
Continue ReadingRestructuring Of Accuride‘s Light Wheel Production
Accuride Corporation (North Americas largest manufacturer and supplier of wheels for heavy/medium trucks and trailers) has announced plans to optimise its operations by restructuring the Companys light steel wheel operations and closing its Columbia, Tennessee, facility. Accuride will consolidate the production of light wheels currently produced in Columbia into its other facilities.
Continue ReadingO.E. Aims of Michelin
Michelin wants to capture half of the global O.E. market for high performance tyres. To help achieve this the company is counting on its C3M automated manufacturing system, now in place at seven plants around the world.
Continue ReadingNew Noise Restrictions For Tyres
The EU parliament in Brussels has set new rules regarding tyre noise levels, rolling resistance and abrasion, to come into effect in 2003. Passenger cars will be allowed to have noise emissions between 72 and 76 decibels, light trucks between 75 and 79 decibels.
Continue ReadingConfidence In Bridgestone And Firestone
John Lampe has spent all his working life with Firestone and then Bridgestone/Firestone. He has recently been put in charge of the Bridgestone groups largest subsidiary, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. in the USA. In addition – and this is a first for Bridgestone and very rare for large Japanese businesses – Lampe sits on the board. This illustrates how highly he is thought of in what are difficult times for the company. In our exclusive interview, he talks of the relationship between Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. and Ford. However, since the interview, this attitude changed dramatically, with Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. ending its business relationship with Ford. Our follow-up article after the Lampe interview traces this change in attitude and the increasingly-bitter war of words as the companies try to pin the blame on each other.
Continue ReadingMichelin Promotes Jean Michel Guillon
Jean Michel Guillon, who used to be head of sales for Michelin in Germany before he assumed responsibility as Vice President Sales for MAST (Michelin Americas Small Tires), has become Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Michelin North America Inc.
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