Agricultural Tyres From Uniroyal
Uniroyal is well-known for passenger and truck tyres. Now the brand, part of the Continental group, is trading under the name Uniroyal Agro in the agricultural tyre segment also. The exclusive distributor in Germany is Meyer Lissendorf, and negotiations are on-going regarding distribution in other European countries.
Continue ReadingLondon Property Company For Pirelli
Pirelli is to expand its property activities by setting up a new property company in London. The company manages a current property portfolio worth 8 bn Euros and Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera has said that the new company will be used to expand the companys property activities outside Italy. Recently, Pirelli moved its treasury and investor relations to London.
Continue ReadingSecond Plant For Ringtread System
There are a lot of patents, some first registered in the 60s, concerning retreading using a ring system. Most of the patents belong to Marangoni, the majority shareholder of Ellerbrock. But the new tyre manufacturers were also thinking about the idea of a ring. There were also developments by Goodyear very similar to the Marangoni system, so that it came to a legal settlement. But this was long ago and ancient history – now Goodyear offers its own ring called Uni-Circle. Until now only one plant has existed in Europe where these rings are produced: in the Marangoni factory in Frosinone (Italy) so you dont need to be a detective to understand that the Goodyear source of Uni-Circle is the Marangoni plant. Now Ellerbrock has also begun production of the tread in form of a ring, also called Ringtread system. Ellerbrock will be responsible for the markets of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Denmark. Other countries may be added later, because Ellerbrock will produce the modern tread patterns popular in central Europe. Capacity of the new facility will be 300 rings per day. One benefit of the rings in comparison with traditional flat tread patterns for retreading is the higher flexibility in production: charges of twenty rings are no problems in the new plant. But there are also benefits for the retreaders: they can save material, time, and because the process is totally automated, mistakes in production caused by human error – which might lead to splice separations – are nearly impossible. And the ring looks exactly like a new tyre. The target of Ellerbrock with the Ringtread system is not to change from traditional truck tyre retreading but to find new customers.
Continue ReadingUncertainties Stop Michelin’s Plans For India
Reduced profits in the Indian tyre market and an uncertainty about acceptance of radial truck and bus tyres has forced Michelin to take stock of its plans for the continent. Plans for a $115m plant at Maharashta have been put on hold. In the meantime Michelin is testing the market with imported radials before making a final decision.
Continue ReadingNew Leader For Goodyear’s Global Marketing/Brand Management
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has elected Cathryn M. Fischer, vice president and chief marketing officer. Fischer, 39, will be responsible for the worlds largest tiremakers global marketing and brand management efforts. She will report to Robert J. Keegan, president and chief operating officer.
Continue ReadingReshuffle at Goodyear
Goodyear has announced a reshuffle at its European businesses. Sylvain G. Valensi, the outgoing president of the European Union business unit, will be on special assignment, reporting directly to Robert Keegan, Goodyears president and COE. Valensi will be replaced by Michael J. Roney, who transfers from the Eastern Europe, Africa and Middle East Business Unit. Roney is in turn replaced by Jarro F. Kaplan, who previously held the post of managing director for Goodyear UK, and latterly of Goodyear Germany. Both Roney and Kaplan will report directly to Robert Keegan.
Continue ReadingJapanese Truck Tyre Recall For Michelin
In a precautionary move, Michelin is recalling 55,000 truck tyres manufactured in Italy and sold in Japan between October 1999 and March this year. There have been no accidents but a change in design to the steel cord used in the sidewall has reduced the tyres resistance to over-inflation that could lead to rupturing of the sidewall.
Continue ReadingNo Interests In Aluminium Wheels?
Alcoa Inc. of the U.S. and Dooray Air Metal Co. Ltd. of Korea have jointly announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding for Alcoa to acquire Dooray Air Metals extrusion business, located in Changwon, Korea. Doorays production of aluminium wheels is not affected.
Continue ReadingTruck Point – Independent Service
The formation of ContiNetwork, a service based partnership with independent dealers, has been much in the news recently. Bridgestone/Firestone UK has been running a similar network for over five years, called Truck Point, and the company was embarking on an exercise to raise the profile of the network. Our article examines whats on offer to the dealer and to the fleet operator – the timing of the article is particularly appropriate, as Bridgestone/Firestone UK recently announced that it had won the contract to service the 3,000-strong BRS commercial rental fleet.
Continue ReadingCracks In CT22 “No Danger” – Conti
Continental has played down UK press reports that cracks have appeared in their CT22 pattern tyre, fitted as OE to the Skoda Felicia. Technical Services Manager Steve Howat described the cracks as cosmetic, caused by the Otrokovice factory using a different cement to ensure adhesion at the splice of the tread strip. The tyre is of dual-compound construction and Conti says there is no danger that the superficial cracks (which are only in the top tread compound)could pose a safety or longevity problem - the tyres will continue to perform well throughout a normal lifespan. Conti says that it has CT22 tyres which have been removed due to normal wear and tear and they show no signs of structural damage. Nevertheless, Conti is offering to replace tyres for customers who are worried about the cosmetic appearance.
Continue ReadingEngineers “Tread” Toward Quieter Tyres
Engineers at the University of Purdue (Indiana/USA) have developed a new technique for analysing tyre vibrations that identifies which features produce the most noise, a step toward designing quieter tyres and reducing highway noise. A mathematical model is used to identify which parts of a tyre produce the most noise. The vibrations are characterised on a graph, a visual representation thats like a fingerprint of each tyre’s vibration pattern.
Continue ReadingCradle To Grave Tracking Standards Announced
The Automotive Industry Action Group – Radio Frequency Identification – Tire and Wheel Work Group, has developed a two stage standard for labelling of OE tyres, allowing tracking from cradle to grave. The first stage is a simple label and RFID tag. The second stage will be the approval of an RFID read write chip inserted in the tyre at the point of manufacture. The AIAG will be carrying out evaluation and testing of suitable systems later in the year. (For further information on smart tyre technology see the July 2001 issue of TYRES & ACCESSORIES.
Continue ReadingOn Its Way To Becoming A Global Tyre Brand
Vredestein boss Rob Oudshoorn is interested in making the Vredestein brand – already well-known in Europe – a global brand. In Asia, T-Trac and Protrac tyres are produced by sister company Elangperdana Indonesia for use in the Asia region of Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China etc. The Importer Tyreland is the business partner at the other end of the world in New Zealand. This has been learned from the latest company brochure News Flashes which is distributed to the trade. At the moment it is not easy to cover Vredestein stories due to the fact that there is obviously no press office in the Dutch company.
Continue ReadingFire Remains In Firestone
Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. has acquired a majority shareholding in Morgan Tire & Auto. This equity has, after it purchased rival Tire Plus Limited in the summer of last year, more than 550 depots in 24 states of the USA and was second biggest independent equity in the USA, referred to as a retail-powerhouse. Turnover of Morgan Tire & Auto exceeds 800 million Euro. Larry Morgan, who began his career as an employee of Firestone, remains CEO. The acquisition is a clear sign that, despite the Firestone recall disaster in the USA, the tyre manufacturer intends to stay in the market with the Firestone brand.
Continue ReadingShare Of Tyres In Pirelli Turnover Falling
In the first half of the year 2000, tyre business accounted for 40 per cent of Pirellis turnover, but this has now fallen to only 37 per cent, whereas cables/systems/communications increased to 63 per cent. There was an improvement in tyre business figures for the first six months, but this could not match the results of the other business units. The main reason was the economic problems in Turkey and America, which are very important markets for Pirelli.
Continue Reading