Top Management Change At Fulda
55-year old John P. Jentgen is moving on from the board of directors at Gummiwerk Fulda – effective 1st November 2000. As Director Manufacturing at the Luxembourg Complex he will be responsible for the four production plants manufacturing tyres, wires, cords and moulds. Mr. Jengtens successor as Production Director is Robert Schmit.
Continue ReadingNew Tyre Production Ceases At Michelin’s Stoke Factory
Michelin has announced that car tyre, van tyre and rubber mixing production will cease at its Stoke-on-Trent factory in the second half of 2001. Production of truck retreads, mould and steel cord production will continue. In total, 950 jobs of the 2,350 currently on site will be lost. The move is part of Michelins European rationalisation programme.
Continue ReadingRecall Almost Completed For Bridgestone/Firestone
Bridgestone Firestone has announced that it has provided customers with 5.5 million P235/75R15 ATX, ATXII and some Wilderness AT tires in under four months of the recall process. The firm also advised that there are sufficient stocks of new tyres to replace the outstanding numbers of tyres under the recall - waiting lists in most areas have now been eliminated. It had originally been thought that it would take a full year to reach this stage in the recall. According to John Lampe , CEO at Bridgestone Firestone Inc., No major automotive recall has achieved such significant results in so short a period (...). The next step is to determine the root causes of the problem that led to the recall.
Continue ReadingNew Pirelli Calendar 2001
World renowned photographer Mario Testino visited locations in Naples for the Pirelli Calendar 2001. This years format will feature 12 of the worlds top models in the usual alluring poses in natural settings around the famous Italian coastal city.
Continue ReadingTraiskirchen Factory Designated MMP Plant
Dr. Hans-Joachim Nikolin, Chairman of the Semperit supervisory board and board member of Continental AG, confirmed during a supervisory board meeting of Semperit Reifen Ges.m.b.H. in Traiskirchen in mid-December that the Semperit factory at Traiskirchen will play an essential strategic part in the introduction of a new manufacturing process. Continental has developed a European strategy for the Modular Manufacturing Process (MMP), envisaging three MMP factories, each responsible for the supply of one large European region. The Traiskirchen factory has been chosen to supply the South and East European markets. The decision about a second MMP location to supply Western Europe is said to be imminent, whereas a suitable supply plant for the North European region has not yet been found. The production plan for the year 2000 gives 1.5 million car tyres made by the standard and one million by the MMP process, a total number of 2.5 million units as originally planned. However, since the manufacturing process of MMP tyres is less complicated than the standard production process, a reduction in the workforce is inevitable and cannot be compensated for by the planned increased output of 825,000 commercial vehicle tyres in the year 2000. The MMP tyre is produced in modules allowing the cost-effective production of smaller lots, and a fast reaction to the requirements of the market. MMP is therefore primarily designed as a means of reacting fast to developments in the replacement markets, and only in exceptional cases would it be considered for original equipment. This production process does away with the necessity to make a large variety of products at the standard factories, thus freeing them for large-series production.
Continue ReadingHayes Lemmerz Invests in Mexico
Hayes Lemmerz International, the world’s largest wheel manufacturer, plans to invest 23 million US dollars with the objective of quadrupling the annual capacity of the Mexican aluminium wheel factory in Chihuahua to 1.2 million units by the year 2001.
Continue ReadingUlrich Ossowski Responsible For Truck Tyres
Ulrich Ossowski, Director, Commercial Products for Bridgestone/Firestone Germany has been made responsible for sales and marketing of total truck tyre aftermarket and original equipment business in Germany
Continue ReadingThe World of Wheels
The large manufacturers of car wheels, especially those cast of aluminium, are growing ever larger. Business is booming worldwide, but the financial results of most manufacturers in this field of activity are well below those achieved in other industries. Wheel manufacturers, on the one hand, suffer from the low ratings stock exchanges accord to car manufacturers and their suppliers, and on the other, because their products are regarded as low tech. But all the time big changes are taking place in the world of wheels – in the form of new technologies and an optimisation of existing products. New wheel technologies, however, are not the only decisive factor, another considerable influence is the car manufacturers’ aggressive pricing, well beyond what many a supplier can bear. Some wheel manufacturers focus their activities on the original equipment market in the belief that it will allow them to operate more cost-effectively. Others like to commit themselves to the refit markets because they think they can thus keep their ears closer to the market and be well-placed to offer car manufacturers superior development capability. Which way is the right one, or whether both can succeed – that is something we shall only know in a few years’ time. Of course the starting position is different from wheel manufacturer to wheel manufacturer and from car producer to car producer. In the comprehensive report in this and the following (April) issues we shall outline the trends in detail.
Continue ReadingDTM Go With Dunlop And ATS
DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen-Masters), the popular German racing series, will be revitalised this year. Dunlop is supplying all participating teams (Audi, Opel and Mercedes have confirmed their participation) with tyres. AMG-Mercedes teams, eight expected, will have wheels fitted by ATS.
Continue ReadingPopular as Ever – the Motorbike
The motorcycle industry started the millennium season on an optimistic note, when the MOTORRÄDER Fair at Dortmund opened on 1st March. Not only motorcycle manufacturers showed their new products for the year 2000, but on the total 409 stands in eight exhibition halls clothes, service and accessories were also represented. Figures produced by the German Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (IVM) confirm the abiding popularity of the motorised two-wheeler: The 187,192 new motorcycle registrations are equivalent to 6.4 p.c. growth over 1998. Not least among the accessories one must mention tyres – thus tyre manufacturers also had cause to rejoice. The industry was represented by Bridgestone, Cooper-Avon, Dunlop, Metzeler/Pirelli, Michelin and the Heidenau tyre factory showing their current products, but Continental was absent this time. Some old friends from the service sector had also turned up, among them several local companies but also Stinnes. Maybe old is not the right word for Stinnes. After its acquisition (together with Gummi Mayer) by the Danish Viborg group/the British Legal & General Ventures Ltd. the Stinnes/Mayer trade and service enterprises made their Fair début under the same corporate identity. News from the Dortmund show and more about motorbike related topics you can find in the April issue of NEUE REIFENZEITUNG.
Continue ReadingInvestments Up To 2 Thousand Billion Lire To Create e-Pirelli
New Internet linked initiatives and on-line transfer of all Pirelli company processes were announced today by the companys board of directors. The e-Pirelli project to has been assigned an investment of 2 billion lire for the period 2000-2002.
Continue ReadingMichelin Profits Forecast
Financial analysts are predicting that Michelins net profits for 1999 will be between 350 million and 661 million Euros. The reason for the unusually large spread is that no-one knows exactly what provisions will be made in the accounts to cover charges for restructuring.
Continue ReadingAlchemy Pulls Out Of Rover Deal
This morning the venture capitalist company Alchemy Partners pulled out of talks with BMW to buy the Rover Group, including the Longbridge plant. The deal was expected to be successfully concluded today. BMW has allowed one month for another buyer to come forward or the Longbridge plant will be shut down.
Continue ReadingMAST Raises Its Prices
Michelin Americas Small Tires (MAST) has announced an increase in price in the US replacement market for passenger and light truck tyres. Michelin, Uniroyal and BFGoodrich brands will all rise by 5%, along with private and associate brands.
Continue ReadingGerman Rubber Industry Growth
The German Rubber Association W.d.K. (Wirtschaftsverband der deutschen Kautschukindustrie) has announced that total sales of rubber goods increased 4.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2000. Sales of technical products rose 5.8 % and tyre sales increased 3.3 %. However, the W.d.K. continues to worry about increasing material costs (rubber, oil, carbon black).
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