ADAC Defects Statistics For 1999
German automobile club ADAC has published its yearly statistics of car defects. In three of four categories, the compact-, the lower middle- and the middle-class, Japanese cars are in the top positions. European car manufacturers were top only in the upper-class segment.
Continue ReadingBlow Against Wheel Mafia
German car manufacturers initiated surprise visits of local Guardia-di-Finanza and wheel experts to smaller Italian wheel factories and wheel distributors in order to search for illegal replicas. Many were found, as well as a number of tools, which were either confiscated or sealed up.
Continue ReadingFor Sale Again: Alloy Wheels International
South African Diversified company Murray & Roberts has a new Chief Executive, Brian Bruce. In an interview Bruce announced that M & R is again in discussions with some players to sell subsidiary company Alloy Wheels International (AWI). The producer of oe aluminium wheels closed a factory in Cardiff (Wales) a few weeks ago.
Continue ReadingKenji Shibata Retires
Kenji Shibata (61), President and Chairman of Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. (BFS) in North America, retired effective June 30, 2000. Corporate duties of the office of President will be assumed by Masatoshi Ono, Chairman and CEO of BFS.
Continue ReadingExpansion At ContiTech Fluid
ContiTech Fluid – part of ContiTech Holding, a business unit of Continental AG – announced a 50:50 joint venture in China and expansion of the production bases at Wackersdorf and Salzgitter, plus an extension of its Berlin centre of competence.
Continue ReadingSuit Against Concorde Tyre Supplier?
A San Francisco-based specialist law firm is exploring the possibility of filing a lawsuit against Goodyear in Ohio and is contacting dependants of the crash victims. Goodyear has been the exclusive tyre supplier for Air France Concordes since 1995. Therefore the which crashed recently was equipped with Goodyear tyres, too. Whether or not a blown tyre caused the disaster is still not known and a Goodyear spokesman said its way too early to make any assumptions or comments.
Continue ReadingNew Trailer Tyre Offered By Continental
Continental has introduced the trailer tyre size HTR 385/55 R 22.5 for heavy trucks in regional traffic. The HSR tyre in the same size for steer axles will be available from this autumn.
Continue ReadingInvestors Better Off With GM Shares Instead Of Ford
Analysts are recommending investment in GM rather than Ford. Ford is under the public microscope and the focus of analysts. This week, the shares have fallen 13%, representing damage to the group of more than US$ 10 bn. The management is accused of having known about the problems - which have led to the voluntary recall of Firestone tyres - for around two years. Consumer groups and official authorities want an answer to the question whether Ford has worked (ie changed or improved) on the suspension of its vehicles in Venezuela in order to overcome the problems there. The reaction at the stock exchange has probably gone far too far, as, even if the company had to mount a vehicle recall, the figure of US$ 10 bn is too high. The real costs, if any, would be in the region of US$ 1 bn or less.
Continue ReadingFirst Stop in Germany
First Stop is a partnership program of Bridgestone/Firestone Europe in cooperation with independent tyre dealers. The chain started five years ago in Scandinavia and Great Britain and now numbers about 1.100 Outlets in sixteen European countries. All the First Stop dealers have the same corporate identity with a black, grey and red livery. In Germany, the First Stop concept started one and a half years ago with perhaps 30 Outlets, based on the experiences gained in the other European countries and successful marketing measures at Germanys Bridgestone/Firestone own chain A3. Nowadays First Stop has 75 service stations all over Germany and plans for the end of 2000 to reach hundred - representing between 80 and 90 dealers. Marketing and advertisement support is part of the First Stop concept as well as training in technical, business administration and sales aspects. The efforts of the Bad Homburg headquarters also include car servicing (shock absorbers, brakes, exhausts and oil) which is not very strong at many German tyre stations. Also the cooperation guarantees benefits in the purchase of workshop equipment and other parts such as wheels. The dealers can also participate in a three phase tyre offer for cars (for trucks Bridgestone/Firestone developed the Truck Point system): the premium brand Bridgestone, the well known brand Firestone in medium segments, and FST 2000 tyres. FST 2000 is a car summer tyre in nearly 30 sizes from 135/80 R13T up to 195/50 R15V, produced only in Europe and exclusively distributed through its First Stop partners who need an offer for the end user who is more price-conscious. And of course the worlds leading rubber company guarantees best quality. Now Bridgestone/Firestone has added First Stop Winter to complete the program for the dealers. Details can be found in issue 10/2000 of NEUE REIFENZEITUNG.
Continue ReadingUS Jobs Cut By ArvinMeritor
Automotive components group ArvinMeritor is to cut its US workforce by 30%, or 800 staff. The reason is a fall in orders from the truck industry in the USA. There are no plans for cutbacks at the companys European facilities.
Continue ReadingThird Quarter Results Released By Michelin
Third quarter results from Michelin are stronger than expected with revenues growing by 16.4% to 3,916 Euro or 14.6% if the first nine months 2000 are compared with the same period last year. Taking higher raw material costs and other economic factors into account, an EBIT of about 8% seems to be realistic for this year.
Continue ReadingContinental Engaged in Persia
Continental makes her know-how available to Iranian company Kerman Tyre and Rubber Company (Tehran) for the production of truck and car tyre radials. Later Kerman will produce its own brand under this technology plus truck and car tyre radials in an offtake agreement under the Continental brand for the Middle East and Central Asia.
Continue ReadingAward for Bridgestone’s Superbike Tyre “Battlax 010”
The British magazine Motorcycle News has tested motorcycle tyres for machines over 600 cc. Bridgestones BT 010 has won the title Product of the Year in its class due to its extraordinarily good performance. The editor of the magazine underlined in particular the durability and the price-performance relation.
Continue ReadingNew Distribution Channels in the Tyre Trade
The tyre trade as we know it is fighting a defensive battle, finding it harder and harder to maintain its 60 p.c. market share of sales to the user. Not only car franchise firms with their recently acquired considerable strength give the tyre trade a hard time in competition, but new forms of distribution, which may be grouped together under the loose label Fast Fit, are on the advance. Many Volkswagen, Fiat, Ford (to name but a few marques) so-called contract dealers have had their contracts terminated and are looking for new means of earning a livelihood. These companies, mostly family-run, will not easily be displaced. They will specialise in marketing replacement parts complete with a competent and reasonably priced service. Fichtel & Sachs, a Mannesmann group subsidiary, offers a franchise system under the AutoCrew name, naturally also for the optimum marketing of its own products, shock absorbers. Bosch, the giant in the electrical field, is also looking for new openings for its service workshops. The objective is to gain marketing expertise in tyres by cooperation with Goodyear, with Bosch offering Goodyear’s tyre trade partners know-how in the automotive field in return. Specialist markets like ATU with their increasing importance in tyre marketing should not be overlooked either. In the nineteen nineties ATU grew from zero to the current number of 230 outlets throughout Germany, all of them with high turnover figures, i.e. each of them probably turning over well above 2.5 million euros. ATU founder Peter Unger’s appetite, however, is not nearly satisfied, the expansion will go on. The article in the January issue of NEUE REIFENZEITUNG describes the individual tyre marketers. It queries many things, asks many questions without being able or willing to provide the answers. Only one thing remains clear: To found a new company exclusively for tyre trading (including the services related to it) is dangerous. The chances of surviving a long start-up phase are regarded as relatively small. The gist of the article is this: In future we will see an ever increasing number of Fast Fitters making the bulk of their turnover with tyres, while Automobil, Bosch, AutoCrew and similarly derived Fast Fitters will focus mainly on other products, with tyres nevertheless generating a significant share of total turnover, somewhere between a quarter and a third.
Continue ReadingContinental To Introduce Short-Time Working
Due to the low demand for truck tyres, Continental is to introduce short time working at three factories in Austria, Belgium and Stöcken, in Germany. The 400-strong workforce at the Stöcken plant has been divided into two, with only one half working at a time on a two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off basis.
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