Cutting Back Jobs At Cooper Tire
Cooper Tire & Rubber is cutting back on 1,100 jobs and scaling back, or shutting some 18 plants world-wide. Cutbacks at US plants in Michigan, North Carolina and Texas do not appear to affect tyre manufacture. Lay-offs at European plants have still to be confirmed and would be undertaken in consultation with employee representatives. The cutbacks come alongside announcements of record third quarter profits.
Continue ReadingKenyan Partnership For Goodyear
In Kenya, Goodyear has formed a partnership with leading retreader Treadsetters. The new company will be called Goodyear Kenya and will begin operations from its Nairobi HQ in January, dealing in new Goodyear tyres. According to Goodyear Logistics Director Gordon Wilmot, the partnership has been formed to exploit the large market potential.
Continue ReadingProduction Capacity To Be Reduced At Firestone USA
Bridgestone/Firestone will cut production capacity in two of its US plants as a result of the tyre recall and decline in demand for Firestone tyres. Approximately another 1,100 employees will lose their jobs.
Continue ReadingContinental Ends Champions League Sponsorship
At the end of this seasons competition, Continental will cease its sponsorship of footballs European Champions League. The company has been a major sponsor of the competition for the past five years.
Continue ReadingTwo Times Degussa-Huels
Degussa-Huels is a leading supplier for the tyre industry. In Poland the company has just acquired Nafta Polska, a producer of carbon black. In Thailand Degussa-Huels has purchased a 70 per cent share of Oriental Silica, a producer of ingredients for the so called green tyre.
Continue ReadingNissan’s Xterra is US “Truck of The Year 2000”
Spokesmen of The Big Three expect auto sales this year to be about 16.5 to 17 million vehicles.
Continue ReadingYokohama Shares Rise
Yokohama Rubbers share price surged by at the end of February. Analysts are speculating whether this marks the beginning of a new round of consolidation in the tyre industry.
Continue ReadingA Job With Future, But Vacant
The image of jobs in tyre repairing and fitting is not the best in Germany. In spite of being a job with future and a high level of unemployment (more than 10 per cent) not enough young peoble wants to occupy the vacancies.
Continue ReadingDegussa-Hüls Increases Prices for Rubber Blacks in Europe
Degussa-Hüls AG, worldwide the second largest carbon black manufacturer with production sites in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia, again announces a price increase of 25 Euro per metric ton for its range of rubber blacks effective May 1, 2000, in Europe.
Continue ReadingCarlos Ghosn Becomes Nissan President
Carlos Ghosn, once top man of Michelin in the USA will become President of Nissan, effective 1st April 2000, in addition to his post as Chief Operating Officer. Ghosn is interested in speeding up the Nissan Revival Plan, implemented in October last year.
Continue ReadingGerman Insurer “Allianz” To Sponsor Formula 1 Team
The German insurance company Allianz wants to become involved in Formula 1. As the newspaper Die Welt announced recently, Aliens wants to sponsor the Williams-BMW team. Already with the coming German Grand Prix in two weeks at the Nürburgring, the company label will be on the racing car of the British team. It was mentioned that the insurance intends to invest 50 million DM (£16.3 million) in the team of Ralf Schuhmacher and Jensen Button.
Continue ReadingNew Managing Director For Kwik-Fit GB
Bryan Liddle has been appointed MD of Kwik-Fit GB. A former professional footballer, Bryan has worked with several large plcs and he joins Kwik-Fit from Associated Heating Distributors, where he was MD.
Continue ReadingManagement Changes At Nokian
Lasse Kurkilahti, President and CEO of Nokian Tyres, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Raisio group from September 1st. He will continue as a director of Nokian. The Raisio group is active in the margarine, grain and chemical industries and employs 2,900 people. No decision has yet been made as to who will succeed Mr. Kurkilahti as Nokians President, but Chairman Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said that the search for a replacement would begin soon.
Continue ReadingGlobal Players – An In-Depth Analysis
More and more nowadays, we hear that the tyre industry is becoming increasingly global and ever-more companies describe themselves as a global player. But what exactly makes a company a true global player? An in-depth article in TYRES & ACCESSORIES 6/2000 looks at the criteria by which a so-called ‘global player’ should be judged and concludes that the only three companies that merit this term are Bridgestone, Goodyear and Michelin. The article examines in detail each company’s performance in the world’s most important markets, their market shares and turnover figures, their strengths and weaknesses and their prospects for the future. The article goes on to examine the home markets of the global players (USA, Europe and Asia) and discusses the performances of the lesser players and what is likely to happen to them. Todays global tyre market is one of acquisitions and alliances, mergers and new technological advances. Competition is intense and, in terms of market share, none of the big three seems able to leave its rivals standing, neither is the gap between the big three and the second three growing. Having said that, none of the second three stands a realistic chance of becoming a true global player in the future. The article gives a detailed, objective assessment of today’s tyre industry, together with some speculation concerning what might happen in the future.
Continue ReadingMore Organosilanes From Degussa-Hüls
Degussa-Hüls AG is doubling capacity at one of its production plants in Antwerp, Belgium for sulphur-functionalised organosilanes. These rubber silanes are used as coupling components when precipitated silicas are used as fillers to reinforce rubber. Together with rubber silanes and rubber carbon blacks, precipitated silicas are the major component in Green Tyres which feature reduced rolling resistance and thus help to cut fuel consumption.
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