Romanian Hospital to Benefit from Pirelli Sponsored Training
Pirelli Tyre has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Romania’s Health Ministry, pledging to finance a training programme for staff at a hospital in Slatina, where the Italian company’s Romanian factory is located. Medical staff from the County Emergency Hospital’s Emergency Reception Unit will receive training at Milan’s Niguardia hospital, continuing a cooperation between the two units that began around a year and a half ago. The document was signed in Slatina by Pirelli Tyre’s Romania director Enrico Malerba and Romanian health minister Ioan Bazac on July 23. Italy’s ambassador to Romania, Mario Cospito, also attended the signing ceremony.
Continue ReadingApollo Chairman Speaks on ‘Signs of Revival’
While addressing shareholders at the Apollo Tyres Annual General Meeting, company chairman Onkar S Kanwar expounded upon what Apollo has gained and learned in the past year. His topic, titled ‘Navigating a Slowdown’, centred upon the company’s business model, which according to Kanwar has enabled Apollo to remain afloat during the recent slowdown. This business model, Kanwar explained, covers Apollo’s three main principles: domestic markets, cost and quality initiatives. Sticking to this tried and tested business model has paid dividends during the past twelve months, he added. “Last year’s crisis has allowed your company the opportunity to break structures and behaviours that sap productivity and effectiveness out of organisations. It has allowed your company to realign itself to a new reality.
Continue ReadingApollo Net Sales Up 24% in Q1
The unaudited Apollo Tyres results for the first quarter of the 2009-10 financial year, announced on July 23, show an overall year-on-year 24 per cent growth in revenues to Rs 16.3 billion (£204.8 million). Operations within India alone generated sales of Rs 11.8 billion (£148.3 million). Earlier in the day, shareholders approved an annual dividend payout of 45 per cent per share for the year ended March 31, 2009. “Your company’s continuing attention to increasing efficiencies across the board and re-aligning costs to protect margins have paid high dividends,” commented Apollo Tyres chairman Onkar S Kanwar. “This has assisted us in improving margins and enabled your company to remain competitive.”
Continue ReadingYokohama Awarded for Performance in Philippines
Established in 1996, Yokohama Tire Philippines was the first international company to establish a presence in the Clark Freeport Zone, the redevelopment of the United States Air Force’s former Clark Air Base. In acknowledgement of its long-term contribution to the zone in terms of investment, employment, environmental management and employee heath and safety, on July 13 the company received an Outstanding Recognition for Overall Performance award from the Clark Development Corporation (CDC). At the ceremony, Philippines president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presented the certificate of commendation to Yokohama Tire Philippines president Takayuki Hamaya.
Continue ReadingFalcon Tyres Divesting to Remain Listed
A chunk of Ruia Group company Falcon Tyres will be sold in order to increase ouput at its factory in Mysore, eastern India, and to ensure its promoters shareholder remains below the 75 per cent required to stay listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. The share, according to Indian media, is to be sold to a private equity firm for Rs 1 billion (£12.6 million). “We are in the process of preparing our presentation and hope to be through with the placement within the next two months,” Falcon Tyres chairman Pawan Kumar Ruia told the Hindu Business Line. Ruia reports that the promoters’ share in the company went up to 86 per cent following the recently concluded open offer requiring either a public issue or private placement.
Continue ReadingMore US Miles Logged in May
After April 2009 broke the nearly year-and-half streak of falling year-over-year monthly mileage, it is welcome news that May continued the trend. Preliminary total vehicle travel reports from the U.S. Department of Transportation show a 0.07 per cent increase compared to May 2008. The year-to-date total remains down, 0.82 per cent compared to the same time in 2008, however that is also an improvement. In May of 2008, year-to-date travel was 2.5 per cent lower than 2007 levels. Total travel in May was 257,311 million miles, and 29 states posted increases in mileage. Rural travel increased by 0.83 per cent, while urban travel fell 0.17 per cent compared to May 2008. The rolling 12-month total is 2.77 per cent lower, however last month it was down 3.1 per cent, so the trend is certainly positive. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingCooper Appoints New Operations VP, Plant Manager
Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. appointed John Bodart as vice president of its North American tyre manufacturing operations and Alex Perry as plant manager at the Texarkana, Arkansas, manufacturing facility. Bodart will oversee North American tyre plant managers, operations excellence, reliability engineering and lean engineering. A 20-year Cooper employee with experience in plant management, quality assurance, mold operations, tyre testing and product development, he most recently worked as plant manager in Texarkana, Cooper said. Perry will relocate from Cooper’s manufacturing facility in Melksham, England. Perry previously served in manufacturing operations, assembly operations and production roles in Melksham and Texarkana. Before joining Cooper in 2001, he spent several years in the British Army as a bomb disposal officer, reaching the rank of captain prior to his retirement. He also has prior experience with two other companies in management roles. Perry is the first Cooper employee to become certified as a black belt under the Cooper Tire Lean Six Sigma program, the company said. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingMagna Launches 3 New Solid Tyre Sizes
Magna has launched three new solid tyre sizes - 26.5-25; 29-5-25; and 35/65-33. According to a company press release, the new tyres are of “superior quality for the toughest applications on industrial vehicles with risks of impact and damage.” The tyres are reportedly stable, puncture resistant and maintenance-free with “high loading capacity” for forklift trucks and other industrial applications.
Continue ReadingMichelin Names New Commercial Director
Bill Schafer, 42, has been appointed commercial director of Michelin’s truck and bus operations in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Schafer previously spent five years as vice president of Michelin’s North American agricultural division based in Greenville, South Carolina. Schafer brings 16 years of experience within the Michelin Group and most recently held roles including three years as European key account manager for Michelin Fleet Solutions based at the company’s worldwide headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand, France, prior to which he was commercial irector of Michelin’s truck operations in Mexico and Central America.
Continue ReadingHayes Lemmerz Receives Daimler Truck Award
Hayes Lemmerz International has become one of a small number of companies acknowledged by Daimler Trucks North America for meeting its rigid quality requirements and expectations. This recognition came in the form of a Masters of Quality Award for 2008. It is a great honour for us to receive this high recognition for quality excellence from one of our valued customers, said Donald Hampton, Jr., Vice President, North American Operations. We are proud of our Akron facilitys accomplishments. Our Akron facility, like all of our global facilities, is committed to continuing to deliver world-class products to Daimler Trucks and all of our global customers.”
Continue ReadingCarlisle Tire and Wheel Plant to Close
Carlisle Tire & Wheel (CTW) plant has announced that it will close its Carlisle, Pennsylvania plant during the next 12 to 15 months. The closure affects about 340 employees and will be phased in local newspapers quoted Fred Sutter, group president of CTW as saying. The announcement follows parent company Carlisle Companies Inc’s decision to consolidate its Carlisle plant with the former Bowdon, Georgia manufacturing plant and portions of its Chinese operations into a newly acquired 568,000 square-foot facility in Jackson, Tennessee. The new Jackson operation is described as “bringing 440 jobs to the area.” CTW will reportedly continue to operate its 260,000-square-foot distribution facility in the two, which employs about 67 people. Carlisle Tire and Wheel has employed between 600 and 800 people in recent years, although layoffs are said to have reduced that number over the past year. About 20 per cent of plant workers are salaried while 80 per cent are hourly. Last year turnover totalled about $290 million, according to the company’s web site.
Continue ReadingReports: Axle Group Recorded £3.2 million Operating Loss in 2008
Axle Group Holdings reported an operating loss of £3.2 million in 2008, compared with operating profit of £4.2 million in 2007. However, sales from Axle’s National Tyres & Autocare retail chain and its Viking tyre wholesale business grew 13.4 per cent to £153 million. According to the Herald newspaper, Axle Group generated a £3.8 million profit on the sale of properties to another company controlled by chief executive Alan Revie and this is believed to have helped the company achieve a pre-tax profit of £3 million in 2008, down from £5.2m in 2007. The pre-tax profits came off the back of gross profits of £60.5 million in the 2008 (39.5 per cent of sales in 2008). However in 2007, Axle Group made a gross profit of £56.7 million, or 42 per cent of sales. 15 months ago Alan Revie unveiled plans to inject £12 million into the National chain and increase its UK estate from around 200 branches to 320 over five years. However, according to the Herald’s report, the head of the National Tyres auto repair chain appears to have enjoyed a 400 per cent increase in pay in the past year. The newspaper points out that accounts for Axle Group Holdings, which owns National Tyres, show the total emoluments of the highest paid director, soared to £2,126,000 in 2008, from £540,000 in the preceding year. The total boardroom payroll jumped to £4,057,000, up from £1,335,000 in 2007.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Dunlop’s Hanau Plant to Cut 140 Jobs by 2010
Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany GmbH is to cut 140 of the 1340 tyre production jobs at its Hanau production facility, according to local news reports. This year production is expected to fall from 7.4 to 6.8 million tyres will fall. The company’s management is planning to produce just 5.6 million tyres in 2010. The scrapping has not helped us, regrets Jörg Pohl, chairman of Goodyear Dunlop’s Hanau tyre production plant. Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany GmbH employs over 7400 workers at seven sites across the country.
Continue ReadingCRI: Chinese Tyre Exports ‘Not Very Promising in 2009’
In April 2009 tyre yields in China increased 13.7 per cent, compared with the same period of last year, to 58.15 million units. According to new data released today by China Research and Intelligence (CRI), between January and April 2009 the tyre yields totalled 185.6 million units in China, up 0.2 per cent year-on-year. In light of the major difficulties facing automotive suppliers in general and tyre manufacturers the past year, flat growth is really quite positive. However according to CRI, “exports are not very promising” by comparison. Between January and April 2009 China exported 81.31 million tyres, valued at US$2.01 billion (down 23.3 per cent and 21 per cent respectively compared with the same period in 2008). Exports in April amounted to 23.16 million tyres, down by 19.2 per cent and valued at $580 million (down 16.1 per cent).
Continue ReadingBrityrex 2010 Embarks on ‘Major International Marketing Drive’
A major marketing campaign is underway to promote the next staging of Brityrex International, which will take place at Manchester Central 5 -7 October 2010. Show organisers ECI International report that early July saw the distribution of 10,000 information packs for the UK’s only dedicated tyre, accessory and workshop equipment trade exhibition. This activity will be supplemented by extensive UK and international tyre trade advertising, marketing, information and online campaigns over the next 12 months. In addition to covering all sectors of the tyre industry, Brityrex 2010 will also place increased emphasis on workshop equipment, tools and services. Research suggests that tyre retailers and distributors have delayed or postponed making capital purchases during the recession, which is expected to create increased demand for new equipment as market conditions improve later next year.
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