Proliance Files for Chapter 11
Proliance International has filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on 2 July. In addition, Proliance has agreed to sell substantially all of its North American assets for $21.5 million in cash, under a court supervised sale process to Centrum Equities XV. Centrum Equities also owns the Visteon aftermarket business, which it purchased in February 2008. Charles Johnson, Proliance president and CEO, said, “The combination of Centrum’s resources and industry expertise and Proliance’s manufacturing and distribution capabilities will help get our business back on track faster and enable the combined company to serve its customers in an exemplary way. Longer term, we believe ownership by Centrum will create a stronger balance sheet and establish a solid platform which will provide opportunity for growth.” Roger Brown, president and CEO of Centrum Equities XV, said, “We are excited about this opportunity to put together these two leading companies in the automotive aftermarket. We strongly believe that the combination with Proliance, along with the financial investment to be made, will provide for unparalleled service in the industry.” (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingStamford to Emphasise Versatility of Range
Stamford Tyres will once again be exhibiting at CITExpo, the Singapore based company is using the forthcoming show in Shanghai to further endorse the group’s growing presence within the Far East and global tyre and wheel market. At Citexpo 2009, Stamford Tyres will emphasize the group’s versatile range in car, high performance, light commercial and truck sectors of the industry.
Continue ReadingB.F. s.r.l. Increases Production Capacity
Since 2003 B.F. s.r.l. has been one of the leading producers of car balance weights using tin and zinc in compliance with European directive 2000/53/EC. Recently, development of the factorys clip plant has enabled the production capacity to be greatly increased. At Autopromotec B.F.s representative, M. Prestini advised T&A, “The company has always followed a practice of using a plastic coating for weights. This procedure was established initially to cover the balancing weights sold to Nordic countries where resistance to corrosion was paramount. With the introduction of zinc balance weights, as a replacement for lead, the company carried out numerous evaluation tests and using the results from this, coupled with the knowledge and experience gained from our many years in the wheel weights industry. It was obvious that zinc weights also needed to be coated. “One of the strongest reasons for using a plastic coating on zinc weights is in order to avoid the possibility of a rogue electrical charge when an uncoated weight contacts the alloy wheel, the weight is likely, in a very short space of time, become completely oxidized. B.F. fully respects the standards for wheel weights required by car manufacturers, to meet a minimum of 500 hours saline fog test resistance.”
Continue ReadingNew Pneumatic Wheel Lifter
Sykes-Pickavant has recently launched a ‘Pneumatic Wheel Lifter’ designed for “efficient, quick, and safe changing of wheels.” According to the manufacturer, using the new product results in a reduction of risk of injury for one man operation. Te Pneumatic Wheel Lifter lifts wheels in less than 10 seconds in one continuous movement. t also has an additional compressed air outlet to connect an air wrench with free access to wheel nuts.
Continue ReadingDeldo Autobanden: “Sales have been Reasonably Good”
Deldo reported having a good Autopromotec with a lot of international visitors to their stand. “Our Italian team were kept extremely busy dealing with enquiries from perspective new and existing customers,” said the companys marketing manager, Rutger Veerman. “Up to now this year for Deldo has not seen the dramatic sales decline that was predicted by many due to weakening of the global economy,” continued Veerman. “In fact, our tyre sales have been reasonably good and there is even a slight improvement over the first months of the previous year. So, we would have to say that we are reasonably satisfied compared to what is happening with the automotive market generally. One obvious result of the international fiscal situation is the increasing demand for budget tyres.” In addition to its premium labels, Deldo offers an attractive package of private brands Minerva and Fortuna and exclusive labels Wanli, Roadstone, Sailun and Rockstone. Each tyre program presents its own specific characteristics and size range which equates to total sales of over 3 million budget tyres annually. With a large sourcing network, daily communication with its many partners and the continuous development of its product portfolio Deldo holds a unique position in the European market. “Important assets for an independent wholesaler are client oriented service, continuous stock and supply, attractive pricing and just-in-time distribution,” said Veerman.
Continue ReadingYokohama’s Dan Guiney Appointed to Tire Society Board
Dan Guiney, Yokohama Tire Corporations director of technical services, has been appointed a member of the Tire Societys advisory board. “the Tire Society is a 29-year-old organization thats widely respected within the tyre industry for its high-level technical and scientific endeavors, said Jim MacMaster, Yokohama executive vice president and chief operating officer. Dans the first Yokohama employee to sit on the board and all of us here congratulate him. He is a consummate professional with unmatched engineering expertise, so his appointment to the board makes perfect sense. The Tire Society, which is based in Akron, Ohio, has 200 members representing the tyre and automotive industries, as well as academia, government agencies, independent research organizations, private consultants, equipment manufacturers and software firms. Its mission is to disseminate knowledge and to stimulate development in the science and technology of tires through seminars, technical meetings and publication of the journal, Tire Science and Technology. The organization will hold its 28th annual meeting and conference, September 15-16, 2009, at the Akron City Centre Hotel.
Continue ReadingCITExpo “a Comprehensive Platform Serving the Tyre Industry”
CITExpo 2009 takes place at the Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition Centre between 9 and 11 September. With much significance attached to numbers in the host nation, and nine considered the luckiest of all the single-digit numerals, September 9, 2009, or 09-09-09, is not only an easy date to remember, it is also a very fortuitous one. The organiser of the CITExpo exhibition in Shanghai, Reliable International Exhibition Services, certainly hopes this will prove to be the case, following a year in which the tyre business, like most global industries, has come under increased financial pressure. However, Wilko Fong – managing director of Reliable – told Tyres & Accessories that the worldwide slump has not overtly affected the running of the show. “It is encouraging that our show has not been affected by the worldwide market shrinking demand,” he said. “At the same moment of last year, this year we have recorded 5 per cent increase in number of exhibitors and 10 per cent increase in sold space. There were 210 exhibitors registered before June 2008, and there are 225 exhibitors registered before June 2009. Also, some exhibitors are feeling that the market is gradually picking up from the bottom already.”
Continue ReadingCooper Introduces New Discoverer 4×4 Generation
Cooper Tire Europe has announced the launch of the second generation of its Discoverer Discoverer range of 4x4 tyres, the UK-built Discoverer M+S2. Replacing the existing Discoverer M+S product, the new tyre is designed to offer superior grip and braking ability, particularly in wet, snowy or icy conditions. With nearly a third of all road accidents happening on wet, snowy or icy road surfaces – a figure provided by the DfT in its 2007 Road Casualties of Great Britain report – having a tyre that grips the road is imperative, says Cooper. The Discoverer M+S2 has a new directional tread pattern to attempt to achieve greater grip in the slippery conditions described. It is also stud-able and the optimised offset stud pattern help maximise grip on icy roads, when studs are fitted.
Continue Reading£6 million Tyre Recycling Plant Approval ‘Likely’
A plan to open a £6 million tyre recycling plant in Clayton-le-Moors (between Blackburn and Burnley) is “likely” to go ahead, local newspapers have reported. According to the Blackburn Citizen, the waste recycling centre, has been recommended for approval subject to a list of conditions from planning officers. A decision is expected tomorrow Wednesday 7 July 2009.
Continue ReadingCooper Unveils its First Low Rolling Resistance Tyre
Cooper Tire & Rubber has announced that, in response to consumer demand for greater vehicle fuel efficiency, it has launched its first low-rolling resistance tyre line – the Cooper GFE (Greater Fuel Efficiency). The new range is already available in dealerships across the US. With the recent volatility in gasoline prices, customers are looking for ways to improve their vehicle fuel economy, said Chuck Yurkovich, Vice President of Global Technology. Tyre rolling resistance has a significant impact on vehicle fuel economy, so Cooper responded with a new tyre specifically designed for fuel-efficient vehicles.
Continue ReadingBusinesses Invited to Apply for Queen’s Award
The 2010 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise will open for entries on 20 July 2009, organisers announced today. Businesses of all sizes and from any industry sector are being urged to apply for The Queen’s Awards – widely regarded as the UK’s highest honour for business success, and the equivalent of a company knighthood.
Continue ReadingSerious Fraud Office Called Following MG Report
The Serious Fraud Office has been asked to consider whether there should be a criminal investigation into the collapse of MG Rover, after an inquiry into the demise of the MG Rover Group on in April 2005 owing creditors nearly £1.3 billion.
Continue ReadingHayes Lemmerz Files Reorganisation Plan and Disclosure Statement
Hayes Lemmerz International has a plan….a reorganisation plan, that is. The company announced on July 3 it has filed a proposed plan of reorganisation and disclosure statement with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. If confirmed by the court, the plan provides that the companys debtor-in-possession (DIP) lenders and prepetition secured lenders would own substantially all the reorganised company’s common stock and all of its global manufacturing locations upon its emergence from chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Continue ReadingDunlop Reports 20% Increase in Visits at Festival of Speed
Goodwood Festival of Speed saw 20 per cent more people view the Dunlop Motorsport presence than previously. Dunlop reportedly “pioneered” a new concept at this year’s event with a media stage. Dunlop’s communications manager James Bailey commented: “More than 13,000 people have been through the Dunlop Drivers Club Stable Yard today, watching and listening to their motor racing heroes and looking at some of their cars. This is an increase of around 20 per cent on last year. The public have the chance to get up-close and personal with the people and machines that have made history over the years and who are making history right now. This is the first time we have thrown our efforts fully behind a media stage, and judging by public reaction on day one, it’s a winner.”
Continue ReadingContinental: Women Show More Interest in Hybrid Technology
New research conducted by Continental AG suggests female drivers are more interested in Hybrid Technology than men. In 2007 less than a third (61.6%) of all female motorists surveyed knew anything about hybrid technologies. This percentage grew to around 75 per cent in 2008 and stood at 79 per cent this time.
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