Ruia Group to Acquire TCI?
According to media reports, Dunlop India and Falcon Tyres owner the Ruia Group is in negotiations to acquire the government owned Tyre Corporation of India Limited (TCI). The West Bengal based TCI is said to currently possess only a limited tyre manufacturing capacity, and the government began the process of divesting the ailing manufacturer in 2007. The potential price tag of such an acquisition has not been disclosed.
Continue ReadingBridgestone to Supply Dueler to US BMW Models
Bridgestone tyres are now available on every BMW series sold in the US following the decision to offer the brand as an original fitment on the BMX X5 M and BMW X6 M. Both vehicles will receive the Dueler HP Sport run-flat, in size 275/40R20 106Y XL for the front axle and 315/35R20 110Y XL for the rear. “The ultimate in performance, premium technology and a passion for excellence make the Bridgestone brand and BMW a winning combination,” said Mike Martini, president, Original Equipment, US & Canada Consumer Tire Sales Division, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. “The Dueler HP Sport plays to win. Selecting the Bridgestone Dueler HP Sport run-flat for this high profile vehicle is a clear victory for the brand and for the driving enthusiast. Now, with the new BMW M Automobile fitment, every class of vehicle manufactured by BMW is riding on a Bridgestone-brand tire and the majority of those are our run-flat tyres.”
Continue ReadingBrazil to Receive US$200 Million Pirelli Investments
This year Pirelli celebrates 80 years of doing business in Brazil. In the eight decades that followed the company’s first presence there in 1929, Pirelli has established five factories and a research centre in the South American nation and manufactures 90 per cent of its South American production there. This strong presence reflects Brazil’s growing importance as a strategic centre for vehicle production, and Pirelli’s interest in the region remains strong. At a July press conference, held at the company’s Santo André manufacturing site in Sao Paulo, Pirelli outlined plans to invest a further US$200 million in Brazil over the next three years.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Dunlop Associates Abseil for Teen Cancer Trust
UK Employees from Midlands tyre manufacturer Goodyear Dunlop have started work on raising £30,000 for the company’s chosen charity, the Teenage Cancer Trust, by abseiling down the 120ft side of Fort Dunlop in Birmingham. 12 associates from across the company took part to show their support of the company’s new corporate charity, including company directors Darren Hayes-Powell, Nigel Sowerby and group managing director Mark Brickhill. Brickhill commented: “Having raised in excess of £5,000 in sponsorship from the event, I would like to thank all of those involved for conquering their fears and kick starting this fierce fundraising campaign. Teenage Cancer Trust is a fantastic charity, and we are thrilled to be supporting the development of a unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital that will be the first in the county for 13 to 16 year olds. “We have been so touched by the work that the charity does and I’m certain that all of our associates will get firmly behind the fundraising to help to make a difference to the lives of the young people who face this terrible illness.”
Continue ReadingNew Yokohama Tyre Low in Petroleum, Rich in Vitamin C
Yokohama Tire Corporation has effectively re-invented the tyre. This bold statement, made in a company press release, refers to the US market launch of Yokohama’s dB Super E-spec passenger car tyre, winner of a Popular Mechanics Editors Choice Award at the Last November’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The new tyre, which Yokohama refers to as the worlds first orange oil-infused passenger tyre,” is composed of 80 per cent non-petroleum based materials. These are, specifically, a mixture of sustainable orange oil and natural rubber.
Continue ReadingSecond Generation BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/AKM2 Launched
With its thick lugs that continue around the sidewall, the BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/AKM range clearly means business in an off-road capacity and now the tyre has been given a second generation for the European market. The new tyre is replacing the BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/AKM, which is both the market leader in the off-road category and the spearhead of the brand in Europe. BFGoodrich says that the new Mud Terrain T/AKM2 provides off-road drivers with outstanding performance regardless of surface conditions, delivering enhanced strength, damage resistance and grip. It will be available in 16 sizes in 15, 16 and 17 inch diameters for tyre widths from 215 to 305 mm, in 85 to 70 series aspect ratios and with a Q speed symbol. The M+S marking on the sidewalls indicates that the tyre has been approved for use in mud and snow.
Continue ReadingGood Showing from International Companies at Autopromotec 2009
With a record 1,443 exhibiting companies from 47 countries and 150,000 square metres of exhibition space, Autopromotec is recognised as a leading international trade exhibition for specialised automotive products and services. This biennial event was held at the Bologna Exhibition Centre in late May. The increasing number of exhibiting companies from outside the host nation was particularly apparent this year, with a total of 468 foreign businesses from 46 countries presenting their products. Also, despite the current global economic downturn, the continually evolving international influence of the event is manifest in the number of foreign visitors present. During the five days of Autopromotec there were a total of 101,620 visitors, 16,689 of whom were from overseas. As part of a joint agreement sealed betweenthe Italian Institute for Foreign Trade, the Italian Ministry for Economic Development and the Italian Automotive Service Equipment Manufacturers Association, the show hosted 90 trade delegations from 16 countries including: Argentina, Brazil, China, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Turkey, USA and Vietnam.
Continue ReadingConti North America Acquisition Strengthens S. America Position
Continental Tire North America has announced that it has acquired the majority ownership of a leading passenger, light truck and commercial tyre company in Latin America, Compania Ecuatoriana del Caucho S.A. “Majority ownership of ERCO provides Continental with the ability to improve our entire value chain -- from the rubber plantation to the retail stores -- throughout the Americas region through ERCOs strong competence in the tyre business, said Matthias Schoenberg, chief executive officer of Continental Tire The Americas. “Our plan is to have ERCO manage the six countries of the Andean region so that we can expand our business in these critical growth markets which, together, have a larger population size than that of Mexico, but with faster growth.”
Continue ReadingCooper Volunteers Lend Habitat For Humanity a Hand
Cooper Tire states that the ‘Cooper Way’ includes such values as ‘doing the right thing’ and to ‘be a good community citizen’. These qualities were recently displayed when more than 60 Cooper employees, retirees and family members donated their time on two simultaneous Habitat for Humanity building projects in the company’s home town of Findlay, Ohio.
Continue ReadingArcom Notes Increased Presence of Consortia
Arcom, based in Rzezawa, Poland reported an exceptionally busy stand at the Autopromotec Trade Fair in Bologna, saying that “although there is a global economic crisis this was not apparent to us in Bologna”. The company says that it had stands at the previous two fairs but found this occasion to be the most fruitful. In fact, Arcom continues, it was even more fruitful than the fair in Essen which is very specific to the tyre industry and after only two days the Arcom stand had more visitors than in a five day period in previous years. Most of these visitors were Italians, though the company also reports a significant international following too.
Continue ReadingApollo Wins India Pajero Fitment
Apollo Tyres reports that its Hawkz 4x4 tyre has been selected as an original equipment feature on the Indian market Mitusbishi Pajero. The Japanese 4x4, said to be named after a certain South American wild cat – Leopardus pajeros (the vehicle is sold in the UK as the Shogun), is sold with the Apollo Hawkz in size 265/70 R15.
Continue ReadingMichelin PRM Report Examines Key Company Performance Areas
The fourth edition of the Michelin Group’s Michelin Performance and Responsibility (PRM) report is out. Focusing on the 2007-2008 period, this new report is a summary of the progress the company has achieved in its ‘Michelin Performance and Responsibility’ sustainable development approach – an approach designed around the five stages of the tyre’s life: tyre design, raw materials and purchasing, tyre manufacturing, commercialisation of tyres and tyres in use, and end-of-life recovery.
Continue ReadingSumitomo Establishing Falken European Sales Company
News that has already been doing the rounds in the tyre world for several months has now been officially announced – in response to questions from Tyres & Accessories, Japan’s Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd has confirmed the establishment of a new sales company for the European market. Called Falken Tyre Europe GmbH, the new company will be based in Offenbach, near Frankfurt, Germany (where the manufacturer’s European liaison office is already located) and will take over the Falken and Ohtsu brands in the European replacement tyre market from Goodyear Dunlop as of January 1, 2010.
Continue ReadingMichelin Snaps Up Motor Transport Innovation Award
The Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane played host to some 1,300 road transport professionals on the evening of 1 July. The reason for this gathering of senior industry figures was of course the 23rd Motor Transport Awards, in which approximately 70 contenders vied for victory in the 16 award categories. Amongst this elite group was Michelin, who on the evening walked away with the Innovation Award, having beat off stiff competition from a trio of fellow finalists – white goods manufacturer Indesit UK, asset management specialist Amey, and a joint entry from B&Q and Ceva Logistics.
Continue ReadingMitas/CGS Extends Size Range
Earlier this year Mitas a.s./CGS Tyres added a range of additional Continental SuperVolumeTyre sizes and the new 65 Series Mitas RD-03 to its portfolio. The company extended its successful SuperVolumeTyre range to include powerful machines which have over 180 hp by adding the rear axle size 710/75R42 and the matching 650/65R34 for the front to its portfolio. “The 710/75R42 size in our SVT range is designed for high-performance tractors with 300 hp and more, explained Andrew Mabin, marketing and sales manager at Mitas/CGS.
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