Planning Around Success
When Tyres & Accessories spoke to Watts Tyre Group, it was only natural that the year we’ve just experienced – a particularly difficult period for the industrial tyre market – would be reflected upon. Yet times such as these also present an opportunity for companies that can capably adapt to their customers’ changing priorities. Watts, already a very strong player in the segment, is making the necessary adjustments needed to remain competitive in a depressed market.
Continue ReadingYokohama Tyres on Top in Sidecar Manx TT
Riders choosing the Japanese tyre brand Yokohama have dominated timed practice for this year’s sidecar class of the world-famous Isle of Man TT races. Fastest in evening practice was last year’s double winner Nick Crowe, posting a time of 19min30sec to give an average lap speed of 116.03mph, just shy of the lap record. This year, 34 of the 47 runners and riders have chosen to use Yokohama tyres, which have experienced an unbroken run of 15 victories. Eight of the top ten riders are using Yokohama as well as customer service from dealer Express Tyres.
Continue ReadingNew Landlord Takes Over Cooper Avon Sports & Social Club
Melksham landlord Eddie Schofield has been named as the new manager of the Cooper Avon Sports & Social Club, based at Melksham House in the town. Schofield, currently landlord of the Pickled Pilot pub in Bowerhill, will take up his new post at the end of June, when current manager Terry Gregory retires. Gregory, 69, has managed the popular club, which is just off Market Place in the centre of Melksham, for 26 years. “Terry has been a regular presence at our Sports & Social Club for over quarter of a century, and he’s one of the most popular faces in the town,” said Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe managing director Julian Baldwin. “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Terry for his long and faithful service. We’ll miss him.”
Continue ReadingChem-Trend Launches Curing Bladder Treatment for Tyres
Chem-Trend, a global manufacturer of release agents and other process chemical specialties, has announced the launch of Mono-Lube 1111, a new high performance tyre-curing bladder treatment for the tyre manufacturing industry. Chem-Trend states that initial field tests have shown that tyre-curing bladders coated with Mono-Lube 1111 can extend bladder life up to 40 per cent. Mono-Lube 1111 cures in one hour at room temperature and provides similar performance to coatings that are baked onto the surface of a curing bladder. It can be applied by various methods including brush, sponge or spray application. The new product is the latest addition to the Mono-Lube family of products for the tyre manufacturing industry. Chem-Trend’s full line of products includes inside tyre paints, outside tyre paints, curing bladder coatings and the Mono-Coat brand of tyre mould treatments.
Continue ReadingMichelin Adds to OTR Seminars
Michelin North America has added several components to its mining tyre “best practices” seminar. The seminars are held near the company’s headquarters in Greenville, South Carolina, and was developed to “equip attendees with a better understanding of how to implement practices to lower operating costs, improve productivity and extend tyre life,” MNA said. “In addition to helping mine operators get the maximum life out of their tyres, we’re helping them become even better business people by sharing practices we have gathered from other mining companies,” said Terry Beach, director of earthmover training. “Our facility visits also give attendees a first-hand look at how our tyres are made and how they perform in different situations.” Along with tyre and wheel maintenance best practices, the three-day session includes management topics like market intelligence and supply chain; operational factors such as speed, haul road design, road maintenance and load management; and vehicle issues like strut maintenance, alignment and bed modifications. Attendees also visit Michelin’s OTR tyre manufacturing facility in Lexington, South Carolina, and its tyre testing facility in Laurens, South Carolina. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingNokian Adds to Forestry Range
Nokian’s forestry tyre product family is growing. New size additions to its Forest Rider line-up, the company reports, are suitable for the very large tractors and forestry machines that are used for harvesting energy wood and constructing and maintaining forest roads. These products also work very well, Nokian adds, on heavy tractors used on contracting sites. Another new tyre, the Forest King F in size 780/55-26.5, is said to provide greater durability and load-bearing capacity for cut-to-length machinery. Nokian states it is designed for CTL forestry machines and will add much-desired durability and load-bearing capacity for heavy harvesters and forwarders. The new product will replace the Nokian Forest King F size 750/55-26.5.
Continue ReadingTotrax Supplying Greckster Industrial Range
For the past three years Boston, Lincolnshire based Totrax Ltd has exclusively distributed the Emrald Greckster range of industrial tyres in the UK. Emrald Greckster, states Totrax’s Industrial business manager Peter Roffey, is India’s leading supplier of resilient tyres, industrial pneumatic and press on band. The Greckster, he continues, is constructed using a unique multi-layer concept that uses the mathematically derived BACUC02T Technology. The Greckster’s design features integrated layers of varying hardness; each of these layers is made to a different formulation, integrating the requisite special properties to the end product. Compounds and designs are carefully selected to meet the diverse requirements of tyres used under exacting work conditions.
Continue ReadingKramer Named Goodyear COO
Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s Board of Directors has elected Richard J. Kramer chief operating officer of the company. In this new role, which takes effect immediately, Kramer will report to company chairman and CEO Robert J. Keegan. Kramer will also continue in his current position as president of the companys North American Tire business until his successor is named. Richs appointment as chief operating officer reflects our game plan of having a laser focus on operations globally during these extraordinary times, Keegan said. It also reflects the confidence that the Board and I have in Richs overall business leadership capability.
Continue ReadingHankook Extends Audi OE into Europe
Hankook sends word that in future the Audi A3, A3 Sportback and A3 Cabrio will roll off the assembly line fitted with Hankook tyres. The South Korean manufacturer’s Ventus S1 evo range have been selected as original equipment, and will be supplied for the A3 models is size 225/45 ZR 17. This newly finalised original equipment agreement extends the partnership between Audi and Hankook Tire to the European market. Hankook has been equipping various Audi models for the Chinese market since 2008, however this is the first time Hankook’s tyres have been directly to the vehicle manufacturer’s main plant in Germany, the Audi works in the Bavarian city of Ingolstadt.
Continue ReadingCTNA Opens New Headquarters
Construction work has been completed on Continental Tire North America’s new headquarters, and the firm is thus transferring its base of operations Charlotte, North Carolina to South Carolina’s Lancaster County. The US$11 million facility covers a 75,000 square foot area and houses some 375 employees. “Continental Tire has built a solid reputation by providing outstanding products throughout our 138-year history, and this move to South Carolina is just the next step in our ongoing effort to contribute to the North and South American markets,” says Matthias Schoenberg, CEO of Continental Tire North America.
Continue ReadingTyre Recovery Professionals turn out in Force for “Successful” Event
Taking place on Friday 15 May in the conference rooms of the Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth, the Tyre Recovery Association’s annual Forum Day was labelled a “success”, having attracted a populous audience of recycling professionals, which remained in place throughout all of the afternoon’s speakers. In addition to introductory remarks by Peter Taylor, the TRA’s secretary general, and chairman of the British Tyre Manufacturers’ Association, Mark Brickhill, the day featured a wide variety of tyre recovery presentations – ranging from French collection methods at Aliapur to the potential of pyrolysis – focused by the theme of “Innovation and Opportunity”. For his part, Brickhill was keen to stress the quality of recycling in the tyre industry within his keynote introduction, stating that it is currently “top class”. He also referenced the continuing themes of increased regulation, the environmental theme that is very much entrenched within the industry in the widest sense – particularly when one considers the omnipresence of rolling resistance – and the continued emphasis on safety.
Continue ReadingMobile Awareness Releases Obstacle Detection System
Mobile Awareness, a US provider of leading transportation safety products today announced the SE (Sensor Enhancement) version of its SenseStat Obstacle Detection Sensor System family, designed to prevent accidents caused by commercial vehicles reversing. SenseStat simultaneously monitors four zones at the rear of a vehicle indicating the area closest to an object. It is accurate within one inch, affordable and intended for use on commercial, off-road, lift truck and construction vehicles. The SE version is a new design improvement which maximizes protection of the sensors, while providing greater mounting flexibility and reliability. These features found on the SE version are further enhanced by a full three year limited warranty.
Continue ReadingTRIB to Exhibit at The Great American Trucking Show
The US organisation, the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB) has announced that it will be an exhibitor at the 2009 Great American Trucking Show (GATS), being held at the Dallas Convention Centre in Dallas, Texas, Thursday, 20 August to Saturday, 22 August 2009. TRIB will be displaying a variety of retreaded truck tyres in its booth, including wide-base retreads. It will also be distributing printed materials, along with CDs & DVDs, about retreaded tyres, tyre repairing, tyre maintenance and other tyre related subjects of benefit to truckers, fleet maintenance personnel and trucking company management. In addition, TRIB will be handing out its Retread Tire Buyers Guide and materials from TRIB members. TRIB’s booth number is 14059-61.
Continue ReadingFrench eTailer wants to be Major UK Player
Pneus Online, the European online tyre shop founded in 2001 in France, wants to reinforce its activity in the UK with the message that it has chosen WorldPay to provide an improved payment method to customers. “We have sold tyres in the UK since 2005, but were not satisfied with our banking solution. After a call for tender, WorldPay got the deal by offering the best and the more secured solution” said Alexis Nerguisian, CEO of Pneus Online. Pneus Online boasts free delivery and a catalogue of 824,433 car tyres and 185,503 motorcycles tyres. The company says that the majority of these products is rated by hundreds of Pneus Online customers, helping users find the best selection for their vehicles.
Continue ReadingTop Shop Entry Deadline Looms
The entry deadline is fast approaching for the 2009 Tire Review Top Shop Awards presented by Ammco/Coats. Now in its third year, entries will be accepted until midnight on 10 July, 2009. Entry forms and information are now available via the Top Shop Awards Web site at www.tirereviewtopshopaward.com. Complete entries can be made right online. US and Canadian dealers can nominate their own businesses, or others can nominate tyre dealer businesses. The entry process is simple: Those making the nomination need to provide basic information about the dealership being nominated and write a short (300-word maximum) essay explaining why that dealership should be considered. From there, all entrants will be reviewed and a group of semi-finalists selected. Those semi-finalists will be asked to provide additional information for judging. A panel of judges, including industry professionals and a member of the Tire Review staff, will select the four finalists and, ultimately, the 2009 Top Shop Award winner. The awards are as outstanding as the dealers selected: • The Grand Prize Winner will receive a Coats APX90 tyre changer, $1,500 in cash, airfare and hotel for two (2 nights/3 days) to the 2009 SEMA Show, a feature story in the October issue of Tire Review, and a Top Shop trophy to display in their dealership. • Three Finalists will each receive a Coats 1250-3DV tyre/wheel balancer (featuring on-board training), $500 in cash, a feature story in the October issue and a specially designed finalist trophy. (Tire Review/Akron)
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