Tyres Burn in Paris as Conti Protests Continue
The air around the Place de la Bourse in central Paris, previously home to the French stock market, was heavy with the stench of burning tyres on May 18. Hundreds of Continental employees, together with representatives from the CGT union, congregated at the historic trading site and vented their emotions ahead of planned talks on the closure of Conti’s Clairoix factory.
Continue ReadingBridgestone’s Poland TBR Facility Officially Opened
A traditional “kagami-biraki” sake barrel breaking ceremony attended by more than a hundred guests and a guided factory tour has marked the official opening of Bridgestone’s new 200 million truck and bus radial facility in Stargard, northwest Poland. Senior company management including Bridgestone Corporation CEO Shoshi Arakawa and Bridgestone Europe CEO Toru Tsuda presided over the May 18 events and played host to numerous local, regional and national officials such as Mrs Grazyna Henclewska, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Economy, Mr. Tanabe, Japan’s Ambassador to Poland and Mr. Husejko, Marshal of West Pomerania.
Continue ReadingConti Reports Solution to Stöcken Factory ‘Conflict’
The conflict regarding plans to end commercial vehicle tyre production at Continental’s Hanover-Stöcken plant has been resolved, the company reports. Continental management, the IG BCE trade union and employee representatives have reached an agreement on a solution that, in Conti’s words, “makes use of all instruments the labour market provides and opens up prospects for 2010.” The agreement will see the suspension of commercial vehicle tyre production at Stöcken as of the end of 2009, a move supplemented by a number of other measures. “The package is the result of several rounds of intensive talks that came close to being bro-ken off at a number of points. In the end, however, the two sides moved closer and, against the backdrop of a dogged and complex economic situation, faced up to their responsibility,” said Werner Bischoff of the IG BCE Executive Committee following talks on May 19.
Continue ReadingConti Appoints New PR Firm for World Cup Tyre Campaign
Continental has negotiated a deal reportedly worth six figures with Inside Media for consumer PR in the UK, selecting the firm after pitches from five companies. PR Week’s Chloe Markowicz reports that the German manufacturer has given Inside Media a UK brief that will include the promotion of the brand’s safety message and its involvement in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The commercial vehicles side of the business will still be related in the media by Conti’s existing agency Automotive PR and motoring PR will be processed in-house. The major focus is said to be in publications outside the sphere of the traditional motoring press, with the more generalised lifestyle media specifically in the frame. Continental’s communications manager Laura Hardy told Tyrepress.com, “Inside Media are working to increase our press coverage outside of the motoring pages. A lot of drivers dont read the traditional motoring media but we still want to take the Continental brand name and our safety message to them, thats why weve chosen Inside Media who are specialize in national press and lifestyle media coverage.”
Continue ReadingTyreSafe Reporting Record Interest in Bike Tyre Safety Month
April’s Bike Tyre Safety Month saw the TyreSafe website receive the highest number of visits to its website to date, the safety organisation has reported. According to a statement, the tyre safety campaign saw tyresafe.org receive 26,700 visits during the month-long campaign, a 185 per cent increase from April 2008. TyreSafe’s Bike Tyre Safety Month aimed to raise awareness of the importance of tyres in road safety. Top tips for bike tyre safety maintenance together with key tyre safety advice were shared with bikers via a dedicated page on the TyreSafe website, where visitors were also offered the opportunity to register for the organisation’s newsletter and receive a free tyre valve extension. The campaign received support from a wide range of organisations, such as the Motorcycle Industry Association, the Institute of Advanced Motorists and the British Motorcyclists Federation.
Continue ReadingEvent Mobile Tyres Reports 10,000th Happy Customer
Online and mobile tyre fitting business Event Mobile Tyres has reportedly received over 10,000 positive testimonials on its website. The company broke the 10,000 mark prior to going to press with the news, so the running total is understood to be in excess of 10,313. Speaking to Tyres & Accessories, IT and marketing manager Dave Jones explained that despite having had so many customers satisfaction rates remain very high. In real terms this means there have only been six or seven negative comments compared with five-figures of positive responses. Here’s what the 10,000th happy customer, Andrew Sturgeon, said: “Competitive prices and friendly, helpful staff mean I dont waste time searching the web because there seems little point in going elsewhere. Above all they keep you informed so you dont waste time waiting. Now been using them for five years.”
Continue ReadingApollo Concludes Vredestein Banden Acquisition
The Apollo Tyres acquisition of Vredestein Banden BV, now officially concluded, has been described by Vredestein Banden CEO Rob Oudshoorn as a “win-win combination for both companies.” With all regulatory approvals and place and consent from the Judge of the Dutch Courts granted, Apollo now holds a 100 per cent share in the Netherlands based manufacturer. While official statements on the acquisition give no purchase price for Vredestein-Banden, the Wall Street Journal notes that a ‘person familiar with the situation’ disclosed a sum of 175 million euros.
Continue ReadingPirelli Supports Aston Martin in the Nürburgring 24 Hour Race
Pirelli tyres are to support Aston Martin in their Nürburgring 24 hour race on the weekend of 23 and 24 May 2009. Pirelli have worked closely with Aston Martin for many years developing and supplying tyres for the DBS, V8 Vantage and in this case on the V12 Vantage. The P Zero Corsa System tyres used on the V12 Vantage road car are derived from the P Zero Corsa race tyres and ensure consistency and provide a tangible performance link between the two. According to Pirelli, the P Zero Corsa is the ultimate sports version of the P Zero family. It is a highly technical tyre using directional and asymmetric tread patterns to enhance vehicle performance. The fitments on the V12 Vantage race car are 295/645 18 and 305/645 18.
Continue ReadingTyrepress.com Opens Twitter Account
Tyrepress.com is never one to resist the progress of the times, or indeed another forum through which to deliver important tyre industry news stories to its readers. Therefore, it is with great delight that the industry’s favourite news source announces its new presence on miniature update site, Twitter.com. Readers of Tyres & Accessories, Tyrepress.com and the Tyrepress.com e-Newsletter are cordially invited to “follow” Tyrepress progress here. To do so, all you need is a Twitter profile, from which you can add Tyrepress to the list of fellow tweeters you are following. (The process is much simpler than it is easy to describe!)
Continue ReadingNew Tiger Paw Targets Family Rides
Michelin North America has added the Uniroyal Tiger Paw AS65, a 65,000-mile radial targeting a wide range of vehicle, from compacts to minivans. “The AS65 gives value consumers exactly what they’ve been asking for in a tyre – dependability, performance and long wear,” said Kaz Holley, Uniroyal brand director. “Between the center rib and the block placement, this is the most aggressive tyre we’ve added to the Tiger Paw line. Our customers are sure to notice how well it handles in any road condition.”
Continue ReadingNew Falken Tyre Gets “Rugged”
In the US Falken Tire Corp. has introduced a new, rugged line of all-terrain tyres – the High Country A/T. Falken said the “Falken High Country A/T confidently transitions when surfaces go from smooth to rough and dry to muddy,” and the tyre features a deep tread depth, heavy siping and M+S performance for all types of weather and driving conditions. The tyre is available in 24 P-metric, LT-metric and flotation sizes, ranging from 15- through 20-inch wheel diameters.
Continue ReadingCorghi Opens New US HQ
After years of offering its products through distributors, Italian tyre equipment maker Corghi has opened Corghi U.S.A., with offices in Hamilton, Ohio. Corghi said that, “historically, the North American market has always been one of Corghi’s most important business areas,” and that over the past 20 years the brand “has developed its presence and has become a point of reference for the tire changer industry. “Recognising the strategic importance of the American market, Corghi has decided to enter it directly in order to offer to its customers the complete wheel service equipment product range, and to ensure the highest level of service to tire professionals,” the company said. The new 12,000-square-foot headquarters includes offices, training rooms and a warehouse. The copany also lauched a new Web site – www.corghiusa.us – and a help desk for service with free phone number will be activated as of May 16.
Continue ReadingArvinMeritor to Close Carrollton Wheel Assembly Facility
Global market weakness has been cited as the reason behind ArvinMeritor’s decision to idle its Carrollton facility. Wheel end assembly operations at the plant, located in the US state of Kentucky, will be moved to other facilities in Kentucky and Ohio and the machining and casting activities currently performed on-site will be outsourced. “Although the employees in Carrollton have demonstrated a strong commitment to performance and quality, the continued weakness in the global markets has driven the company to aggressively reduce costs to lower its breakeven point,” said Wayne Watson, general manager, North American Operations for ArvinMeritor. “Closing the Carrollton operation is another necessary step toward improving the company’s overall cost structure.”
Continue ReadingConti Launches Next Generation Commercial Tyres
Continental has announced the launch of its new range of commercial vehicle regional and long distance tyres. The manufacturer has called the launch its “biggest for ten years”, representing four new design features for the second generation of steer and drive tyres, joining the HTR 2, which has been on the market for about a year. The tyres feature entirely new inner liner technology, dubbed AirKeep for its ability to stay inflated for longer, in addition to modifications to the belt, bead and contour design. Conti is backing up its new range with a “Technology Truck” tour throughout Europe, including a visit to the UK in June, to showcase the range to fleet managers and dealers, as well as providing a new electronic tool, based on research conducted by Continental and certified by DEKRA, which calculates the economic and ecological benefits of fitting the new range to customers’ fleets: the ContiCostCalculator. The series 2 regional and long distance tyres will be available initially in the following sizes: Regional HSR 2 (steer) and HDR 2 (drive) – 295/80R22.5, 315/80R22.5, 315/70R22.5; HTR 2 (trailer) – 385/65R22.5, 445/65R22.5. Long-Distance HSL 2 (steer) and HDL 2 (drive) – 295/60R22.5, 315/60R22.5. The HTL 1 series trailer tyre is still available in sizes 385/55R22.5, 385/55R19.5 and 445/45R19.5.
Continue ReadingTRW Opens China Test Facility
TRW Automotive Holdings has announced the opening of a new test track in Heihe, northern China. Work at the site began in 2006 and TRW states that during the last three years a “significant investment” has been made in the facility. The track specialises in winter testing and includes a variety of track surfaces designed to test active safety systems such as advanced braking and steering systems and integrated vehicle control and driver assist technologies. According to TRW, the opening of the test track, which is to receive support from the company’s Shanghai technical centre engineers, completes its footprint to locally engineer products and applications for China-based customers.
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