Nottingham Tyre Fire “Was Arson”
Firefighters were called to a fire in a unit used to store used tyres in Nottingham over the weekend. The firemen should have had no trouble finding the place, as this was the fourth time they have been called out to it in the past two weeks and to no fewer than 18 arson attacks over the past two years. The latest blaze was also arson, fire chiefs confirmed. Craig Dooley, head of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescues arson taskforce, said crews may have to let fires at the site burn, as the risk to firefighters was too great. 70 nearby residents were evacuated from their homes and allowed to return after five hours. Nottingham City Council said that it had made attempts to contact the owners to talk about making the site more secure, but these had so far proved unsuccessful.
Continue ReadingPCL to Pay ‘Prestigious’ Visit to Autopromotec 2009
When Sheffield-based PCL exhibits at Autopromotec the company says it will “provide the Italian automotive industry with a [prestigious] connection between its high quality air tools and top end performance, on Hall 22 Stand C8”. No the pneumatic specialists haven’t taken too much gas and air, PCL’s expert team are planning to introduce visitors to a new addition to its enhanced range of air tools – the Prestige Air Tool range. The range comprises of 11 top end products which feature low vibration, low noise, ergonomic grip and higher performance. All products are manufactured from magnesium or other composite materials for a high quality, lightweight finish, and are ergonomically designed to help the user perform daily jobs more efficiently and in greater comfort. PCL also says it will show customers how nitrogen tyre inflation can maintain tyre pressure for longer, and provide extended tyre life, increased safety, higher fuel economy and superior handling – with demonstrations of Accura Mobile.
Continue ReadingMAK to Show Complete 2009 Wheel Range
MAK S.p.A. reports that the wheel production company is to show a wide range of new and existing products at Autopromotec 2009. First of all, the Brescia-based Italian producer will exhibit the brand-new MAK Mistral, the first directional wheel the company has launched on the market. The interesting thing about this five-spoke design is that while they have a straight structure and they are perpendicular to the external rim, “there is a diamond insert that points the to the design’s left side”. This visual illusion gives the wheel movement and lightness, making it appear slimmer.
Continue ReadingRemog Widens Range of Coated Weights
Remog S.p.A, has widened the range of wheel balancing weights it offers, following the formation of a new plant for the plastic coated treatment of its products with epoxy powders. This plant supports Remog’s other site, which has been operating since 2000, and already has the capacity to cover at 100 per cent of the body of the weight. The new coating technology means the weights can now withstand certified 500 hours to salt fog test.
Continue ReadingFormula One Drivers Show Support for ‘Make Cars Green’ Campaign
Bridgestone Corporation says it will this year, as a global partner of the Fédération International de L’Automobile (FIA), continue its support and promotion of the global ‘Make Cars Green’ campaign. This announcement follows the first event of the 2009 Formula One season, the Australian Grand Prix, at which Bridgestone says the Formula One drivers showed their unanimous support for the campaign. The Make Cars Green campaign aims to reduce the effect of cars on the environment by informing drivers of how to drive in a more environmentally friendly way. In partnership with automobile associations in countries worldwide, Bridgestone Corporation and the Bridgestone Group are calling on drivers to observe the “10 points for greener motoring”.
Continue ReadingItalmatic Produces 51-inch Tyre Buffers
Retreading machinery maker, Italmatic, recently celebrated a success in the development of PL 80 buffers for OTR tyres. The latest technological milestone means the company’s latest (standard model) machinery is now capable reliably buffing OTR tyres in of up to 51 inches. According to the company, Matic PL 80 makes “perfect buffing profiles both for hot retreading and for cold retreading,” but is likely to be particularly useful for retreaders who rely on both methods. The machine can be equipped also with a building group and grooving group on request.
Continue ReadingYokohama Withdraws from Aircraft Tyre Business
Yokohama Rubber has been manufactured and sold aircraft tyres, both new and retreaded, to the Japanese military and to Japanese domestic airlines since 1940, however the company has now decided to withdraw from this business. According to Yokohama, this decision was taken as aircraft tyre sales constitute only a minor part of Yokohama Rubber’s entire business, and do not offer strong future growth potential.
Continue ReadingInfinity to Show 2 New Tyres
The focal point of Infinity’s 144 square metre stand at Autopromotec 2009 will be the brand’s two new products - the new INF 059 winter van tyre and the INF 200 on-road 4x4 tyre. The INF 059 will be available from Autumn 2009 and will feature five products ranging in size from 14 to 16 inch diameters. According to company representatives, tt will complement the existing Infinity winter tyre range and will feature a distinctive asymmetric tread pattern and a “proven winter rubber compound.”
Continue ReadingRolf Koerfer Elected Chairman of Conti Supervisory Board
The Supervisory Board of Continental AG has unanimously elected Rolf Koerfer its new chairman at its March 27 extraordinary meeting in Hanover, Germany. The 51-year-old thus succeeds Dr. Hubertus von Grünberg, who resigned on March 6.
Continue Reading“More Than Twenty” Interested in TyreGenics Plant
Following the news that a fire had caused some damage to the Welsh TyreGenics operation last Friday (27 March), a spokesperson for Begbies Traynor, administrators of TyreGenics got in touch with Tyres & Accessories to explain that the damage was sustained by a storage facility and not the plant itself, while also revealing that the administrator was confidant of finding a buyer for the business. The business announced that it had gone into administration earlier in January, 18 months after opening as a joint venture between Credential Environmental, BOC, FieldTurf Tarkett and RTI Cryogenics in July 2007. The £4 million recycling plant has a processing capacity of 80 tonnes per day. The spokesperson stated last Friday: Last night we were made aware that a large fire had started at a secure outdoor storage facility that TyreGenics leases from a local haulage firm around half a mile from the TyreGenics plant at Baglan Industrial Estate. There were around 2,500 one tonne bags of recycled rubber crumb at the facility and all of this product appears to have been lost to the fire, the cause of which is being investigated by the police. Although the fire produced large amounts of thick black smoke, the fumes were not toxic.
Continue ReadingDelticom Reports Strong Growth in 2008
Prominent European online tyre dealer Delticom AG reports closing its 2008 fiscal year with a record result. Despite a disappointing year for the tyre industry and for tyre retailers, Delticoms online business model has again exhibited strong growth. The company recorded significantly increased sales in nearly all of its more than 100 online shops in 35 countries. This is reflected in year-on-year rise in revenues in each quarter. In the fourth quarter alone, revenues of 84.0 million euros were achieved, up from 69.5 million euros in the corresponding quarter of 2007. For the whole year, Delticom increased revenues year-on-year by 20.2 per cent to 259.0 million euros. With these results, Delticom hit the upper end of the revenue targets the company released at the beginning of the last year.
Continue ReadingFire At Tyregenics Recycling Plant
The Tyregenics tyre recycling plant, near Port Talbot in Wales, has been hit by a fire, in which around 100 one-tonne piles of rubber pellets were ablaze. More than 60 firefighters and 19 appliances tackled the blaze, which was finally brought under control at around 1.00am this morning. No surrounding buildings were damaged, although local residents were advised to keep doors and windows closed because of the thick smoke. The plant recycles scrap tyres by turning them into rubber pellets and the cause of the fire is not yet known, although local police and fire incident officers are currently examining the site.
Continue ReadingToyo OE for New Mazda 3
Toyo Tire Europe reports that Mazda has selected it as tyre supplier for the new Mazda 3. Available across Europe from late spring, two different tyres will be fitted depending upon car specification. Models with 16-inch wheels will be fitted with the Toyo J48C in size 205/55 R16 91V, whilst those with 17-inch wheels will come with Proxes R32 in size 205/50 R17 89W TL.
Continue ReadingMarangoni Adds to ‘Marix Ecology’ 4×4 Retread Range
According to Marangoni, its Marix Ecology range has proven a popular choice for off-road drivers thanks to a series of products designed for extreme use, such as Lion and Puma. Both of these tyres feature substantial tread blocks, and for this reason are sought by those who use their 4x4 for work or in sporting competitions, and want a tyre with good grip and drainage capacity. The latest additions to the Marix 2008 range are the Cruise and Ghepard, the latter a high performance tyre for SUVs that is approved for high performance and available in 17 and 18-inch sizes. Marangoni says the Ghepard ensures comfort and maximum grip in all conditions thanks to the use of high performance compounds.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Survey Says UK Fails to Check Pressure Enough
A new survey of UK drivers conducted by Bridgestone shows that the majority of drivers are four times as likely to cut the life of their tyres, increase their fuel consumption and see a leap in their CO2 emissions because they are ignorant of the Highway Code’s advice on the regularity of pressure checking. 50 per cent believed they should check their tyres every four weeks, with a further 21 per cent stating tyres should be checked fortnightly. In reality, the Highway Code specifies, “check weekly.” Bridgestone asked more than 1,500 drivers from across the UK how often they should check their tyre pressure in order to stay safe, extend the life off the tyre and reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Fifty-nine per cent of men got the answer right, but in reality only a quarter check their pressure weekly. This compared to an awareness of 37 per cent among women but with only a fifth actually checking their tyres weekly.
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