Michelin’s Ardmore Plant Returning to Full Work Schedule Mid-April
Workers at Michelin North America’s Ardmore, Oklahoma passenger and light truck tyre facility will return to a full work schedule in mid-April, says company spokeswoman Lynn Mann. The factory has been operating at reduced capacity since last November, when approximately 240 employees were placed on eight-week furloughs. In February, Michelin announced plans to reduce production at the plant. The reduced work period ends on April 13, said Mann. Following this date, employees will return to normal work schedules.
Continue ReadingConti Workers Protest Clairoix Plant Closure in Paris
Hundreds of France based Continental employees took to the streets of Paris on March 25 to protest the planned closure of the company’s Clairoix factory. The demonstrators burnt tyres and chanted slogans as they made their way to the Elysée Palace, official residence of the French president. Employee representatives from the facility also met with president Nicolas Sarkozys counsellor for social affairs, Raymond Soubie. The protest coincided with talks between Continental CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann and board member Nikolai Setzer and French economy minister Christine Lagarde. Conti reports that the two men met Lagarde to assure her the decision to close the site was related to dropping tyre sales, and that the company hoped the public authorities could help in creating new jobs in the Compiegne region where the factory is located.
Continue ReadingMWS Introduces Xlite CV Wheel Range
New from MWS Distribution, supplier of international brands such as Kronprinz, Gianetti, Magnetto Topy and Wheels India, is the Xlite range of forged aluminium commercial vehicle wheels. The line-up is available through the company’s MWS Wheel Systems and MWS Aftermarket divisions to both OE and replacement market customers. Xlite wheels, currently available in 17.5, 19.5 and 22.5-inch sizes, are forged from a single aluminium billet, using computerised numeric control to produce a truer running wheel that delivers reduced vibration, aiding longer wear on surrounding components. The products are available with either a machined or a polished finish, and are available with ‘xbrite’, a surface coating that MWS says helps the wheel maintain its shine while minimising the need for cleaning.
Continue ReadingAlcoa Releases Lighter, Brighter Wheel
Like your wheels bright? Then look no further…In March Alcoa announced that its Commercial Vehicle Wheels business has launched a new line of forged wheels that employ a new proprietary process. This process, says Alcoa, delivers not only the industry’s lightest forged aluminium wheel and even greater strength; it provides a finish on both sides that is six times brighter than any wheel in its class.
Continue ReadingTemporary Positions Eliminated at Michelin Dundee
Local media sources indicate that a number of temporary staff at Michelin’s factory in Dundee have lost their jobs. The Evening Telegraph states it was contacted on March 25 by a worker affected by this decision, who complained that the company was eliminating positions at the Dundee site starting with temporary workers. Plant personnel manager Ian Peart confirmed to the newspaper that staff are indeed being let go, but claimed Michelin’s decision was not related to the current economic crisis.
Continue ReadingJohn Bean Rolls Out Price Reduction on V3D Lite
John Bean, a brand within Snap-on Equipment, announced its price reduction on the popular V3D Lite to £7,995 (excluding VAT). The reduced price is available on machines ordered before July 2009 and includes a two-year warranty. Chris Behan, general manager of Snap-on Equipment, states that the company hopes to attract more converts to the system’s 3D alignment operation: “Reducing the price of the successful John Bean V3D Lite enables more workshops to leave their old laser aligners behind and step into the world of fast and accurate 3D wheel alignment. The current economic climate means that garages need to maximise profit opportunities and V3D Lite enables them to gain a new or improved revenue stream alongside their core business.”
Continue ReadingPoint S – From Private Brand to Leading Brand
In 2005 Point S operated in nine different European countries. Four years later it is almost double that. Currently the group consists of 1700 tyre outlets, run by 1000 different owners, commanding a 6 per cent retail market share in both the passenger car and truck tyre segments across Europe. Since the first Point S was opened in 1971, the network has used the same business model in every country its has grown into – allowing independent tyre entrepreneurs to control their business while allowing everyone to benefit from the strong brand and economies of scale that come with a large group. However, the group’s private brand strategy is also a key part of the company’s business and by the time Point S development announced that the France-based international tyre retail group had expanded into Bulgaria (its 17th country) in January 2009, this part of the business had become an exemplary model in the tyre market. Tyres & Accessories recently interviewed Point S Development’s international operations director, Fabien Bouquet, and found out why private brands are so important.
Continue ReadingStuart Jackson Appointed TyreSafe Chairman
Vredestein UK managing director, Stuart Jackson has become chairman of TyreSafe. According to the tyre safety organisation, he replaced former chairman Rob Beddis as the public face of TyreSafe during February and will continue Beddiss work in raising awareness among motorists of the importance of well maintained tyres in road safety.
Continue ReadingMichelin Enters FIM World Endurance Championship
The FIM World Endurance Championship will this year, for the first time, be contested by a bike wearing Michelin colours. The French manufacturer states that the entry of the motorcycle, under the ‘Michelin Power Research Team’ name, breaks new ground in the company’s competition history. The team’s blue Honda CBR 1000 RR will carry the number 63 – the number given to Frances Puy de Dôme region or ‘department’ (the home to Michelin’s headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand) – and will be shared by test drivers William Costes, Hugo Marchand and Josep Monge. The Michelin Power Research Team bike will be prepared and run by Honda dealer Jean-François Daffix and his team, which is based in Aubière near Clermont-Ferrand.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Americas Strengthens Distribution Network
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) has marked the official opening of its new tyre distribution centre in Jacksonville, Florida. The centre’s opening, says BATO, marks the latest step in its North America distribution centre modernisation programme. With a capacity of more than a million tyres, ranging from small passenger and industrial tyres to those for medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, the Jacksonville centre will supply tyres and automotive parts to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. In addition, the distribution centre will supply the entire United States with tyres produced in Latin America, and the eastern half of the United States with tyres from Japan and the wider Asia region.
Continue ReadingCooper Tire Appoints Corporate Communications Director
Cooper Tire has appointed Cathy Hissong its new director of corporate communications. In this position, Hissong will be responsible for employee communications, including oversight of employee publications and intranet communications, direction of various business projects and management of Cooper’s Visual Communications Center. Having joined Cooper in 1986 as a budget analyst, Hissong’s time with the Ohio, US based manufacturer has seen her employed in the roles of capital equipment buyer, regional credit manager and audit manager before training as a Six Sigma black belt, her most recent position.
Continue ReadingYokohama Rubber Lowers Annual Projections a Second Time
Projected sales and earnings for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009 will be lower than previously announced, Yokohama Rubber has stated. Company management now projects consolidated net sales of 520.0 billion yen (£3.7 billion), down 5.7 per cent from the previous fiscal year; consolidated operating income of 11.5 billion yen (£82.1 million), down 65.3 per cent; and a consolidated net loss of 8.0 billion yen (£57.1 million), down from a consolidated net profit of 21.1 billion yen in the previous fiscal year. The revised projection for net sales is 0.6 per cent lower than the projection Yokohama announced on January 21; the projection for operating income 17.9 per cent lower; and the projected net loss is 1.0 billion yen (£7.1 million) larger.
Continue ReadingKumho Opens First Vietnam ‘Tire Pro’ Centre
On March 12, Kumho Tires announced the planned launch of its specialist ‘Tire Pro’ retail store in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, a country the South Korean manufacturer identifies as one that is “emerging as a promising market.” The Vietnam launch of Tire Pro follows the opening of branches in Korea and China. Kumho has already opened tyre manufacturing and rubber processing plants in Vietnam, and the company says it now plans to launch Tire Pro branches in Vietnam and accelerate its efforts to penetrate the Southeast Asian market, in order to strengthen and expand its distribution channels in local markets.
Continue ReadingMichelin Releases Main Cities of Europe Guide
The Michelin guide Main Cities of Europe 2009 went on sale on Wednesday 18 March, priced at £14.99 (€19.99 in Ireland). This 28th edition covers 43 cities in 20 countries, of which two are included for the first time (Florence and Turin). The English language guide Main Cities of Europe 2009 targets business travellers and tourists visiting major European cities who want to be able to easily find the right place to dine or spend the night, perhaps a hotel near the convention centre, or a quiet restaurant where they can invite a customer to lunch.
Continue Reading10% of UK Motorists Driving on Illegal Tyres – Conti Survey
According to a survey conducted by Continental, more than 3.5 million UK motorists are driving on illegal tyres. The survey of 4,000 drivers showed one in ten to have tyres below the legal 1.6mm minimum tread depth – and 70 per cent of drivers are unaware that 1.6mm is indeed the minimum depth permitted. Two thirds of women, the Conti survey noted, rely upon their partner to check the safety of their vehicle’s tyres. This probably isn’t a sterling idea, given that four out of ten motorists never actually check their tyre pressure and a third can’t actually change a wheel.
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