3.6 Million UK Drivers on Illegal Tyres
As many as 3.6 million UK motorists could be driving on illegal tyres, according to the latest research. Figures from the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) show that of nearly 60,000 cars checked in January 2009 by retail members, 7,000 were being driven on at least one illegal tyre. Extrapolated across the population, this could amount to 3.6 million cars in the UK whose owners are at risk of causing serious road accidents. The disturbing findings are reflected by another recent survey conducted by TyreSafe, revealing that nearly one in ten motorists expects to spend less on tyres in 2009 compared with last year. “When you consider that there are over 30 million cars on the UK’s roads, learning that one in ten motorists admits they plan to spend less on tyres shows an alarming lack of awareness among drivers towards their own road safety and the safety of the others,” TyreSafe chairman Rob Beddis commented. “Many tyre dealers have indeed reported that more drivers are letting their tyres run below the legal tread depth before they replace them as they feel the financial pinch. This is a worrying trend which sadly may result in more accidents and road deaths as a result of the loss of grip and longer stopping distances associated with illegal tyres.” The TyreSafe research reveals that motorists in London are most likely to decrease their spending on tyres in 2009 with one in ten drivers expecting to spend less, while drivers in the East Midlands have the most responsible attitude towards replacing tyres, with less than 3 per cent expecting to spend less on tyres over the coming year.
Continue ReadingKumho Renews Supply Commitment to Formula 3 Euro Series
Kumho Tires’ role as official tyre supplier to the Formula 3 Euro Series has been extended to 2011. The renewed contract was signed on February 18 at a meeting between the head of the series’ organising committee, Walter Mertes, and H.S. Lee, president of Kumho Tire Europe GmbH, at Kumho’s European headquarters in Offenbach, Germany. The F3 Euro Series was founded in 2003 by the organisers of the French and German championships. A full grid of 32 cars, the largest number since the series began, will contest the 20-race 2009 series between May and October, with rounds in the UK, Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands.
Continue ReadingClassic Dunlop Aquajet Range Gains New 13-inch Size
Hampshire based Vintage Tyre Supplies has confirmed that, after an absence of more than a decade, the Dunlop Aquajet in 165R13 size – original equipment on many cars in the late 60s and 70s, including Lotus and Ford models – is once more available. The addition of the H speed rated tyre, which is both E-marked and DOT approved, brings the size of the current Aquajet range to six tyres, ranging from 10 to 15-inch rim diameter.
Continue ReadingIndian Tyremakers Pass On Excise Duty Cut
A number of Indian manufacturers have lowered domestic market prices following a lowering of the excise duty charged upon tyres. The Indian government announced on February 24 it would reduce the excise on a range of consumer products from ten per cent to eight per cent in order to stimulate demand and boost the economy. Apollo Tyres is passing on the benefit of the lower excise duty as of February 25, 2009 on all its replacement market commercial radial and cross ply tyres. “We should all support this proactive move by the government, which will boost the manufacturing as well as other sectors,” said Onkar S Kanwar, Apollo Tyres Ltd chairman and managing director. “We, on our part, will be passing on this reduction to our customers.”
Continue ReadingGlobal Tyre Demand Down 35% in January
Global tyre demand fell by approximately 35 per cent in January, according to manufacturer data. The figures, supplied to Deutsche Bank by Michelin, show the huge fall was prompted by a 50 per cent drop in OE demand, but could also be seen in a 20 per cent drop in replacement sales. Deutsche Bank analysts pointed out that the figures are the worst for 30 years, compared to a -3.5 per cent fall in 1991 and a 16 per cent drop in the fourth quarter of 2008. The analyst put the falls down to people driving roughly 5 per cent less; postponing their tyre purchases; and dealers reducing their inventories. Michelin sales volumes are expected to be approximately 15 per cent lower than 2008 in the first quarter of 2009, according to Deutsche Bank. The marked collapse in demand is said to be reflected across both the truck tyre and passenger car tyre segments and in both Europe and North America. Only China attained single digit growth.
Continue ReadingLockout Continues at Apollo Outsourced Factory Despite Talks
A fresh round of talks over the ongoing lockout at the Apollo Tyres outsourced PTL Enterprise factory in Kalamassery India was held on February 24, yet the deadlock between company management and union representatives continues. Apollo reports that a resolution has been reached for ten out of the twelve issues at hand, however the two opposing parties cannot – or will not – see eye to eye on the remaining two.
Continue ReadingCooper to Issue Quarterly Dividend
Cooper has announced that it will once again be issuing its shareholders with a quarterly dividend of 10.5 cents. This will be the 148th consecutive quarter in which the company will be making this openhanded display to its shareholders. Considering current market conditions the continuation of the 10.5 cents payment – a figure first reported on Tyrepress.com in June 2002 – shows Cooper’s determination to project an image of business proceeding as normal throughout the downturn. The dividend will become payable on common stock at close of business on 31 March, 2009, while stockholders of record will receive their payment at stumps on 9 March.
Continue ReadingEast Europe Plans Affected by Apollo Capex Reduction
According to Apollo Tyres vice-chairman and joint managing director Neeraj Kanwar, the company has reduced its capital expenditure plans for the next two years from Rs 30 billion (£414 million) to Rs10.5 billion (£145 million) due to the global economic slowdown. Part of this reduction involves placing the company’s Eastern Europe capex plans on hold. In a February 25 interview on Indian business television channel NDTV profit, which was later reported by Reuters, Kanwar said Our capex has come down from 3,000 crores (30 billion rupees) that we were planning to spend in the next 2 years to 1,050 crores (10.5 billion rupees) which we were planning to spend in India.
Continue ReadingGreater Latitude
For Michelin’s 4x4 tyre segment, 2009 has got off to a flying start with the introduction of an all-new line-up. Named the Latitude Cross, the new tyre was officially unveiled on February 1 and is already available for UK customers. This latest addition to Michelin’s 4x4 range, a line-up that has been given a complete going over in the last two years, has been designed for the numerous 4x4 drivers who use their vehicle predominantly on the road, but nevertheless wish to take advantage – even if only occasionally – of the off-road capabilities offered by a 4x4.
Continue ReadingCompound Interest
Road transport dominates Europe’s haulage business, with over 80 per cent of total freight in the region shipped by this means. The story is much the same in North America and in most world markets, and the pressure to remain competitive is high. Opportunities to reduce operating costs without compromising the standard of service are limited, and fuel economy is viewed as one of only a few factors that can be positively manipulated. Indeed, the September 2008 PricewaterhouseCoopers report “The Truck Industry’s Green Challenge: headwind or competitive edge?” identified fuel economy as the road transportation industry’s number one purchasing criteria. Yet an innovation widely embraced by manufacturers of passenger car tyres, the use of silica in the compound to facilitate lower rolling resistance, has remained beyond the commercial sector’s reach – until now. In November 2008, two established providers of solutions for the tyre industry, Rhodia and Dow Corning, announced the formation of an alliance to address this problem. The result of their joint work is already on the road.
Continue ReadingNokian Further Expands Forest Rider Range
The Nokian Forest Rider product family has been expanded with new sizes intended for large and heavy tractors. These further additions to the Forest Rider range are designed, says Nokian, for demanding and highly challenging usage conditions such as the harvesting of energy wood and building & maintaining forest roads. Suitable for tractors ranging from 200 to 500 horsepower, the new products fill a gap in the Finnish manufacturer’s existing line-up.
Continue ReadingSchaeffler Willing to Sell Up to Save Company
Schaeffler Group’s billionaire owners (Maria-Elisabeth and son Georg Schaeffler) are reportedly willing to sell a significant amount of the family owned company in order to avoid a break-up of the automotive supplier. Initial reports in Thomson’s Merger News suggested Schaeffler’s owners were prepared to sell up to 75 per cent of the group in order to hold onto an anchor investment and prevent a break-up of the company. However, six hours later, Forbes quoted Detlef Sieverdingbeck, the firm’s spokesman, as saying that there is “no bottom or top limit.” The latest developments are being seen as a further concession designed to convince the German government to give Schaeffler emergency support. 24 hours earlier Schaeffler’s owners signed a co-determination pact with the union that represents workers at both the Schaeffler Group and Continental AG businesses. Analysts observed that Schaeffler’s willingness to sell its stock and cosy up to the unions shows just how precarious the situation is for both the Schaeffler Group and Continental AG. During the day’s trading Forbes reported that Continental had plummeted 21 per cent to 10.11 euros, the stock’s sharpest fall for 16 years.
Continue ReadingTurkish Tyre Factories Pause Production
Two of the largest tyre manufacturing plants in Turkey paused production for a week following reduced OE demand. The Brisa (Bridgestone/Sabanci) plant which produces Lassa branded tyres initiated a week-long production break in order to “realign production” company representatives told Tyres & Accessories. Turkish Pirelli Tyres Corporation also halted production at its factory in the north-western province of Kocaeli, according to the Hurriyet newspaper. Around 2,200 workers are employed at the two plants, 1,072 of which work for Brisa and will remain on the pay roll, Turkish Tyre-Labor Union representative Huseyin Cakar told Hurriyet.
Continue ReadingStrength & Comfort the Goal of Goodyear’s Latest Wrangler
New from Goodyear in 2009 is the Wrangler AT/SA, a tyre for 4x4 drivers seeking mobility both on and off the road. The Wrangler AT/SA has been released onto the market following extensive testing on the company’s on and off-road test facilities – tests that Goodyear says show the new tyre to outperform its major competitors and its predecessor in both wet braking and wet handling tests. Durability on rough surfaces comes courtesy of a generous serving of Kevlar. Two layers of the five-times stronger than steel material are built into the tyre in addition to the its two high-tensile steel belts; the main benefit the layers offer, says Goodyear, is improved resistance to punctures in the tread – however Kevlar layers also act as a sound barrier, absorbing noise for an especially quiet ride. This combination of strength and silence is part of what the manufacturer calls its ‘SilentArmor Technology’, a proprietary innovation first introduced on Goodyear 4x4 some four years ago.
Continue ReadingSacramento Samurai Strikes
Tyres fitted to cars parked in the street in the town of Lincoln, California (to the north east of Sacramento) were sleeping a little easier this weekend, after a large sword that was used to slash city vehicles’ rubber was recovered by the police Friday (21 February). It was reported that a 19 year-old woman named Ashley Belisle was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism through swordplay and was taken to Placer County Jail in Auburn, though was released later. Posters on the Sacramento Bee’s crime blog, however, were ready to leap to conclusions. Blogger Soylent_Green_is_now heaped the blame on cultural influences, suggesting “one too many anime conventions” as the inspiration for the wave of destruction; meanwhile Briencook took a more reasoned approach, stating, “What a bizarre (and costly) crime spree. She must be dealing with some mental problems. If not, Big-O is hiring.” However, the frustration of finding your tyres ripped by a rapier was possibly best surmised by lovemycity916, who simply declared, “fu**in ninjas.”
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