Relief from pothole damage – Michelin and Maxion Wheels unveil their flexible wheel solution
Michelin believes it has helped reinvent the wheel. At the IAA motor show in Frankfurt, Germany, the tyre maker is presenting a new solution together with Maxion Wheels, a product the two companies believe will help eliminate road-based damage to tyres and rims.
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Goodyear puts US$77 million into new automated Luxembourg factory
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced plans to build a new highly automated facility in Luxembourg. The company is investing $77 million in the facility, which will produce approximately 500,000 tyres annually and create approximately 70 new, full-time positions.
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Finally, a tyre for the Hello Kitty fan…
Kawaii!! Next summer, Japanese consumers will – should they wish – be able to buy Hello Kitty tyres for their cars. This too cute for words opportunity comes thanks to a collaboration between Sanrio and Nexen Tire Japan. The tyres will feature the Hello Kitty logo and name on the sidewall – in pink. A tyre featuring Cinnamoroll, a long-eared white flying puppy whose tail resembles a cinnamon roll, will also be available and will presumably by met by an eager market.
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Michelin takes global social media double
In something of a coup for the French manufacturer, Michelin has regained both the global and UK crowns in Tyres & Accessories’ annual report on social media influence. Meanwhile, India’s largest tyremaker, MRF Tyres, will have surprised many by rising six places into third place on the global table.
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Emissions inspections push Chinese tyremakers to the brink
With a headline like that, you could be forgiven for thinking that this month’s column refers to the ongoing geopolitical sabre rattling taking place between China’s North Korean neighbours and the USA. However, as important as the hint of nuclear escalation is, here we focus on how the overheating Chinese tyre market is as close as it has ever been to boiling over. Two key subjects have raised the temperature in the People’s Republic during the last month or so: The European Commission’s (EC) decision to initiate an anti-dumping investigation against Chinese-produced truck and bus tyres; and the even more imminent effects of local environmental emissions investigations within China itself, which have led to the suspension and even closure of numerous businesses in the country (see below).
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Autogem completes £6 million relocation
It has been a busy year for Autogem. First managing director Prashant Chopra was named chairman of the NTDA. Then the company launched its innovative groove glove laser tyre tread scanning system at AutoMechanika in Birmingham. Shortly afterwards, the company relocated to new modern premises in Wembley, north London. Tyres & Accessories caught up with Prashant Chopra at the new headquarters and found out more.
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Bridgestone to benefit from £500 million Aston Martin UK-Japan trade deal
Aston Martin Lagonda has agreed a trade and investment deal between the United Kingdom and Japan worth up to £500 million over the next five years of its second century business plan. The investment program was announced by Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin president and chief executive officer, during his visit to Japan as part of the UK delegation accompanying British Prime Minister Theresa May.
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Davanti DX390 receives TÜV SÜD certification
Davanti Tyres has been awarded TÜV SÜD accreditation for its DX390 high performance car tyre. The company states that the accolade helps to set Davanti aside as a trusted brand, reinforcing its commitment to safety, reliability, and durability. The DX390 was tested against several mid-range competitors; in gaining the TÜV seal the tyre’s weighted outcome outperformed all tested rivals in most safety-relevant criteria, like wet and dry braking. Davanti added that its close cooperation with the testing organisation during the testing process has also led to significant improvements in quality and performance.
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‘Hybrid’ rubber offers hope of self-healing tyres
The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) encourages us to “imagine a tyre that could heal after being punctured,” and a team from the school has done more than just imagine – according to SEAS, its researchers have “developed a new type of rubber that is as tough as natural rubber but can also self-heal.”
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Obituary: Alexander Bahlmann
Continental has reported the untimely death of Alexander Bahlmann, who headed communications and public relations for passenger car and light truck tyres within the company’s Tire division. Bahlmann died suddenly last Friday, aged just 46.
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CITExpo 2017 opens in Shanghai
The 15th edition of the China International Tire Expo has opened at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center. Exhibitors at the show comprise a mix of growing tyre manufacturers from the Chinese market, international trading companies, wheel suppliers and others, while. In addition to Chinese industry players, Europe is represented by UK distributor Oak Tyres’ Davanti tyre brand, FM Tyres from the Netherlands, and Italian distributor Franco Gomme, while Singapore’s Stamford Tyres and Taiwan’s Nankang add to the international exhibitor base. The internationalism of the show is also reflected in the visitors arriving today from five continents.
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Bridgestone truck tyre sales continue to grow despite tough market conditions
By all accounts the UK commercial vehicle tyre market remains a tough environment. low cost oversupply has been rife for years. In addition, a number of heavyweight players are using premium products and smart integrated service offers to compete for the largest truck and bus fleets. With this competitive context in mind, Tyres & Accessories spoke with Bridgestone North Europe region commercial sales director Greg Ward and found out more about how the company continues to grow.
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Apollo Tyres aiming for 20/80 OEM-replacement mix in Europe
Following the start of production at its Gyöngyöshalász plant in Hungary last quarter, Apollo Tyres is on its way to almost doubling European passenger car tyre production capacity over the coming year and a half. Speaking with analysts and investors last week after the release of Apollo’s FY2018 financial results, chief financial officer Gaurav Kumar confirmed that the facility in Hungary is expected to reach a daily capacity of 16,000 car tyres by the second half of FY2019 – in other words, sometime between September next year and the end of March 2019. This will give Apollo Tyres a total daily capacity of up to 35,000 passenger car tyres at its two European plants – and more than a third of output in Gyöngyöshalász may be earmarked for OEM customers.
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‘Shared’ tyre test gives ContiRoadAttack 3 a second win
Magazine titles belonging to the same publishing group streamline costs by sharing tyre testing resources, and as a result often draw similar conclusions. This was the case for the motorcycle tyre tests published by German magazines Motorrad and PS. Both Motorrad’s May 2017 evaluation of six touring tyre brands and the test of these products appearing in the September issue of PS magazine name the same brand as winner. Continental is therefore celebrating a “second test victory in just three months” for its ContiRoadAttack 3.
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