Africa
Triangle Group, one of the largest tyre makers in China and arguably the largest producer of radial OTR tyres in the country, is celebrating winning a SQEP platinum supplier award from well-known off-road vehicle manufacturer Caterpillar.
With more than 13 million tyres being imported annually and a market that is set to grow by 12 per cent each year (according to the US commercial service), Saudi Arabia is the largest market for tyres and tubes in the Middle East region. This growth, fuelled by an ecomomy riding on high oil prices, high disposable incomes and an appetite for all things automobile, means that the Kingdom is firmly in the sights of tyre and tube manufacturers worldwide.
James Bailey, who was appointed director, brand PR in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region for Goodyear Dunlop at the beginning of the year, has appeared on BBC Television’s The One Show, explaining to segment presenter Carol Vorderman the importance of correct tyre pressure, tread patterns and tread depth for driving in the wet. Bailey took the opportunity to talk about the tyre label – with a close-up of the label itself – showing it to around 4 million teatime viewers of the magazine show. The 14 April edition of the show can be accessed by UK internet users via the Corporation's iPlayer website for the next week.
New prices for Pirelli products come into effect on June 1; the Italian tyre maker is increasing prices in all EMEA region markets for passenger car, motorcycle, scooter, light industrial and heavy industrial tyres. The increases will be up to six per cent for summer tyres and up to 12 per cent for winter tyres in Europe, and up to ten per cent for all tyres in the Middle East and Africa. Pirelli says the price adjustment is a consequence of the rising cost of key raw materials, in particular natural rubber and oil.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, the 260,000 member union that represents tyre and metal industry workers, states it will engage in collective bargaining with employers this year to gain a number of benefits for its members, including a 20 per cent across the board wage increase. Other benefits it seeks include agreement contracts with a minimum one-year’s duration and a ban on labour brokers.
Exports of minerals and agricultural products are significantly growing in Morocco due to free trade agreements the North African country operates with the European Union and United States. On top of this, Morocco is actively establishing additional infrastructure along the Mediterranean Sea coast in the hope of becoming a major hub for the distribution of goods in and out of North Africa. For this reason, Bridgestone Middle East & Africa FZE (BSMEA) sees Morocco as a key region in which rapid economic expansion can be anticipated and has established a new tyre sales company based in Casablanca. The name of the new company is Bridgestone Tire Sales Morocco SARLAU (BTSM). Through the company, which began operation on April 1, BSMEA intends to further strengthen its business in Morocco's “highly promising” market by “increasing its ability to offer high quality products and services to the region.”
A lockout is reported to have begun at two Bridgestone factories in South Africa on March 22. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) states the lockout at the Brits and Port Elizabeth plants was instigated “in response to wage increases achieved by workers in September 2010” – and the union refers to the lockout as “a declaration of war.”
With a history going back 45 years and more than 7,500 machines in operation around the world, the Italmatic Group is today one of the leading retreading equipment and accessory providers. These days the Milan based machinery manufacturer offers a comprehensive portfolio of products, from passenger car tyres up to and including complete production facilities, for use in the retreading of various types of tyres. “We are probably the only or at least one of a handful of companies able to deliver everything from accessories for bicycle tyres through to facilities for the retreading of 63-inch OTR tyres,” Italmatic vice-president Massimo Ghitturi comments to Tyres & Accessories. Italmatic can also offer its customers turnkey retreading facilities, from the preparation of a layout to installation and startup technical support.
Bridgestone and Kwik-Fit Fleet have responded positively to the Government’s decision not to increase fuel duty. Commenting yesterday on the reversal of the planned hike announced in the Budget, Bridgestone UK communications manager Andrew Dingley said “today’s announcement that the planned increase in fuel duty has been dropped is welcome news for motorists at a time of austerity. The 1p a litre, plus inflation, fuel duty escalator, which was due to take effect on April 1st, would have added as much as 5p a litre at the pumps. Intervening now to block a further fuel price increase is a sensible move and will go some way to easing the strain on motorists and businesses that rely on transportation.
Every year for the almost two decades General Motors has acknowledged its best global automotive suppliers at its Supplier of the Year awards. These awards recognise superior performance in four key areas, namely innovative quality, superior quality, outstanding launch support and competitive total enterprise cost. On twelve prior occasions Bridgestone Corporation has been bestowed an award, and at the 19th annual awards ceremony on March 10 thirteen proved to be a lucky number for the tyre maker – Takashi Urano, vice president and senior officer of Bridgestone Corporation, accepted the tyre maker’s thirteenth award on behalf of the company.
The Al Saeedi Group in the United Arab Emirates has announced that it has been appointed as the distributor of Rader Vogel wheel and wheel-related products in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and its home country of the UAE. Based in Hamburg, Germany Rader Vogel is one of the leading manufacturers of Vulkollan wheels and castors in the world. The company manufactures a wide range of industrial wheels to suit various applications.
Michelin made a contribution to the Transaid Professional Driver Training project in sub-Saharan Africa, where road accidents are the third highest cause of premature death after HIV/AIDS and malaria, by hosting a training session on 17 March for two Zambian commercial vehicle driving instructors at its UK headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent. The tyre manufacturer’s Sales Process and Training manager Richard Whitehurst oversaw the full-day tyre safety workshop with the instructors, who are employees of the Industrial Training Centre (ITC) in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.
A Securities and Exchange Commission filing submitted by Goodyear Tire & Rubber reveals the tyre maker’s top executives received considerable compensation increases last year, despite the company posting another annual loss.
Fulda has launched its new ultra-high performance summer tyre, the SportControl. Designed for “sporty driving”, in the brand’s words, the tyre features “progressive humps throughout the width of the tread, which help to optimise stiffness and force distribution from tyre to road.” The tyre has a full silica tread compound and new “Aqua Flow” tread grooves provide enhanced grip and shorter braking distances in wet conditions. The tyre also has a low weight carcass to reduce rolling resistance.
Titan International returned to the black last year after recording a year-end net income of US$0.4 million, boosted by a final quarter that was, as described by company chairman and CEO Maurice M. Taylor Jr., “better than what we thought it was going to be.” In 2009 the United States based off-road tyre maker experienced a net loss of $24.6 million. Net income in this ‘better than expected’ fourth quarter amounted to $0.7 million; a year earlier Titan International made a loss of $30.7 million in the final quarter. Titan reached its annual net result on the back of sales of $881.6 million, a year-on-year increase of 21.1 per cent, and operational income of $40.9 million. Fourth quarter 2010 sales were $232.7 million, up 58.8 per cent year-on-year, while the quarter’s gross margin was up from a loss of $0.8 in 2009 to $26.0 million last year.
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