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Inauguration ceremony held for Apollo Chennai plant

On February 10, about a year the first tyre emerged from the curing presses at Apollo Tyres’ new Chennai factory, company management, board members and government ministers assembled at the plant to celebrate its official inauguration. Present to mark the occasion were company chairman Onkar S Kanwar, vice chairman and managing director Neeraj Kanwar plus members of the Board of directors and CEOs from Apollo’s operations in India, Europe and South Africa, along with Tamil Nadu state government representatives including labour minister T N Anbarasan and principal secretary of Industries Rajeev Ranjan.

11th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Kramer praises loss-making Goodyear for ‘improvement across all businesses’

Although Goodyear Tire & Rubber recorded a net loss for the third consecutive year, company chairman and CEO Richard J. Kramer states he’s “very pleased” with the tyre maker’s fourth quarter and full year 2010 performance. “Our operating results reflect significant recovery, with improvement across all of our businesses versus last year despite escalating raw material costs,” Kramer commented.

10th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Matador sells share in Addis Tyre

Ethiopia based newspaper Addis Fortune reports the sale of a majority share in the country’s sole tyre maker, Addis Tyre SC. According to “reliable sources” that spoke to the English language weekly, Matador AS has sold its 69 per cent share in Addis Tyre to Horizon Plantations Ethiopia Plc. This purchase comes more than two years after a Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition was signed – Addis Fortune notes that the share transfer was put on hold as the Ethiopian government owns the remaining 31 per cent of shares and therefore the country’s Privatisation and Public Enterprises Supervising Agency had right of first refusal on Addis Tyre.

8th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bailey, Völmicke join new Goodyear Dunlop communications team

Goodyear Dunlop’s James Bailey is joining a new Brussels based team headed up by the company’s EMEA communications director Tom Delforge after accepting a promotion to the newly-formed role of director, brand PR for the company’s Europe, the Middle East and Africa region. In his new position, Bailey will promote the Goodyear and Dunlop brands throughout the various EMEA markets; his brand-focused position complements that of fellow team member Jens Völmicke, previously brand and product PR manager at Goodyear Dunlop Europe. In the new role of EMEA region Corporate Communications director Völmicke will be involved with communications involving Goodyear Dunlop as a company, covering a range of subject areas including corporate responsibility and sustainability.

31st January 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Becomes Kwik-Fit “House Brand” in The Netherlands

Apollo Tyres has announced a deal with Kwik-Fit to sell its tyres throughout the fast-fitter’s 180 car service centres across The Netherlands. Apollo’s entire summer and winter range of passenger car and 4×4 tyres will be available from Kwik-Fit. Martin Post, general director at Kwik-Fit, said, “Apollo is a trendy brand that suits the character of Kwik-Fit. We very much look forward to offering our customers quality tyres from Apollo.”

26th January 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Titan Takes Over Goodyear’s Europe, Latin America Agri Businesses

The European and Latin American agricultural tyre businesses run by Goodyear Tire & Rubber have a new owner following their sale to Titan Tire Corporation. On December 13 the Titan International subsidiary announced its acquisition of the businesses, including a licensing agreement permitting Titan to manufacture and sell Goodyear-brand farm tyres in Europe, Africa, Eastern Europe, Russia, Latin America and North America. The deal is valued at approximately US$130 million, subject to post-closing adjustments.

14th December 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Treadsetters Accelerates its Business

Since its establishment in 1999, Treadsetters' turnover has grown from £6 million to over £27.5 million. Having successfully operated a wholesale model based largely on selling exclusive tyre brands for a decade, the company is now developing its own brand of tyres under the name Torque with a view to expanding this success into a truly international scale. Tyres & Accessories met with Treadsetters managing director Tim Davies in mid November at the company's new, larger warehousing site in Telford to find out more about the strategy that is behind both the company's recent HSBC business thinking award nomination and its recent growth.

To say that Treadsetter's recent growth has been strong is something of an understatement. If the company hits its 2010 targets – and so far there is every indication that it will – the business will have experienced 750 per cent turnover growth and 1000 per cent enhancement in our profitability in the last 5 years. Bearing in mind the wider market conditions of recent years and the fact that the company has not only maintained but increased profits amidst rapid growing sales total, this really is something of an achievement.

6th December 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Suntrac Brand Makes its Debut, PCR Line to Follow

International News

One brand Tyres & Accessories met for the first time in Shanghai (at the recent Reifen China exhibition) was Suntrac, which is produced by Dubai-based Sun Global Fzco at partner factories in China and a joint venture in Sri Lanka. The company also produces Nison brand truck and bus tyres which, a brand that was established nearly six years ago.

Currently the business focuses on the manufacturing and international distribution of bias and radial light truck, truck and bus, and off-the-road tyres distributed globally under the Suntrac name. However executive director Nitesh Shewakramani told T&A that the company plans to launch a comprehensive range of PCR & SUV as well as solid and implement tyres by mid 2011. Product wise the company currently offers over 20 different truck fitments across 16 different tread patterns.

3rd December 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Allen Tsaur: 80% of Chinese Tyres Not Ready for Labelling

Despite tough external conditions Cooper Chengshan’s top line growth is said to be “progressing well” in 2010 and the firm’s “amazingly strong” domestic truck and bus tyre market growth in the first quarter of this year is a key highlight of this performance. Meanwhile the company’s passenger car tyres sales have reportedly continued on their “relatively consistent” recent trajectory. Looking forward, Cooper Asia general manager and Cooper Chengshan boss Allen Tsaur reports that the company is well prepared for the forthcoming 2012 tyre labelling legislation across all its brands.

From Cooper Chengshan’s perspective the new laws are a good thing that “drives us forward.” However, this is clearly not the case across the board in China, with Tsaur reporting that an estimated 80 per cent of tyre suppliers are not up to scratch when it comes to labelling legisaltion preparedness. Out of roughly 300 tyre manufacturers currently operating in China, only the top 30 are said to be of a “good quality” that is compatible with exports into the mature markets. Of these, only the top 10 (including Cooper Chengshan) are already set for the 2012 rules.

1st December 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Aiming for 'At Least' The Top 10

If you were playing a word association game with a tyre executive and said “emerging markets” the chances are they would say “China.” However, while China is top of the tree when it comes to tyre production in the so-called emerging markets – and indeed the world – the recent investments of global players (such as Bridgestone and Michelin) in India, coupled with the rapid growth of the market’s domestic producers should make you sit up and take notice of what is happening in the sub-continent.

While most of the world, perhaps excluding China, was languishing under the shadow of the recent recession, India’s economy is positively booming with gross domestic product (GDP) currently growing at between 8 and 9 per cent in a global economic scenario that sees some of the world’s so-called superpowers pleased to report growth of anything more than zero and avoid the dreaded double dip. What separates India from the only other economy in the world that operates on this scale (China), is the fact that it is simultaneously growing fast, home to roughly a billion people and is also as much consumer as much as an exporter. And what’s more the very words that Apollo Tyres chairman Onkar S Kanwar and vice-chairman Neeraj Kanwar both use to describe their own staff, can also be used to optimistically sum up the population – “young, dynamic and innovative.”

Tyres & Accessories recently travelled to India to learn more about arguably the most globalised – certainly the most Europeanised – Indian tyre manufacturer, Apollo Tyres. During our whistle-stop tour of the company’s executive, R&D and production operations across India, the company demonstrated that it is moving towards its goal of becoming a global player and entering the top 10 within the next five years at a rate of knots with the news that it has joined the list of globally approved suppliers to German car marque Volkswagen. Apollo also revealed how it recently launched giant OTR tyre production at its Limda factory, truck and car radial production at its modern Chennai Greenfield plant and gave details of the construction of a new R&T (research and technology) centre at the Chennai site.

22nd November 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Treadsetters Finalists in HSBC Business Thinking Competition

Telford-based tyre wholesale operation Treadsetters has beaten over 1600 other business to the finals of HSBC’s business thinking awards. The company, which earlier saw off strong competition to win its regional heat is now in line to win up to £5 million in lending and a financial reward of up to £100,000. Now, Treadsetters and just 17 other companies are vying for the title of overall winner of Business Thinking 2010 at the prestigious “International Insights” event in Hong Kong, which managing director Tim Davies is attending on 5 December.

16th November 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone’s “Duke” Returning to Japan

At the end of this year the chairman of the Bridgestone Americas (BSAM) Board of Directors, Asahiko “Duke” Nishiyama, is to return to Japan in order to commence a new assignment within Bridgestone Corporation. As of January 1, 2011, Nishiyama will be promoted to vice president and senior officer, responsible for International Tire Business Operations, Bridgestone Corporation (BSJ).

15th November 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Industry Association Votes Apollo SA ‘Manufacturer of the Year’

South Africa’s Tyre Dealer and Fitment Association (TDAFA) recently named Apollo Tyres South Africa its ‘Tyre Manufacturer of the Year’ at its annual gala dinner. The South African manufacturer of the Dunlop tyre brand received this distinction based upon its performance in a tri-annual TDAFA members’ survey in which manufacturers are nominated in five key criteria; product quality, customer service, stock rotation, availability and warranties.

12th November 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Empowerment Management: T&A talks to New Goodyear Dunlop UK MD

When Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe said it had appointed George Rietbergen as managing director UK and Ireland in March, the announcement meant the Dutchman would become the operation’s third managing director since 2004. During that time significant changes have taken place in the company’s UK and Eire operations including the separation of HiQ in a hard franchised passenger car only retail operation and a Truck Force network; the adoption of multi-brand and multi-company distribution strategy via outsourced third party logistics (namely Norbert Dentressangle) and a significant number and scope of personnel changes. Set against this backdrop you could be forgiven for expecting more upheaval, but as Tyres & Accessories recently found out in an exclusive interview with the new MD, he brings with him a refreshingly up-front Hollandic approach and an understated management style that puts the emphasis on the departmental heads and middle managers rather than “the man at the top.”

4th November 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear EMEA Sales Remain High, Q3 Operating Income Down on 2009

Goodyear’s Europe, Middle East and Africa third quarter sales increased 7 per cent from last year on top of a “strong price/mix performance” to $1.7 billion despite being hit by $0.1 billion in unfavourable forex translation, making them the highest since the third quarter of 2008. The company continues to post improved figures for the year to date, with sales up to $4.68 billion in the first nine months (from $4.24 billion in 2009), yielding an operating income of $259 million – way up on last year’s $41 million.

29th October 2010/by Tyrepress Editors