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Bridgestone a GM ‘Supplier of the Year’

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.

24th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Al Saeedi appointed Rader Vogel distributor in Middle Eastern countries

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.

22nd March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin hosts Zambian driver-trainers at tyre safety awareness course

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.

21st March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

SEC filing sheds light on Goodyear exec compensation

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.

9th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Fulda launches SportControl UHP summer tyre

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.

4th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Q4 2010 better than expected for Titan

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.

25th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Proctor & Gamble's Geissler elected to Goodyear Board of Directors

Goodyear has announced the election of Werner Geissler, vice chairman of global operations for The Procter & Gamble Company, to the company’s Board of Directors as an independent director. “Werner brings to our Board of Directors more than three decades of valuable experience in brand and business leadership,” said Richard J. Kramer, chairman and chief executive officer. “His consumer marketing expertise, along with his international insights, will be an asset as we continue to carry out our global strategy in 2011 and beyond.”

22nd February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

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