Africa
This category reminds us that it is not all about round, black, rubbery objects; tyre shops need the consumables, tools and machinery to demount, repair, balance and align wheels and tyres. Three of last year's nominees have made it again – Apaseal, Auto4 and Rema Tip Top – and are joined by Harvie Tyres and Pro-Align, who won last year's Innovation Award.
It seems logical that the bigger companies have more money to spend on advertising and indeed, four of the finalists are from the top six tyre manufacturers. They are joined this year by a new name – Maxxis International – who have been very active on the marketing front. Without any further ado, here are the nominations:
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Wednesday 6 October is the date when the winners of 2010 Tyre and Fast-Fit (TAFF) Awards – the sixth year of the awards – will be revealed at the NTDA's Annual Dinner. But there's a long way to go before then, as the list of nominated companies has only recently been published, with voting forms appearing in last month's and this issue of Tyres & Accessories. Once again, we are the media partner for the TAFF Awards and are sponsoring the "Industry Advertising Campaign" category.
As in previous years, customers are invited to choose a company from each of five short lists in the following categories: Tyre Manufacturer of the Year, Wholesaler of the Year, Industry Advertising Campaign, Tyre & Aftermarket Equipment Supplier of the Year and the Environmental category. Look out for articles detailing each of the categories in our e-Newsletter over the next few days and a complete run-down of the nominations in the August issue of the magazine. First off – Tyre Manufacturer of the Year.
The 2009-10 financial year was, for Apollo Tyres, a year in which the company “walked new geographies, met different people, mingled with various cultures, learnt new lessons, and have been amply rewarded for our keenness to explore newer pastures and challenges.” These words from company chairman Onkar S Kanwar describe a period of massive change for the tyre maker, a time of transition that has seen Apollo emerge as an entity operating on a global level.
Avon Tyres’ Storm 2 Ultra sports-touring tyre has received praise from a round-the-world adventure and one of Britain’s leading motorcycle magazines. Mick Høy from Denmark is in the middle of a round-the-world adventure on his 1996 Honda VFR750 and he has good reason to appreciate the qualities of the new-for-2010 Storm 2 Ultra. “Back home in Denmark I can get around 10-12,000km (6210 – 7452 miles) from one rear tyre,” he comments. “During my travels through Africa from Spain I did 19,827km (12,312 miles) on one rear Storm 2 Ultra – crazy, but true! And the VFR weighs 450 kilos when fully loaded.
According to Nairobi based news portal The East African, the nation of Tanzania is “struggling” to end the multi-billion dollar General Tyres East Africa (GTEA) partnership brokered with Continental AG in the mid-1990s. The East African states that Continental, 38 per cent shareholder in the venture, has been “feuding with the state” since 2006. The GTEA facility in northern Tanzania has been closed since 2007, with 400 workers locked out.
MAI International has appointed Gianluca De Rosa as head of finance, effective 1 July 2010. In his new position, De Rosa will be responsible for all financial matters within the MAI Group. De Rosa (43) gained a degree in Economics, with honours, from the University of Verona and has subsequently held a number of senior financial positions in various business sectors, including a multinational food importer/exporter, a real estate business and as a chartered accountant. Said Ian Thomas, MAI Group CEO: "We are delighted to welcome Gianluca De Rosa to our senior management team and he brings a wealth of experience in his specialist field."
Following its appearance at Reifen 2010 in Essen and, just four weeks later, Italian radial OTR tyre manufacturer MAI International took part in the Latin American & Caribbean Tyre Expo, held on the other side of the world in Panama City. MAI Group CEO Ian Thomas declared the event "a great success", saying: "It was a terrific show for us and proved an ideal showcase for our MAXAM range of OTR tyres."
He went on: "This is the first time we have exhibited at a show in this region and, not only was there a lot of interest shown in our products, but we did some very good business and took a number of firm orders for tyres."
Belarusian media reports that tyre maker Belshina has signed a contract with VMI Holland for the supply of equipment to be used in the construction of giant tyres. Some 33.5 million euros has apparently already been invested for the production of mining tyres, and the company is intends to produce 21.00R35, 27.00R35, 33.00R51, 36.00R57 tyres for CIS and international customers.
Singapore-based brand Sumo Firenza enjoyed strong interest in its expanding portfolio of products from visitors from around the world. PCR, UHP and truck tyre specialists, Sumo Firenza presented an extensive display of patterns covering all three market sectors with centre stage being taken by the all new STO 5A ultra high performance range, which the company says is specifically developed and manufactured for the UK and European markets.
While most of the rainbow nation was preparing to welcome people from far and wide to the first World Cup on African turf, the country’s legal eagles were deliberating over whether or not to kick certain Chinese tyres out of the country with an anti-dumping investigation. On 4 June 2010 the South African press reported that the High Court of Pretoria’s Judge Willie Hartzenberg set aside an earlier ruling made in 2007 by the Trade and Industry Ministry (Itac), to terminate anti-dumping probes against Chinese tyre exporters. He further ordered that (Itac) complete an anti-dumping investigation within four months. The judgement was duly lauded as bringing "fair competition" to the tyre manufacturing industry by those who brought the case, namely Bridgestone South Africa, Continental Tyre South Africa, Dunlop Tyres International and Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Holdings through their representative body South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference.
Whether or not the Chinese tyre imports in question can accurately be described as dumping – and it would be prudent to let the courts decide that – the ruling is another sign that products manufactured in the People’s Republic are not the quick and easy sell they once were. As far as tyres are concerned, the combination of increasing natural rubber, oil and steel input prices, combined with an unstable shipping cost context and added to the increasingly inhospitable international trade climate mean the latest decision in South Africa may force some Chinese factories to rethink either the delivery strategy or destinations of their tyres.
At the recent Reifen tyre show in Essen, Italian company MAI International showed examples of its Maxam range of all-steel radial OTR tyres, designed to cope with the requirements of vehicles working in today's construction, mining and civil engineering industries. And all this comes with the backing of a five-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
The range of tyres consists of a variety of sizes and tread patterns to suit different applications. For example, the MSV01 is designed primarily for on- and off-road use and its construction means minimal road noise and reduced vibration for enhanced operator comfort. The MS201 features an off-road directional tread design and it is said to offer low noise and reduced vibration too. For more demanding and winter/snow applications, the Maxam MS202 SnowXtra tyre is available in 24 and 25-inch rim sizes, suitable for loaders and articulated dumpers. The self-cleaning tread provides excellent winter traction and the cut-resistant compound prolongs service life.
Between establishing a new factory in India and acquiring assets from GPX in North America, the Alliance Tire Group (ATG) has been busy in the last couple of years. And in terms of new products, this momentum is continuing. At the Reifen 2010 show Tyres & Accessories learned the company originally intended to bring along all the new tyres it’d released in the previous four months. “But then we realised there’d would have been no space on our stand for anything but tyres,” said an Alliance representative. “Our range is growing very fast.”
Evonik has announced that it will close its Botlek, Netherlands carbon black plant on 31 July 2010 as part of a production “realignment” programme. Plans are said to be in place for the site to continue as a supplier of energy to businesses located in the vicinity for the news few years. "While the Botlek facility has always excelled in quality and efficiency, the market has moved away from Northwest Europe. Botlek’s great performance is, unfortunately, not enough to overcome the logistical disadvantage", said Jack Clem, Evonik’s head of Carbon Black.
According to the company, the guiding principle behind the realignment of Evonik's European carbon black production capacities is “closer to the customer.” Their view is that, with the carbon black market in Western Europe is increasingly shifting towards Central Europe and that the main drivers of this change are the major tyre manufacturers and producers of mechanical rubber goods.
The Infinity brand was presented as part of a 240sqm island stand (shared with its manufacturer Shandong Linglong) situated within Hall 3, a fair indication of the global ambitions explained in previous articles (“Infinity Aims to 'Go Deep' with Fast Growing 'Premium Budget' Strategy” on tyrepress.com), since this was where many of the world’s largest manufacturers also placed their stands.
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