Africa
Third quarter sales grew 24 per cent year on year at Hankook Tire, the company’s latest figures reveal. However, as has been the case with so many companies in this second half of 2008, increased sales have not translated into a better bottom line.
Despite making a significant operating loss of $19 million in the North American market – as reported on Tyrepress.com on 3 November – Goodyear has carded record sales in 2008’s third quarter, up 2 per cent to $5.2 billion. In addition, the company states that its revenue per tyre is up 8 per cent over Q3 2007 excluding the impact of foreign currency translation, a gain that reflects worldwide gains in pricing and product mix generated by the company’s strategy to focus on high-value-added tyres.
Chairman and CEO Robert J. Keegan said that the company’s “solid third quarter concludes a strong nine months of performance, reflecting the successful execution of our business strategies and continued strength in our international businesses.”
Dunlop commissioned a specially designed helmet for Marco Simoncelli to celebrate the company’s 200th consecutive victory in MotoGP 250cc. It was Simoncelli whose victory marked the milestone, to add to his 2008 series victory. The presentation was made by Raoul Smits, European sales and marketing manager, Dunlop Motorcycle Tires, at a press party hosted by Dunlop at the final MotoGP of the season in Valencia on 26 October. While Dunlop is currently the sole tyre supplier to the 250cc series, company representatives say they would welcome competition, though breaking the manufacturer’s winning streak would take some doing.
“We celebrate not only 200 consecutive victories, but also our 16th consecutive World Championship title in 250cc GP,” he said, in congratulating Marco and the Metis Gilera team. “Racing is very important to us, and the technology transfer between race and road helps us to develop road tires with outstanding characteristics with regards both to safety and performance.”
The Goodyear and Dunlop brands have achieved excellent notices in the latest round of independent tyre tests for winter tyres. Both labels are hoping to capitalise on these successes on the testing track with commercial success throughout Europe. Winter tyres account for about 30 percent of total European consumer replacement tyres, so it is understandable why the companies are keen to grab a greater piece of the market. The results of these tests are generally seen as important factors in European motorists’ winter tyre buying decisions, and with the use of winter tyres a lawful requirement in several European countries, including Austria, Sweden, Finland, and the Baltics, they could prove particularly interesting to the companies.
Independent tests by the ADAC, Germany’s leading automobile club, and the auto magazines AutoBild, Stitung Warentest and Auto Motor und Sport, singled out for praise the Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip 7+, the Dunlop SP Winter Response and Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D. Meanwhile Test World, the leading testing organization based in Finland, and Swedish motoring magazine Motorforaren had words of praise for Goodyear’s Ultra Grip Extreme and the Ice Navi ZEA respectively.
Abdul-Galil Shaif al-Shaibi, vice chairman of the Yemen General Free Zones Authority and Aden Free Zone (AFZ) met with a delegation from the UAE on on 25 October. During the meeting the delegation, chaired by director of Bin Sooda Investment Companies Kareem Far’a reportedly “expressed a desire to establish a factory for producing cars tyres in Aden Free Zone.”
According to Yemeni news reports, the factory is initially expected to serve markets in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. Abdul-Galil Shaif al-Shaibi reportedly indicated that AFZ may offer investment opportunities and facilities due to the Port of Aden’s strategic importance in the region.
When it comes to sourcing forged aluminium wheels, you can count the number of suppliers on one hand. Apart from one or two other suppliers like Motor Wheel Service Group (MWS), which launched a reportedly Indian-sourced 17.5 – 22.5-inch commercial vehicle wheel range in 2005, the market is dominated by multinational aluminium giant Alcoa. One company that has so far kept under the radar, however, is Chinese manufacturer Zhejiang Hongxin Technology Co., Ltd.
Located in Huangyan, Taizhou City in China’s Eastern Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Hongxin says that it is the only forged alloy wheel maker currently producing in mainland China (there are others close-by in places such as Taiwan). But this claim is in itself a relatively recent development.
Goodyear is highlighting the safety aspects of its products through a new integrated advertising campaign. The advertisement, created by London based agency Leagas Delaney, utilises the iconic Goodyear blimp, portraying the airship as a flying laboratory housing a team that looks after drivers on their journey.
The safety message is bolstered by statistics highlighting the safety benefits of Goodyear’s innovations, and the campaign also introduces a new endline – ‘Safety Together’ – and a new corporate identity. The campaign will be shown across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, encompassing TV, print and point of sale.
Upon reporting Apollo Tyres’ second quarter 2008 results, a quarter in which consolidated net profit dropped 74 per cent on the previous year, company chairman Onkar S Kanwar stated that, despite difficult times, Apollo retains a positive outlook for the future. “It has been a testing quarter for the company and us as an industry, but I do believe that the worst might be behind us and it’s time to plan for the future,” he said. “The positive that I take from here is a consistent growth in sales, especially in South Africa, where we are able to now reap the benefits of our manufacturing and marketing excellence with a near 30 per cent sales growth this quarter.”
Western European manufacturers’ complaints that their products have been copied in the Far East are well reported. However, Shandong Yinbao Group is one of a select few Chinese tyre manufacturers that have suffered product piracy too.
According to international marketing manager Gavin Liu, the Shouguang-based Yinbao Group recently discovered that its growing off-the-road (OTR) product range was being copied, with the pirates making use of the company’s Goodtyre name: “We have found some faked tyres recently in the market copying the Goodtyre brand name of OTR products – which is both damaging and illegal.” Fighting back in a letter to customers, Yinbao representatives wrote: “Companies and people who undermine the interests of clients and reputation of our group will be investigated for legal responsibility according to law.”
Dunlop has appointed Sharon Antonaros sales and marketing director, Europe, Middle East and Africa for its Motorcycle Business Unit. He is based in the Goodyear Dunlop regional head office in Brussels and reports to Sanjay Khanna, managing director of the Dunlop Motorcycle Business Unit.
Born in Uccle, Belgium, Mr. Antonaros, 39, gained a Masters degree in European Studies from the Centre d’Etudes des Relations Européennes. Before joining Dunlop in August 2008, Antonaros was channel development director EMEA in the electronic navigation industry, where he had worked for three years. Prior to this he held senior sales and marketing positions in the computer hardware industry for Sony.
Aufine Tyre Company has appointed Al Saeedi Automotive Trading as distributor for Aufine Truck Radial Tyres in the Gulf region. Founded in 1986, the Aufine Group Company is located in China and currently employs over 6000 employees. The company describes its production process as being fitted out with advanced technology and “world class testing equipment.” Company figures put its manufacturing output at 1.5 million radial truck and bus tyres in 2007. Operating in the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Oceania, Aufine has passed the DOT, ECE, CCC certification for quality.
New Zealander Mark Tapper has been selected to represent the Asia-Pacific Region in the Pirelli Star Driver scheme. The 27 year-old from Auckland, along with co-driver Jeff Cress, beat nine other contenders in the selection process, which took place over two rallies in New Zealand and Malaysia.
Tapper is the second driver to be named from the five who will benefit from the initiative, organised jointly by Pirelli and the FIA, to give young drivers a foot in the door of the FIA World Rally Championship. The Pirelli Star Driver programme will give five young talents (one each from Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific regions, plus two from Europe) the chance to compete in six WRC events in a Group N or S2000 car prepared and run by a top team. The drivers who earn a place on the Pirelli Star Driver scheme next year will get a chance to show what they can do in Portugal, Italy, Greece, Finland, Spain and Great Britain.
Bridgestone Corporation announced on October 14 that its board of directors has approved the following proposals of the changes in corporate officers.
Changing positions and responsibilities of Corporate Officers – effective October 16, 2008
– Yasumi Kawasaki.
New position and responsibilities: Vice president and senior officer responsible for Quality Management, Quality
Current position and responsibilities: Vice president and senior officer responsible for Quality Management
Nigeria’s Customs and Excise Tariff Book for the period 2008–2012 has been presented. Amongst the many new measures being implemented in an effort to help the Africa nation’s economy is a ban on the importation of used tyres. However, in the opinion of many this measure may have come to late for the country’s domestic tyre industry.
Despite the possibility of a price increase between October and December this year (see ‘Costs, Prices Continue to Rise for Apollo’ – www.tyrepress.com), Apollo Tyres’ chairman, Onkar Kanwar has stated that Apollo will continue to see “15-20 per cent” annual sales growth, while “Volume growth will continue at the same level” over the next six months.
Kanwar also told news sources that the company’s planned 320 million US dollar investment in production capacity expansion in India and South Africa is on schedule and has not been changed in light of the worldwide financial climate. “I am very optimistic,” he told journalists. “There might be some slight slowdown temporarily, but starting first quarter (April-June 2009) it should start moving up.”
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