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Apollo Expects Continued Sales Growth

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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New Size Added to Michelin X Terminal-T Range

The popular Michelin range X Terminal-T tyres is being expanded through the addition of a 310/80R22.5 fitment to the already available line-up of specialist tyres designed primarily for fitment to tractor units, tugs and trailers used for short-distance movements in ports and freight terminals.

Suitable for fitment in any axle position, Michelin reports that its new 310/80R22.5 X Terminal-T tyre incorporates an advanced industrial casing design and features a unique blend of materials, which deliver even tread wear and low operating costs, along with good machine and payload protection from shock and vibration. This new size can easily be fitted in place of 11R22.5 and 295/80R22.5 sizes in particular, as their rolling circumferences are very similar and the rim widths are identical at 8.25 or 9.00 inches.

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Conti Announces Personnel Changes

Continental AG has made a number of personnel changes in its Passenger and Light Truck Tires division. On September 1, Nikolai Setzer took over management of the replacement passenger and light truck tyre market for Europe and Africa. He is also responsible for worldwide marketing of the Passenger and Light Truck Tire division. Setzer had been in charge of the worldwide original equipment business for passenger and light truck tyres. In his new position he will report to Continental AG’s vice chairman of the Executive Board, Dr Alan Hippe, who is also responsible for the Passenger and Light Truck Tire division.

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Michelin Adds New Size to X Terminal-T Range

Michelin has released a new size in its X Terminal-T range. The 310/80R22.5 tyre, says the company, is designed to significantly boost productivity levels in port terminals through its suitability on all articulated vehicle axle positions. Additional benefits, claims Michelin, are double the working life of a traditional radial truck tyre and significantly improved fuel economy compared to a bias-ply or solid tyre. The repairable and retreadable Michelin X Terminal-T becomes available from specialised dealers in September 2008 in Europe, and in November 2008 in the US, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

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Mozambique Government Intervenes on Deserted Plant

The government of Mozambique is seeking a way to reactivate the tyre plant near Maputo. The facility is currently paralysed and the state is eager to find new funding to restore the site to its former glories as one of the nation’s showpiece sites for foreign investors. The factory opened in 1979 as the collaborative effort of the ruling parties of Mozambique and General Tire of the United States. However, since the Americans left in 2003, the plant has stood still for five years, with proposals falling flat and potential investment unforthcoming.

Sergio Macamo, the current National Director of Industry told local news sources that the government “received several proposals, but when the time came to make the investment, they did not advance. Now we’ve given a chance to a company that says it wants to revive Mabor. But if the negotiations with this company fail, then we shall launch an international tender by the end of this year.” With the massive international market for tyres very much established, Macamo hopes that the factory can claim its slice of the pie once again soon.

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  2. Apollo Tyres to Supply 50% Nissan Truck South Africa OE Needs
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Sinochem International Buys 51% of GMG

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Sinochem International Corporation subsidiary Sinochem International (Overseas) Pte Ltd. has Bought a 51 per cent stake in Singapore-based natural rubber producer GMG Global Ltd. for SG$ 267.98 million (£106.4 million). GMG operates natural rubber business in Africa and elsewhere with plantations in Cameroon and Ivory Coast and processing facilities in Indonesia. Amongst other things Sinochem International expects the deal to help position it for growth in the global rubber market. China contributes to over 20 per cent of the world’s natural rubber consumption but only produces 7 per cent of the production.

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Conti Secures Sponsorship Deal for World Cup Qualifiers

As an official sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Continental AG has secured significant television coverage for itself during the 260 qualification group matches to be played in Europe. Continental will appear on four of the advertising hoardings in the stadiums used for more than 170 matches, and the television images broadcasted around the world will extend Conti’s presence to millions of TV screens.

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Apollo to Open Signature Stores

Apollo is to follow car manufacturers BMW and Fiat by opening its own signature stores to display and sell its products within India. The decision can be seen equally as a commercial and a prestige move. While the stores – which will be split between Apollo Radial World (ARW) stores for passenger cars and Apollo Trust (AT) for commercial customers – will open across the country, the ability to promote solely Apollo products through eleven flagship ARWs – the first of which has opened in Patiala – is undoubtedly appealing. This fiscal year will see also see 100 AT stores open nationwide, should the company’s plans be fulfilled.

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Construction of Apollo Chennai Factory to Start by Late October

A company source indicates the new Apollo Tyres greenfield radial facility in preparation on the outskirts of Chennai, India, will enter operation late next year. The Hindu Business Line newspaper was informed that the plant’s first construction phase will commence by the end of October at a cost of 10 billion rupees (£125.7 million). Overall, development of the 135 acre site, which will deliver a daily capacity of 200 tonnes, will cost 22 billion rupees (£276.5 million).

The source further commented that Apollo has become a “high-performance company” and the leading Indian tyre manufacturer with revenues of over US$1.2 billion. “It is built around the core principles of creating stakeholder value through reliability in its products and dependability in its relationships,” he said. The company has a network of over 4,000 dealerships in India, of which over 2,500 are exclusive outlets. In South Africa, it has over 900 dealerships, of which 190 are Dunlop Zones, the source added.

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ATC Responds to “Various False Judgements”

American Tire Corporation has responded to an article written by US based industry magazine Tire Review, which T&A published online August 26. The company claims “various false judgements” were made in the article, and thus wishes to make its own position clear. The statement released by American Tire Corporation on August 31 is printed below, without alteration from the original text:

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British Pair Circle the Globe on Michelin Tyres

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Two intrepid Brits, a Land Rover Discovery called ‘Rabia’ and Michelin’s A/T 4×4 tyres have completed an expedition that took in all corners of the world in a breathtaking display of longevity, durability and performance over an extraordinary range of surfaces and conditions.

Peter and Eileen Crichton began long distance travelling in their ‘92 Land Rover in 1997 whilst based in the Middle East. With a penchant for exploration, their passion ultimately took them around the world twice on Michelin tyres, covering a total of 150,000km during 23 months on the road.

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Two Fined for Triofill Espionage Case

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In July 2005 a case of industrial espionage involving Zeus GmbH, a subsidiary of Germany’s Rösler group, was reported in South Africa. At the time the company was testing a newly developed puncture protection substance, which today is marketed worldwide as Triofill.

Two men illegally entered the Zeus factory building, took photographs of the new Trio fill pump and stole samples of the Triofill. Zeus Gmbh has finally received a 14-page judgment from the South African court regarding the case, and Tyres & Accessories has seen a copy of this judgment. The court has penalised each of the two men with fines of 20,000 rand (£1,400).

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Does ATC Have Government Backing?

American Tire Corp., with only a single sales office in Chino, Calif., now claims to have the support of the U.S. government. In a recent news release claiming it had successfully completed testing its Colorado 63-inch radial OTR in a “tropical area in Africa,” ATC claimed to be a “U.S. government-supported OTR tyre manufacturer.”

The company offered no explanation as to what support it allegedly is receiving from the government. ATC had not used that language in any of its releases until recently. Even though ATC currently has no actual production facilities in the U.S., ATC continues to claim it is one of “four U.S. major OTR tire manufacturers.” (Tire Review/Akron)

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A Continent of Contrasts

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Africa is a market that presents tyre manufacturers with both problems and opportunities. Theoretically, the potential may be there for a thriving industry and market, yet unreliable infrastructure, taxation issues and political instability are all features of the African tyre industry landscape that make operations complicated. However, despite such hurdles, the situation in some areas is improving.

In mid-July Dunlop Nigeria announced the planned closure of its factory, claiming tariff reductions on imported goods as a deciding factor. In early 2007 the Nigerian government reduced the tariff on imported truck and bus tyres from 40 per cent to 10 per cent, undermining, in Dunlop’s view, the investments it had made in expanding its radial production programme.

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Toyota SA to Change OE Tyre After Safety Concerns Voiced

Toyota South Africa has acknowledged that the tyres fitted to its strong selling Fortuner SUV model may cause the vehicle to experience handling problems on gravel surfaces. Although the carmaker has not received any official complaints about the tyres fitted – General Grabber in size 265/70R16 – intense debate on internet forums set up by the country’s 4×4 fraternity has been sufficient ground for the company to carry out its own investigation and decide upon replacing this tyre as OE fitment.

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