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Africa

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From Racetrack to Motorway

As the official tyre supplier of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Dunlop is confident it knows what it takes to create a truly high performance tyre. The technology required to create such tyres is not only used on racetracks across the UK; it also resides in the tyres used by millions every day.

There was a time when the motto ‘race on Sunday, buy on Monday’ meant exactly that – sixty years ago a motorist could more or less purchase any car or component seen out on the track the previous weekend. These days competition cars are somewhat farther removed from their road going counterparts, but Dunlop says that in spite of this it strives to keep the race on Sunday, buy on Monday spirit alive as it believes on-track rubber developments can benefit every driver.

Most of the time BTCC drivers compete on treadless slick tyres, so one may be tempted to ask how such an item can help the development of a road tyre. The answer is straightforward – a tyre without tread is, by necessity, more dependent upon its compound to deliver the correct amount of grip. Tyre longevity, or lack of, also becomes more pronounced. Sensors allow data from the tyres to be read, and when fed into a computer Dunlop’s road engineers can study how the rubber behaves when pushed to its maximum.

22nd April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

May 2008 – Worth the Wait

We couldn’t bring it to you in April, but May’s edition has all the Tyrexpo Africa news you’ve been waiting for. Don’t miss out on the detailed show news from the second Tyrexpo to be held in Johannesburg – right here in our Tyrexpo Africa review.

11th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Tyres International – ‘Investigation Good for Consumers’

CEO of South Africa’s Dunlop Tyres International, Dr Luis Ceneviz, has responded positively to the actions carried out by the country’s Competition Commission to ensure anti-competitive behaviour is regulated. A statement from Dr Ceneviz was released after police and investigators from the commission raided Dunlop Tyres International’s head office in the city of Durban on April 4.

“During the raid, Dunlop remained fully co-operative and complied with any request made by investigators for any hard copy or electronic documentation,” said Cenevis. “At this point we are not able to give any further comment on the issue and have instructed our attorneys, who will be dealing with the matter.

11th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Investigation Focusing on Tyre Price Fixing in South Africa

International News

On April 9 South Africa’s Competition Commission announced it had searched the offices of Dunlop Tyres International and Bridgestone South Africa to collect evidence of tyre industry price fixing in the South African market. Also searched were the offices of tyre industry association the SA Tyre Manufacturers Conference. News of this action was reported by Reuters the following day.

“We can confirm that the raid took place. We will cooperate fully with the commission,” commented Bridgestone spokesman Romano Daniels to Reuters. “We are not concerned about the investigation. We don’t believe we conducted ourselves in an untoward way.” Dunlop has yet to comment on the day’s events.

10th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Sameer Importing Chinese Tyres to Meet Local Demand

International News, News

Kenyan manufacturer Sameer Africa has begun importing tyres from China to meet a strong demand for low priced products in its home market. This, however, says Kenya’s Business Daily newspaper, is a measure placing the company in deeper debt as it must borrow heavily to pay invoices. The company installed a new £84,000 light truck tyre assembly machine last July and also increased capacity, however the company continues to struggle, as it has since changing its name from Firestone to Yana tyres three years ago.

“We were not making enough money from our tyre production unit so we borrowed to finance the importation of tyres that we don’t make” said Sameer managing director, Eric Kimani. The Chinese brands imported, says Mr. Kimani, include Dyna and Triangle. “The tyres are affordable but very durable. When we import we don’t just bring anything, we buy quality,” he added.

8th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Towell Auto Centre Opens 16th Bridgestone Outlet in Oman

Towell Auto Centre LLC, exclusive Bridgestone distributor in Oman, has made further inroads into the national market with the opening of a new Bridgestone ‘Tyre Care Plus’ (TCP) facility in Barkha on April 2. The new centrally located outlet is Towell Auto’s 16th TCP outlet in Oman, and Towell believes the outlet represents an ideal model for a stand-alone tyre retail centre.

In attendance at the opening ceremony were Mr. Shoichi Sakuma, president of Bridgestone Middle East & Africa FZE, along with senior officials from Bridgestone and Towell Auto Centre. Mr. Sakuma along with Mr. Riyadh Ali Sultan, general manager of Towell Auto Centre, inaugurated the new TCP unit before a tour of the centre’s facilities and services was given.

3rd April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Second Tyrexpo Africa Grows in Stature

The second Tyrexpo Africa exhibition has been voted a success by exhibitor companies who, according to exhibition organisers, welcomed an increased number of industry buyers and delegates to Johannesburg’s Sandton Centre at the beginning of March. Exhibiting for the second time at the show, Stamford Tyres European trading division – Sumo Firenza reported a successful show with particular interest being shown in the Firenza range of tyres by visitors from both Africa and throughout the world.

Independently audited figures released by show organiser ECI International confirm a healthy six per cent increase in visitor numbers, up to 2,478 compared to the inaugural event in 2006 130 exhibitors occupied around 5,000 sq.m of exhibition space in the Sandton Convention centre, with a 40/60 split between domestic southern African suppliers and those from overseas. China, with 35 individual exhibitors, was the major presence, heading a truly international line-up made up of more than 60 different countries.

27th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dear Prime Minister – Conti Asks Tanzania’s Govt. to Aid GTEA

Continental is reported to have requested the government of Tanzania take action to aid the moribund General Tyre East Africa (GTEA), in which the German tyre major holds a 26 per cent share. Furthermore, Conti is said to have informed Tanzania’s Prime Minister, Mr. Mizengo Pinda, that without assistance a complete closure of GTEA may be required by March 31, 2008.

An article that appeared in East African Business Week on March 10 indicates that, according to “reliable information”, Continental wrote to Mr. Pinda in mid-February, asking his government to honour the commitments agreed upon nine months earlier. The country’s sole tyre manufacturer suspended its 400 employees without pay towards the end of 2007, and is said to need at least US$10 million before production can resume. However, Mr. Said Nguba, press secretary to Mr. Pinda, told the business newspaper in early March that he had no knowledge of the letter. “I’m not in office and I’ve yet come across such information,” stated Nguba.

12th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Promotes New Grandtrek Touring A/S Tyre

Dunlop has announced the introduction of the all-season SUV tyre Grandtrek Touring A/S. The new tyre for modern Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) has been developed to include Dunlop’s Touch Technology for balanced, all-season, all-condition performance and strong road feedback. According to the manufacturer, the launch of Grandtrek Touring supports the continued growth in popularity of SUVs.

With its all-season technology, Grandtrek Touring encompasses a range of properties that are designed to ensure top performance. The tyre features a unique polymer blend tread compound for driving in all weather conditions. The Grandtrek Touring’s tapered shoulder grooves, are said to provide “innovative stiffness distribution,” while the asymmetric tread design reportedly combines with the shoulder grooves to optimize the tyre’s all-weather capabilities. The reinforced, stiffer sidewall controls the important displacement of energy that is usual from large vehicles when cornering.

3rd March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Poland Expansion to Create 400 New Jobs

As reported on February 26, Goodyear has requested that Poland’s TC Debica, in which it holds the major shareholding, triple its production of commercial vehicle tyres from 1,700 to 5,000 units a day. This increase output is needed, says Goodyear, to meet European demand for high quality truck tyres.

Goodyear has had a majority ownership interest in TC Debica, Poland’s largest tyremaker, since 1995, and the Polish company’s management board will decide whether to go ahead with making the necessary investment to expand production there. Goodyear estimates the expansion will require an investment of more than US$200 million. Such an investment, which would likely involve assistance from Polish national and regional authorities, would create 350 to 400 new jobs at TC Debica.

27th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Wins Right to Block Counterfeit Tyre Sales in Japan

Yokohama Rubber has won the right to prevent a particular tyre bearing more than a passing resemblance to its DNA S.drive high performance tyre from being sold in Japan. On January 18 the Tokyo Customs Office accepted Yokohama’s application for an import injunction against the counterfeit tyres on the basis that these products infringed Yokohama Rubber’s design rights. As a result, all customs offices in Japan will henceforth prohibit the import of any such product.

27th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Vipal Aims to be Key Material Supplier to Arab Retreaders

Vipal, the Brazilian retread materials supplier, is betting on greater sales abroad and is specifically seeking to increase its presences in new markets in the Middle East and North Africa. At the end of last year, company representatives were in Saudi Arabia, in the United Arab Emirates and in Sudan. “In the three countries the results were positive and new partnerships were established,” vice president João Carlos Paludo, told the Brazil Arab News Agency.

25th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Vipal to Inaugurate New Factory this Year

This year Vipal is going to inaugurate a new factory, in Feira de Santana, Bahia (NE Brazil), having spent 160 million Brazilian reals (US$ 92 million, 48 million pounds) of investment on the project. Apart from construction of the factory in Bahia, Vipal also announced the construction of the first productive unit abroad. The company hasn’t revealed exactly where this plant will be, and the kind of investment that will be associated with the new plants has not yet been defined. However, Argentina and Mexico are said to be the countries that present “the great chance of receiving a new unit.”

25th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Uniwheels to Purchase European ATS Alloy Wheel Operations

Swiss based alloy wheel manufacturer Uniwheels has announced it intends to purchase the European interests of Germany’s ATS Group. The acquisition will include the three ATS facilities in Germany, along with the company’s Polish subsidiary, which operates two factories. A separate solution for the company’s US subsidiary, ATS Light Alloy Wheels (Alabama), Inc. will be announced next week.

22nd February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Discusses South Africa Power Saving Programme

At its South African operations Continental Tyre SA has, over the course of three years, introduced a range of schemes that have seen power consumption reduced by 10 per cent. The company recently shared details of its activities in this area.

“To save electricity, we have a production monitoring system in the plant to monitor the energy systems and electricity use so that we can see peak demand, steam consumption and air pressures, for example,” commented plant engineering manager Andrew Singer. “We also have a project to improve the monitoring of incoming voltage, frequency and power usage so that we are consistently aware of the power we are using and its quality.”

22nd February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors