Agricultural
With the addition of five further SKUs, GRI has reinforced its agriculture, construction and material handling product categories. The specialty off-highway tyre maker says the new SKUs are designed to meet industry standards in compliance with all international regulations, providing customers with advanced options for selecting optimal tyres for their machinery.
According to government information and local media reports from the USA, a significant fraction of the 1,300-strong workforce at the Bridgestone tyre plant in Des Moines, Iowa clocked off for the final time last Friday. Exactly how many is unclear: State department Iowa Workforce Development reports that 89 workers were scheduled to be laid off on 5 July; while broadcaster KCCI Des Moines says that all 216 of Bridgestone’s planned layoffs at the site took place that day.
The Mitas brand participated in two major UK agricultural shows during the past month: the Royal Cornwall Show and the Royal Highland Show. Partnering with tyre dealers Geoffrey Harris Tires and Farmer’s Tires, Mitas showcased its range and drew significant interest from thousands of attendees.
BKT has renewed its position as Title Sponsor of Serie BKT until 2028, consolidating its long-term commitment with Lega Nazionale Professionisti B (LNPB). During the first six years of this partnership, BKT reports “remarkable…in terms of audience, spectators and competitiveness” across 41 Italian cities. In the upcoming sports season, four new cities will enlarge even more the territory in which the BKT Series is to be played.
Yokohama-ATG (Y-ATG) has announced a new partnership in the UK OE2 agricultural tyre market for its Alliance brand. Alongside Kirkby Tyres, which has served as a strategic partner to Alliance for nearly 70 years, and recent newcomer TIA Agri, Wheel Solutions is coming on board as an Alliance partner in the local market.
Trelleborg Tires has outlined a growth plan for Brazil, including an aim to increase market share by leveraging its presence at over 300 John Deere dealerships. A new partnership, formalised during Agrishow 2024, commences this month and allows Brazilian farmers to access Trelleborg’s portfolio of over 700 products through John Deere’s after-sales network. This collaboration builds on the existing global partnership between the two companies at a regional level.
Cosmos is the name Michelin has given to a new machine now operating at its Troyes plant in France. The tyre maker is using Cosmos in its agricultural tyre production and says that the machine, which takes into account factors such as size, weight and material technology, is “more efficient and more ergonomic” than prior technologies.
Trelleborg Tires, together with CASE IH as technical partner, gathered 400 professional farmers and experts to witness the contribution of proper tyre pressure to the improvement of working efficiency and fuel savings. Meanwhile, Trelleborg Tires held its first farmer’s EDM Music Festival on the black-soil farming land with the topic of “on the same track” after field demonstrations.
BKT will display a wide range of its most popular tyres for the agricultural, agro-industrial, earthmoving, industrial and construction sectors at The Tire Cologne. Among the top products on display at BKT’s booth B030-C039, visitors will be able to view the new Powertrailer SR 331 trailer and tanker tyre; the Agrimaxfactor 70 series tyre and Agrimax V-Flecto very high flexion tyre for tractors; the new Forestland and Forestmax forestry tyres; the Portmax PM 90 industrial handling tyre; the FL 695 industrial trailer tyre; and the Earthmax SR 45 M all steel radial OTR tyre for rigid dump trucks. These tyres will be on display in a 357 sqm exhibition area, centrally located within Hall 6.1. For three days, BKT hopes its booth (B030-C039) will be a meeting point for visitors to discover the brand’s advanced technical solutions, talking directly to the BKT experts.
Goodyear Farm Tires will welcome speciality tyre and wheel manufacturer Carlstar to Hall 6.1, Stand CO19 at The Tire in Cologne next week. Titan International, the parent company of Goodyear Farm Tires in North America and Europe after it bought the licence for both markets around a decade ago, recently completed its acquisition of Carlstar Group in a $296 million purchase. Carlstar representatives will present the brand’s product range to visitors to The Tire Cologne, while Goodyear Farm Tires will display its own flagship products, between 4 and 6 June.
An expansion of the GRI product portfolio sees 11 new SKUs join its agricultural and construction tyre segments. The Sri Lanka-based specialty tyre manufacturer refers to these new additions as part of a “strategic move” that underscores “GRI’s commitment to meeting the evolving needs of its customers worldwide” as well as its “dedication to innovation and excellence in tyre manufacturing.”
A further Nokian Tyres range is joining the Nordic Tyres portfolio, the Soil King VF product family for high horsepower tractors. Introducing the newcomer, Nordic Tyres points to benefits such as increased efficiency and productivity, noting that DLG testing shows significantly better fuel efficiency both in the field and on the road.
A further ten sizes have joined the Ascenso VDR 2000 range of Very High Flexion tyres for tractors and harvesters. Ascenso says that it will additionally expand its VF tyre portfolio “in the next few weeks and month” by adding flotation as well as tractor tyre sizes. The company has stated an ambition of establishing itself in this segment.
BKT’s Powertrailer SR 331 has taken to the field, joining the Indian manufacturer’s portfolio of more than 3,600 products. The tyre offers a new solution for the evolving needs of agricultural trailer and tanker transport applications. BKT says the SR 331 is particularly suitable for road transport operations. Piero Torassa, field engineering manager at BKT, says the Powertrailer SR 331 is “a highly innovative and superb solution in terms of performance, especially on the road, exceeding our expectations and showcasing BKT’s commitment to providing high-quality products.”
BA Bush & Son has opened a new commercial depot in Wakefield. BA Bush says it will invest significantly in new mobile tyre fitting technologies and vans based at the new site to deal with the growing number of agricultural and commercial fleet customers who live in and around Wakefield. The depot is backed by the company’s tyre distribution arm, BAB Distribution, and will link up strategically with the company’s existing network of branches. With nearby branches in Rotherham, Knaresborough and Goole, this group can serve the thousands of businesses and farmers who live and work in that catchment area.
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