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Taking Soil Compaction Out of the Equation

Those of use who didn’t grow up in agricultural families may be unaware of just how important soil quality is to arable farming. And as the size of farms grows and the agricultural industry becomes an increasingly professional business, so the use of modern machinery is also increasing. That’s why Michelin invited journalists to a farm in Leicestershire to learn about how products like its Axiobib tractor tyre prevent the problems that are associated with soil compaction.

We’ve all driven past fields with water-logged tyre tracks running across them. But did you know this can be a sign that poor tyre choice has led to lower levels of soil being compacted, which in turn hinders drainage and reduces crop yield? Neither did we, so it was a good job Michelin had invited the Soil Management Initiative’s (SMI) resident soil expert, Dr Alistair Leake, along to explain the science behind the theory. (The SMI is a non-profit making, independent organisation dedicated to promoting the adoption of systems designed to protect and enhance soil quality, resulting in agronomic and economic benefits for farmers. The Environment Agency, John Deere and Michelin are just three of the 22 SMI members.)

1st November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Balkrishna Tyres: World’s Widest Off-Highway Range

Founded in 1995, Balkrishna Tyres (BKT) claims to have the world’s widest product range of off-highway tyres, with more than 1,700 stock units of designs, patterns and sizes. This extensive range has seen BKT’s global market share expand rapidly in a short time and BKT tyres are available for agricultural, construction, industrial, earthmover, ATV and turf care applications.
BKT has three tyre factories and one mould-manufacturing plant and the company has the capability to develop 150 new sizes a year, with an extremely fast product development time of eight to 10 weeks. India is renowned for having a qualified and technically expert workforce at a low cost and BKT has the capacity to change 25 moulds a day, which the company says is five times that of its competitors, allowing it to make 150 different types of tyre. Precise and complex planning is the key here. BKT spends between five and six per cent of its revenue on research and development and developed its own radial tyre technology in-house.

Around 65 per cent of BKT’s products are sold in Europe, with other major markets being the USA, Middle and South East Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Agricultural tyres constitute the largest chunk of production at BKT and the company has recently entered the tractor radial segment, with its new ‘Agrimax’ range, available in 85, 70 and 65 series aspect ratios and 95 series row crop tyres.

6th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Chinese Pioneer Still Going Strong

Double Coin tyres are produced by Shanghai Tyre & Rubber Co. Ltd., the oldest tyre manufacturer in China – the company was established in Shanghai in the early 1930s as a manufacturer of rubber products and tyres. In its current form the company was established in 1992 when two tyre factories based in Shanghai were merged (Shanghai Ta Chung Hua Rubber Factory and Shanghai Tsen Tai Rubber Factory). This 75 per cent state-owned company, located on the outskirts of Shanghai, mainly manufactures all-steel radial truck tyres, bias-ply truck tyres, radial as well as diagonal light truck tyres and agricultural tyres.

According to the manufacturer approximately 350 different tyre specifications are available. Products are marketed in 80 different countries and are DOT- and E-marked for export markets; they also carry a CCC mark (China Compulsory Certification) for the local market. The two brands the tyre manufacturer is primarily known for are Double Coin and Warrior. These brands are well received on both European and Chinese tyre markets.

20th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Birla Tyre Planning Greenfield Project

B K Birla Group chairman Basant Kumar Birla has announced plans for an £85 million greenfield tyre factory in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. The plant, to be built near the city of Haridwar, where the company has already acquired a 42 hectare site, will have a production capacity of 1.7 million passenger car tyres per year. The plant is anticipated to be ready within the next two years and is to be funded through internal accruals and loans.

Birla Tyres entered the Indian market in 1991 and today is India’s fifth largest tyremaker, with production facilities in the eastern state of Orissa. The plant in Balasore, Orissa was set up with technical assistance from Pirelli UK, and has an annual production capacity of 1.5 million tyres, including passenger car and light commercial radials as well as bias car, truck and agricultural tyres. Birla Tyres states that its products are exported to 43 countries.

4th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Discontinues Bias-Ply Agricultural Tyres in North America

Michelin Agricultural Tires has decided to discontinue the supply of BFGoodrich brand bias-ply agricultural tyres to North America. The company’s decision to market a radial only range comes at a time when radial tyres make up more than 30 per cent of the overall North American agricultural tyre market, and the benefits of radials to agricultural users, such as greater load carrying capacity and reduced soil compaction, ensure this proportion will continue to increase.

“Since Michelin acquired the BFGoodrich brand in 1989, we have seen tremendous change in the agricultural industry,” said Bill Schafer, vice president of marketing and sales for Michelin North America Agricultural Tires. “Farming operations have increased in size and tractors, harvesters and sprayers have grown larger and more powerful as a result. More than ever, these machines need the durability and performance advantages that radial technology delivers compared to bias-ply construction.

3rd July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Alliance Reports $45.6 million First Quarter Sales

Alliance, an international tyre manufacturer based in Hadera, Israel, reported a 23 per cent growth in sales for the first quarter of 2007. First-quarter sales reached US$45.6 million, compared to $37.1 million in the parallel quarter of 2006. In addition, Alliance sales to the export market, representing 78.7 per cent of the company’s total sales, amounted to $35.9 million in the first quarter, compared to $29.4 million in the first quarter of 2006, a growth of 22.3 per cent.

21st June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

GPX Appoints New Head of Supply Chain

GPX International Tire Corporation has announced the appointment of Glenn D. Booth to the position of global director of supply chain management, a role he commenced on June 4. He joins the company from Coca-Cola Enterprises, where he served as a regional director of logistics.

“GPX is delighted that Glenn has joined our growing team and we look forward to harnessing his supply chain, logistics and consulting experience to foster and enhance our supply chain and logistics operations” stated Bryan S. Ganz, chairman of GPX. “Through Glenn’s extensive background, he will help GPX to facilitate and implement a positive solution to our current and future supply chain management challenges.”

11th June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Announces Truck Tyre Price Increases

Michelin has announced a price increase of up to 4 per cent for its truck tyres in the US. The increase will take effect on 1 June. In addition from 1 July prices of agricultural tyres sold under the Michelin, BFGoodrich, Kleber and Taurus brands will rise by an average of 3 per cent in the US and Canada, the group said.

Referring to the truck tyre price increase, Deutsche Bank analysts said: “We believe that only a small portion will stick. However, this small portion will go directly to the bottom line since natural rubber price (primary used in truck tyres) is now more or less stable since the beginning of February. So far the reporting season of the industry has highlighted a very strong price/mix effect.”

4th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Bringing China to the World

Beijing-based Best Choice International Trade Co. Ltd (BCIT) has served as a dealer for numerous Chinese tyre manufacturers since 1995. In the 12 years since the company’s establishment BCIT has expanded considerably, and today represents Chinese tyremakers in over 100 countries around the world, generating an annual turnover of more than US$40 million and annual export volume exceeding US$20 million.

In addition to its passenger, high performance and commercial vehicle tyre ranges, BCIT is able to source a wide variety of OTR, industrial forklift, solid and agricultural tyres. According to BCIT’s Europe representative Andro Yan, the company can source many Chinese brands, including Triangle, Chengshan ,Aeolus(Henan), Jinglun and Linglong, and are also able to organise private brand tyres to a customer’s own specifications. Mr. Yan and BCIT can be contacted through the company’s website www.chinese-tyres.com or via the address and phone details provided on the site

26th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Revenues and Profits Up – SRT

Sibur-Russian Tyres report that during 2006 the company increased their consolidated revenues by 17 per cent to 21.1 billion roubles (£409 million), up from 18 billion roubles (£349 million) a year earlier.

The tyremaker’s pre-tax net profit (EBIT) reached 486 million roubles (£9.4 million), starkly contrasting with its 498 million rouble (£9.7 million) loss in 2005. This positive trend has been attributed to the company’s large-scale restructuring and modernisation, as well as product portfolio optimisation and price increases.

20th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Private Brands and More

Five short years after its inception, Shanghai Durotyre International, whose main business is the contract manufacture of private brands, has offices in China, the UK, South Africa, Lebanon and the USA. At this year’s Brityrex the company will be promoting its private brands Pace, Duration and Agrostar.

Pace, manufactured by Cooper Chengshan, is available in over 100 passenger car and truck sizes. Further UHP and SUV additions to the range will be introduced later in the year, with a winter range also planned for 2008. Duration is an extensive bias OTR range, and in the near future production of radials will commence, with 2700R49, 3300R51, 3600R51, 3700R57 and 4000R57 sizes available. Agrostar is a comprehensive range of mainly agricultural tyres.

2nd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

A Family Affair

The next generation of the Poddar family, who control the £175 million Siyaram group, is getting ready to take the baton from their elders. Rajeev Poddar has recently joined his father Arvind at the group’s flagship company, Balkrishna Industries, which manufactures OTR and agricultural tyres in India under the BKT brand name. Avnish and Gaurav Poddar have also joined the family controlled business, this time taking on roles at Siyaram Silk Mills, the group’s textile business.

The Poddar family recently undertook a management restructuring of the Siyaram group’s subsidiary companies, confirming management of Balkrishna Industries by Vinod and Arvind Poddar, sons of the late Mahavirprasad Poddar. The other branch of the Poddar family, the sons of Dharaprasad Poddar, remain in charge of the company’s textile business. However both families continue to hold equal stakes in each of the group’s companies.

Last year the Poddars sold a 7.43 per cent stake in Balkrishna Industries to private equity firms Evercore and Chryscapital in order to fund the company’s future expansion plans.

20th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin: Domestic Sales now 30% of Eastern Europe Turnover

Although the commonly held perception of Eastern Europe is principally that of a low overhead production base from which tyres are exported to western markets, statistics released by Michelin Romania show that 30 per cent of this branch of the Michelin group’s turnover is now generated from sales in the Balkan region. And sales are growing; Michelin Romania estimates that the division will have an annual turnover amounting to about 325 million euro, 25 per cent higher than the 260 million euro turnover attained last year.

13th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Ex-BKT Manager to Join Alliance Takeover-Bid

Former Balkrishna Industries Ltd. executive director Yogeshkumar (Yogesh) Mahansaria and his brother Ashokkumar have reportedly quit the fast-growing Indian tyre producer, citing “family differences” as the reason. Yogesh has now teamed up with US equity firm Warburg Pincus to acquire Israel’s Alliance Tire for US$45 million. Alliance has been in negotiations with the two buyers, and the transaction is expected to be completed before June. The Alliance purchase forms part of a new venture that Yogesh Mahansaria has been quoted as saying he intends to float in the near future.

30th January 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Mitas Confirms OE Deal with Fendt

Continental agricultural tyres will be fitted as standard equipment to Fendt’s 300 Vario and 900 Vario (models up to 305hp) tractor ranges as of January, according to Mitas a.s. and the CGS Group. The tractors will be fitted with the upmarket SuperVolumeTyre and the ContriContract AC 65.

15th December 2006/by Tyrepress Editors