The China Manufacturers Alliance has gained an OE position with Kansas-based manufacturer Landoll Corporation to supply all Landoll trailer models with Double Coin medium truck radials. Standard tyres to be fitted on Landoll’s trailer models include the Double Coin RT500 in sizes 10R17.5, 255/70R22.5, and 235/75R17.5.
The Parts Alliance has announced that it has signed a contract woth more than £20 million with Kwik-Fit to supply braking products to the fast fit network. Under the new agreement, which The Parts Alliance calls one of the largest to be awarded for a single product group in the UK aftermarket, the network will supply all replenishment stocks and on demand braking requirements nationwide. Kwik-Fit currently has 676 retail centres in the UK, and is a major installer of braking, though its supplier says it will seek to develop the product group further in its new partnership.
Michelin has been selected to develop and supply tyres for the first commercial airliner to be designed in China, the Comac C919. The tyre maker reports the contract with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China grew out of an alliance created in November 2009. Comac intends to have the first prototype C919 in the air by 2014 and Michelin will supply its Air X radial to the 150 to 200 seat single-aisle segment airliner. The C919 is expected to enter commercial service in 2016, with sales of the airliner initially targeted at China’s domestic market.
Production capacity at Michelin North America’s Fort Wayne BFGoodrich plant will expand through a US$50 million investment. The tyre maker has announced that expansion work at the Indiana-based facility will begin immediately and includes upgrading equipment at the 40 year old plant. Approximately 35 new jobs will be created through the project.
For the fourth consecutive year, Yokohama Tire Corporation’s off-the-road division has been awarded a Gold Alliance Supplier award from Alabama, US-based Vulcan Materials Company. Vulcan is a major producer of construction aggregates, which includes crushed stone, sand and gravel used in nearly all forms of construction.
Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has called for community nurses working in rural parts of the Scottish Highlands to be provided winter tyres as standard in the colder months.
Currently the nurses have to pay for the tyres themselves under car leasing agreements. Ms Grant, the Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Highlands and Islands said it was "ludicrous" nurses were having to foot the bill.
Ministers from the Scottish Parliament are assembling an ‘alliance’ representing the tyre and insurance industries plus motoring organisations in order to focus on the role winter tyres can play in keeping Scotland moving during times of harsh weather, and one MSP hopes this focus will benefit the Michelin plant located in his constituency.
Kirkby Tyres, based near Liverpool Airport in Speke, has been distributing tyres and wheels for over 60 years and now lay claim to being a top UK agricultural tyre wholesaler, with what it says is “the largest and most comprehensive range available.” The company has UK distribution deals with the Alliance Tyre Group and Balkrishna Tyre, and has recently extended its agricultural range with the introduction of new tyres from both companies.
The 390 – an all-steel radial flotation tyre released by Alliance Tire Group in the US – has become the first flotation radial to receive Department of Transport certification for highway use at 50mph. According to Michel Aguon, Alliance Tire Americas’ product manager, the 390 is also the industry’s first all-steel flotation radial plus the first that can carry nearly 11,000 pounds (5,000kg) of load at 50mph.
Air-Seal Products Ltd, a UK supplier of tyre sealant products, recently became the sole provider of tyre sealant to the Royal Mail Group's fleet in a three-year deal with includes the option to extend to 2015. The contract was signed in late August and will reportedly be implemented throughout their fleet with immediate effect.
The United States claimed victory in a recent trade spat with China over anti-dumping charges placed on imports pipes, tubes, OTR tyres and sacks. US Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk told the AFP news agency that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) had broadly upheld Washington's right to place duties on goods from China that were unfairly subsidised: "This is a significant win for American workers and businesses affected by unfairly traded imports.”
Nevertheless a report produced by China’s Xinhua news agency suggests the People’s Republic would like to present the 22 October WTO ruling as falling in its favour. China welcomed the fact that the WTO found that the US imposition of anti-dumping and countervailing duties on four types of Chinese imports was inconsistent with WTO regulations, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said a day after the ruling was published.
ECI International, the organiser of the new Tyrexpo India planned for 5 – 7 July 2011, has announced a strategic alliance with Capexil, the Indian Government-sponsored agency responsible for the promotion of the country’s tyre and rubber exporters. According to ECI, the link means the agency – which reports to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry – will work closely with ECI to maximise opportunities for Indian suppliers to promote themselves to potential export customers.
Liverpool-based wholesaler Kirkby Tyres is promoting the latest additions to its Double Coin range of “non premium” truck tyres. According to the company, three new 19.5-inch low profile tyres in sizes 445/45R19.5, 435/50R19.5 and 385/55R19.5 were recently added to the range. To complement these, a selection of low profile 22.5-inch tyres have also been released in 295/60R22.5, 315/60R22.5 and 385/55R22.5. Double Coin products are already available in 17.5, 20, 22.5, 24 and 24.5 variants.
Industrial finishing equipment manufacturer Guyson International has launched a new Wheelmaster product for use in applications such as smart repairs. “This is the ideal machine either as a brand new installation into ‘smart’ repair centres or auto body shops looking to offer a value added customer service by bringing the process back in house from subcontractors or indeed as a replacement for old, poorly performing blast units,” company representatives explained in a launch statement.
Kumho’s UK distributor Micheldever Tyre Services and alloy wheel manufacturer OZ Racing have formed an alliance to make “ultra competitively priced” wheel and UHP tyre packages available through ECSTA Performance Centres nationwide. The tyre maker says that every sort of vehicle from Fiestas to Ferraris are catered for, and purchasers can choose from the OZ Racing line up of rims or the OZ Racing-designed MSW alloy wheel collection. All rims, Kumho adds, are TÜV approved and manufactured to the highest possible standard. The rims are available for cars, SUVs and MPVs in a “vast array” of finishes and sizes from 14 to 22-inch.
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