Australia and New Zealand
A portion of the land from Bridgestone Australia’s former manufacturing site in Salisbury, Adelaide has been donated to the local council for community use. The land was officially donated to the City of Salisbury at a ceremony held on April 12.
Goodyear has announced a number of key personnel changes in the Asia Pacific region. On March 1, Mike Martens took charge of the tyre maker’s Melbourne-based Australia and New Zealand business, replacing Judith Swales, who, according to Goodyear’s Asia Pacific president Pierre Cohade, has “decided to leave Goodyear to pursue her interest of holding non executive board positions in Australia.” The 25-year Goodyear veteran will continue his role as vice president of Asia Pacific OTR.
Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand have donated AU$100,000 (£62,000) to the New Zealand Red Cross Earthquake Appeal, a charity fund set up to assist those affected by the earthquake which struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch on February 22. The 6.3 magnitude quake caused significant loss of life and injury, as well as severely damaging buildings, infrastructure and services; Bridgestone Australia Ltd's group chairman and managing director Nobuyuki Mieno said the earthquake had "deeply affected the entire Bridgestone family.
In response to flooding that has affected an area large enough to swallow up a good-sized European country, Bridgestone Australia Ltd has announced a donation of AU$100,000 (₤62,000) to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Appeal. In addition, the company will also be holding the Bridgestone Flood Appeal across its retail network from Friday, January 21, where participating Bridgestone stores will conduct fundraising activities.
As part of what it calls a “growing commitment to the Australian market”, Kumho Tyre Australia has opened a new AU$10 million (£5.9 million) purpose built distribution centre in Western Sydney. The company states the 5,000 square metre warehouse operation, which can hold up to 100,000 tyres, will greatly enhance the company's efficiency and ability to service the growing number of Kumho retailers.
Australian football club Brisbane Roar has received a sponsorship boost after signing a one-year deal with tyre maker Shandong Linglong. The team, which plays in the nation’s premier A-league, has welcomed the Chinese company’s Australian presence, Linglong Tyres, as ‘front of short’ sponsors.
In the off-highway tyre sector, Balkrishna Industries Limited – better known as BKT – is going from strength to strength. When Tyres & Accessories met with senior BKT management at the Reifen 2010 show, we learned the Indian manufacturer holds the ambition of attaining segment leadership within five years and a ten per cent market share. And as the top men at BKT outlined, this goal is no idle dream.
Michelin Australia has initiated a voluntary recall of some 1,900 Spanish manufactured truck tyres after identifying an issue that may lead to a rapid loss of pressure. The 305/70 R22.5 XZE2+ TL 152/148L tyres were sold between December 2008 and May 2010 and bear the identification DOT HA 3M BJC X followed by the number (for the week and year) 4508 to 1510.
Tyre production down under has come to an end with the closure of Bridgestone’s Salisbury factory in Adelaide. On April 30 the company held a private ceremony and barbeque for employees to mark the final day of operations. Many of the 600 or so workers, now out of work, were long-term Bridgestone employees, and emotions amongst staff were mixed.
On April 1, new regulations covering the use of winter tyres will take effect in New Zealand. The new requirements included in the Land Transport: Tyres and Wheels Amendment Rule prohibit the mixing of winter tyres with other types of tyres on the same vehicle. This ban applies to passenger cars, 4x4s, vans, small buses and light commercial vehicles.
YHI International produces some of the best known wheel brands (such as OZ, Enkei, Advanti, Breyton and Konig) in the business. However up till now, with the exception of some high profile motorsport supply deals such as with Formula One, virtually all of these have been destined for the European and global replacement markets. When Tyres & Accessories interviewed YHI Manufacturing (Singapore) PTE Ltd CEO, Thomas Lee at the company’s Shanghai wheel production at the end of 2009, the executive suggested that both original equipment supply and further motorsport activities could be in the offing for the manufacturer.
In the first half of 2009, the effects of the global recession meant YHI International Ltd experienced a continuation of the “slow” period that was evident during the fourth quarter of 2008. By the third quarter of the year sales were comparable with the same period in 2008. The further quarter of 2009 brought with it tentative signs of recovery, with company representatives telling T&A that early “signals of economic recovery appeared to be true.”
Some say he is holidaying in Australia this February, and that during his down under jaunt he’ll be performing his world-first driving stunt – all we know is, he’s called the Stig, and Bridgestone is offering its Australian devotees the chance to drive like the Top Gear tame racing driver.
According to a survey conducted by Goodyear Dunlop in New Zealand, some 16 per cent of all vehicles in the country’s major centres have at least one unroadworthy tyre. The 1,600 vehicles surveyed in the cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch showed a 40 per cent increase in tyre-related defects over a similar survey conducted in 1999.
Infinity Tyres continues its worldwide brand expansion with the announcement of the appointment of Tim Sanders as general manager for Infinity Australia and New Zealand. Following the appointments of Martin West and Martin Lumb in Europe, the latest recruitment action continues the strengthening of the global Infinity management team and demonstrates the commitment and investment now being placed behind the Infinity brand.
Australia’s Motor Magazine has published its 2009 tyre test, and Goodyear is quite pleased about how its Eagle F1 Asymmetric has faired up. The Goodyear tyre scored 131.4 points across all the test categories, almost a full 17 points ahead of the next best performer, Dunlop’s SP Sport Maxx GT.
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