Hayes Lemmerz International recently announced that for the second consecutive year, its Turkish operation located in Manisa has received the distinctive Certificate of Achievement Award from the Association of Automotive Manufacturers. Mr. A. Ilkbahar, the President of the Automotive Manufacturers Association, presented the plaque at a recent ceremony to Mustafa Zaim, Managing Director of Hayes Lemmerz’ Turkish Wheel Operations.
Hayes Lemmerz International has announced that all facilities in its Brake and Powertrain Components Group have achieved ISO/TS 16949:2002 (with design) Certification, from the International Automotive Task Force (IATF), a worldwide consortium of automotive manufacturers and trade associations. The group’s systems were audited and certified by Smithers Quality Assessments Inc. (SQA), an independent accredited registrar. ISO/TS 16949 is an international quality management system that aligns existing American (QS-9000), German (VDA 6.1), French (EAQF) and Italian (AVSQ) automotive quality systems into a single standard, thereby eliminating the need for multiple certifications.
Sir Tom Farmer has launched is Tyres and Wheels Autocare operation and it offers the trade a new opportunity.
“The plan is,” explained Sir Tom, “that we will help people realise their ambition to develop their own businesses. We understand that there are people out there in the automotive sector who want to go out on their own, but who don’t have access to the funding. They may be excellent salesmen, mechanics, tyre technicians, but be lacking in administration skills. We can help the people with the right attitude to achieve their ambition.
“We will put up, for the right people, 100,000 poundsw to finance the co-owned business. They will have to put in between 25,000 pounds to 45,000 pounds of their own money to become a Farmer Autocare co-owner. They will have to locate the premises and we will take care of fitting out the business, developing the branding and carrying out all the administration work for the business. That leaves the co-owner free to operate the business.
“If the project requires the purchase of premises, then we will buy the premises and lease them back to the co-owners.
“Many small businesses fall down because the owner is too involved in one area or another of the business. If they devote their time to the customers and the physical side of the business they end up working till all hours doing paperwork. That isn’t good business practice. On the other hand, if they do the paperwork well they often don’t have the time to devote to their customers. Few people have the ability to run every element of their business nowadays. We can take the administration load away from them and allow them to do what they are good at, dealing with the running of the business and the customers. That’s not to say that we expect our co-owners to be out there fitting tyres, but they will have the time to manage their business, to look after the suppliers and the staff. If they don’t get the people and the suppliers right then they won’t get the customers.
“This is an opportunity for the more mature person with the energy and the enthusiasm, who wants control and who wants to work to live rather than live to work.”
Daekyung Chemical Corp. has agreed to a contract to Cooper Tire and Rubber Co.’s automotive parts group. Cooper-Standard Automotive will help design and support engineering development for engine mounting systems for future Kia and and Hyundai vehicles.
Slovakia’s chances of becoming big in the automotive industry are strong, according to Jan Bajanek, head of the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency, as several Japanese, British, and US firms are considering Slovakia as the possible site for their new plants. Bajanek said to the state-run TASR news agency that a major US producer of trucks was considering investing 400 million dollars into a factory in Slovakia that would create 2,000 jobs. According to Bajanek, Slovakia is still in a good position for the Hyundai investment, and other Asian car producers, such as Mazda and Honda, are also considering coming to Slovakia whilst Rover and the Japanese tyremaker Bridgestone are considering investing in Slovakia, Bajanek said. All good news for Matador’s automotive products division.
Rising real income in booming economies like China and Thailand are driving sales of automobiles there, Singapore companies YHI International and Stamford Tyres are poised to ride the strong tide of demand.
TBC Corporation, one of the USA’s leading marketers of automotive replacement tyres, has reported record sales and earnings for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2003.
ArvinMeritor, Inc. announced that Terry O’Rourke is resigning from his position as president and chief operating officer (COO), as well as from the Board of Directors, to pursue opportunities outside of the company. The COO position will be eliminated.
Tenneco Automotive has named Paul D. Novas vice president of finance and administration for the company’s European operations. Novas will also continue in his current role as corporate treasurer. The appointment to this newly created position is effective immediately. In his new role, Novas will oversee all finance, tax and shared service operations for Tenneco Automotive’s European businesses, which operate in Eastern and Western Europe and also include the company’s South Africa operations. In 2002, Tenneco Automotive Europe businesses accounted for 35 percent of the corporation’s world-wide revenues.
EnTire Solutions, LLC, the 50/50 joint venture of Michelin and TRW Automotive, has announced contracts with Honda and Fiat for its direct tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). EnTire Solutions, LLC is now supplying tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) for the 2004 Acura MDX luxury sport utility vehicle, and has also been selected by Fiat to provide advanced TPMS for a range of its upcoming European models. Chief Executive Officer of EnTire Solutions, LLC, Rich Wolfe, said, “It’s a boost for us to be announcing these contract wins so close to the launch of EnTire Solutions, LLC, and it reflects the extremely positive response we’ve had so far. With Michelin’s expertise in tyre systems and TRW’s electronics and integration capabilities, EnTire Solutions is built on a solid technical and operating base.”
Sir Tom Farmer is backing the automotive trade with his latest business venture. This involved a package of co-ownership where a co-owner puts up to 45,000 pounds into the business matched by 100,000 pounds of Farmer funding. Within five years the co-owner has the option to sell the business to Sir Tom Farmer. As co-owner the investor will be paid a salary, and will receive a profit related bonus each year. Sir Tom Farmer’s organisation takes care of all administration for the business, leaving the co-owner to get on with running the business on a day to day basis.
REG UK Tyre & Automotive Recycling is a subsidiary of Continental Tyres and the company name adequately explains the company’s mission.
In today’s tyre industry, the recycling of scrap tyres is a subject that has grown in importance over recent years and one which has exercised every sector of the industry. REG UK came into existence in 1997, with Conti’s John Campbell named as managing director – indeed, at that time, he was the sole employee. The concept, says John Campbell, came from the then-CEO of Continental AG, Dr. Hubertus von Grünberg. Von Grünberg recognised that Continental spent considerable sums on functions such as R&D and marketing and he believed that the company should complete the circle by offering dealers a route to dispose of their scrap tyres. The idea was tried out first in Germany, with the establishment of REG Deutschland in 1992, with REG UK following five years later.
Today, REG recycles around 40,000 tonnes of tyres annually and large volumes of tyres are being consumed in UK cement kilns, with REG being one of a number of suppliers into the cement industry (the exclusive arrangement with Blue Circle ceased at the end of the 90s). In hindsight, according to John Campbell, “This situation gave REG an opportunity to be more pro-active in its marketing and in looking for new and innovative recycling solutions.”
Not only does REG look round for recycling solutions, but it looks too for recycling opportunities. The company’s remit is not confined to any particular product area – if there is waste to be disposed of, then REG will look to see if it can become commercially involved. While the problem of tyre recycling, reprocessing and disposal is one that affects all manufacturers, there are few who have embraced it to the extent of Continental with the setting up of REG and any that wanted to move in on this market would find themselves playing catch-up. REG is already established and is profitable; living proof of the old adage that “where there’s muck, there’s brass”.
Goodyear Philippines Inc. has been recommended to receive the latest global quality certification standard, ISO/TS 16949:2002. The standard specifies quality system requirements for design, development, production and installation of automotive-related products. Goodyear Philippines is the first of the company’s factories in the ASEAN region to achieve the new standard.
TBC Corporation, one of the USA’s largest marketers of automotive replacement tyres, has announced that it has completed its acquisition of National Tire & Battery from Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Alcoa Inc. plans to consolidate all of its automotive businesses into a Farmington Hills facility in a bid to lower operating costs and develop more new products. The Pittsburgh-based company expects to accelerate engineering efforts and improve trouble-shooting, whilst becoming more cost effective with the new 86,000-square-foot automotive centre. The aluminium giant will start moving more than 300 design, engineering, sales and marketing employees into the new centre in the spring.
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