Joe Greenwell, vice president, governmental affairs at Ford of Europe, will be the next president of SMMT, from 1 January 2009. Greenwell will succeed Graham Smith OBE, senior vice-president, Toyota Motor Europe, who steps down at the end of his two year term.
Manbat Batteries, the UK’s largest battery distributor, has launched its revamped website, which hopes to provide users with more information and greater ease-of-use. As well as the customary information regarding Manbat’s trading history and locations, the website provides the latest news, developments and products for the trade and consumer alike.
Following October’s report that construction work on Kumho’s Georgia, US factory was being delayed due to the global economic downturn and reduced automotive industry output, media sources continue to indicate a postponement, but not a cancellation, of the factory’s completion.
According to the Ukrainian news agency ‘RBK-Ukraine’, in the coming weeks almost every vehicle manufacturing plant in the Ukraine will close down. The vice-president of “UkrAutoprom” (Association of the Ukrainian motor vehicle manufacturers) Jukhim Khazan has stated that in mid-December 2008 production will halt at most automotive factories in the region. “Nearly all the facilities will stop production,” he said. “Neither AutoKraZ Holding’s nor ZAZ (Zaporizhia Automobile Building Plant) facilities will remain manufacturing. Boryspil Autoplant has already suspended production. These plants will be followed by assembly enterprises.”
The Indian tyre industry is around eighty years old, but over the past decade has seen significant growth and has played a major role in the growth of the Indian automotive industry. The total value of industry sales in 2006 and 2007 was Rs 190 billion (£2.49 billion) and its export value was Rs 26 billion (£341.18 million).
To give industry participants and observers a greater insight into the Indian tyre market, Icfai Books, a division of Icfai University in Hyderabad, India, has published a reference book titled “Tyre Industry in India – Issues and Outlooks”. This publication contains information on numerous issues including the evolution and growth of the Indian tyre industry, directional trends, SWOT analysis and the industry’s competitiveness. Separate chapters are dedicated to all the major Indian based manufacturers.
Trax JH Ltd has announced the appointment of Martin Blakey in the new role of international business development manager. Blakey’s appointment has been made in support of the company’s growth and export market development ambitions, which aim to propel Trax into a leading position in the field of European manufacturers of balance weights.
Seeing the positive in the current global economic doom and gloom, the organiser of next March’s Tyrexpo Asia says the exhibition is ready to act as an international tyre forum that will serve to help businesses weather the credit-crunch by introducing cash-conscious buyers to volume-chasing suppliers and manufacturers.
With tyre and equipment businesses under pressure around the world from falling automotive sales and low consumer confidence, ECI International believes the stage is set for the exhibition to deliver much-needed vitality and innovation into the global market. “Every business is looking at its costs and margins, so the opportunity to meet new suppliers and distributors who can help achieve efficiencies has never been more important,” said ECI’s Paul Farrant.
Reuters reports that South Korean tyre manufacturers began to cut output during November. The news source says that its information has come from the country’s top companies in the field, such as Hankook.
On 25 November, shares in the country’s automotive industry players took a nosedaive, with Kia down 12.07 per cent – falling for the second session in a row – and Hankook down 9.26 per cent.
The Dubai based Juma Al Majid Group has celebrated 50 years of business with Yokohama tyre. The group, dealers for the Japanese brand in the United Arab Emirates, marked this milestone on November 27.
“There are different kinds of companies,” commented Juma Al Majid, founder and chairman of the group. “One type looks for its own benefit, but when there is a company that looks out for both sides, it can maintain the relationship for 50 years and more.”
Precision Point, the Warwick, UK-based engineering company, will launch two new wheel alignment gauges at the fast-approaching Autosport International Aftermarket Show. The Trak-Rite PPL40+ is a remodel of the company’s successful PPL40 gauge, while the Trak-Rite 2 is an all new alignment tool; the latest in the range of competitively priced wheel alignment gauges. Precision Point is the established name behind innovative wheel alignment equipment widely used across the motorsport and automotive industries by both professional teams and amateurs alike.
Both models use a laser beam system to verify wheel alignment to an accuracy of five minutes within a measuring range of plus or minus two degrees and they are battery powered making them portable and user-friendly. The British-made products are precision engineered, robust and accurate and are suitable for a range of vehicles with 10” to 24” diameter wheels.
Unipart Automotive has invested £1 million in a new branch and Area Distribution Centre (ADC) in Solihull, creating 20 new jobs. Allan McNish, 2008 Le Mans 24hr race winner, officially opened the new 14,000 sq ft Birmingham South branch on Wednesday 19 November 2008.
This major investment by the motor parts distributor will enable it to better service the needs of motor trade customers, with access to over 25,000 product lines giving excellent off-the-shelf availability. A delivery service from the largest fleet in Birmingham, comprising 27 Unipart vans, will provide fast local delivery.
On November 19 Rhodia inaugurated its new International Research & Development Center, located in Shanghai. Created to focus upon the group’s activities in the Asia-Pacific zone, this centre is the fifth major R&D centre operating by Rhodia globally. As such, Rhodia says it will help the group achieve its ambitious growth and development objectives in Asia.
Rhodia reports the centre will specialise on the development of high technology innovations that respect the principles of sustainable development and aim to provide cost-effective solutions for the automotive, electrical, electronic and other markets.
Despite reportedly “drastically reduced visitor numbers at SEMA 2008,” PCL says its stand attracted the usual flow of customers to its stand. Tyre inflations products were said to have been an especially hot topic this year due to Barack Obama’s campaign comments about tyre inflation. Whilst John McCain was quick to ridicule Obama’s statement that the expansion of offshore drilling could be prevented by keeping tyres inflated, it is true that ensuring tyres have the accurate pressure can reduce CO2 emissions, save fuel and prevent potentially fatal accidents.
PCL says the company has experienced high acceptance on the US market, with a fast-expanding customer base satisfied with the performance of its market-leading products. Visitors to SEMA were reportedly keen to check out the automotive industry’s most advanced handheld and mobile nitrogen inflation equipment, and find out how every little helps when it comes to energy savings and safety.
Job cuts are said to be a possibility at Pirelli & C. SpA. According to Italian labour union Filcem, whose comments have been published by Bloomberg, the company will eliminate approximately 200 administrative jobs in Milan and will probably continue to idle plants to counter a global drop in demand.
Circulating talk of imminent redundancies at Continental Tire North America’s Mount Vernon factory are just rumours, a company official reported on November 18. While the company has reduced its temporary workforce by approximately 50 employees, the facilities 2000+ permanent employees have not been affected.
“We have been adjusting our production levels and controlling inventories to bring them in line with where the current market demands are,” Hank Eisenga, vice president for manufacturing at the plant told Illinois newspaper The Southern. “Rumours of major layoffs have been circulating, and that’s not the case. We are reducing some of our temporary workforce but we do not anticipate anything in the nature of layoffs to our permanent workforce.”
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