In 2005 Michelin, Europe’s leading agricultural tyre supplier, focused its efforts on promoting its Xeobib and CargoXbib product lines. At the same time the global manufacturer launched the Exelagri dealer scheme as a way of strengthening its relationship with dealers on local and regional levels.
(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin North America (MNA) said that it will begin selling its Michelin and BFGoodrich branded agricultural tyres in Mexico as of 1 January, 2006. The tyres will be available through a “network of select dealers” in Mexico. MNA will offer radial Michelin brand tyres, and “value priced” BFGoodrich units.
The last six winners of the Dakar Rally have claimed victory on BFGoodrich tyres. The manufacturer now has a special BFGoodrich team competing in next year’s event and wanted to offer tyre dealers the opportunity to win a place in the driving seat. And so the Adventure Raid was born.
Newly released data produced by JD Power and Associated, ranks Michelin as the best OE tyre supplier in terms of US customer satisfaction. The study is based on responses from more than 32,000 new-vehicle owners who purchased a vehicle between 2003 and 2004. Overall satisfaction of OE tyres is based on performance in five factors: wearability, appearance, traction, ride and handling.
Michelin achieves the highest OE tyre satisfaction index score in each of the four segments included in the study: luxury/sport; mass-market/non-luxury; pickup/full-size van; and SUV. Michelin leads all four segments in the five factors contributing to customer satisfaction. However, Michelin-owned BFGoodrich did not fare so well, coming bottom in the luxury sport segment and receiving mediocre marks in the mass-market report.
(Akron/Tire Review) For the second time this year, Michelin North America (MNA) is raising prices on some of its commercial tyre product lines. Prices on Michelin and BFGoodrich branded replacement medium truck tyres will jump three to five per cent, MNA said. The increase will hit direct-billed fleet accounts as of 1 July, but won’t hit dealer accounts until 1 September, the company said.
Prices on OTR tyres sold in North America will increase by an average of 7 per cent, from the same date. Prices on replacement market agricultural tyres sold in Canada will go up five per cent on average, while agricultural tyre prices for US customers will increase by an average of eight per cent, also from 1 July.
(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin North America (MNA) has announced price increases affecting passenger and light truck tyres. OE and replacement tyre prices for Michelin, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal and private and associate brands sold in Canada, Mexico and the US will increase by up to 8 per cent, the tyre maker said. The increases are effective in July and result from “continuing increases in raw material costs,” according to MNA.
Michelin North America’s BFGoodrich Tire division is planning to sponsor the new Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series, Tire Review has reported.
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Michelin North America has announced that it is voluntarily recalling 20,000 of its BFGoodrich Land Terrain P235/75R15 size tyres, according to a Tire Review report. The tyre are being recalled after a routine quality inspection process found that the affected tyres were produced with the required tread wear indicators. MNA said there is no performance problems with the tyres, which are primarily sold through Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire stores, the magazine reported. The recalled tyres all have the following DOT code: AN HL B411 and end with the last four digits 0904 through 3304 and mould numbers: 40381 and 40382.
Michelin North America is increasing U.S. replacement tyre prices on a variety of product lines.
• Passenger and light truck tyres will increase by up to 5 percent on Michelin brand and up to 6 percent on BFGoodrich, Uniroyal and private and associate brands effective March 1, 2005.
• Commercial truck tyres will increase by up to 6 percent on both Michelin and BFGoodrich brands effective March 1, 2005.
• Earthmover tyres will increase by 5 percent effective Jan. 1, 2005.
• Agricultural tyres will increase by up to 6 percent for radial tyres and up to 12 percent for bias tyres effective Jan. 1, 2005
• General aviation tyres will increase 5 percent worldwide effective April 1, 2005.
After “exceptional growth” in the first half of 2004, Group Michelin has posted third quarter results that show slowdown in sales growth.
At the end of September Michelin Tire North America announced that it has recalled 46,000 passenger car and light trucks. Now the company is extending that recall to include the other markets that the tyres were supplied to.
The associated press is reporting that workers at the Michelin-owned BF Goodrich plant in Ontario, Canada voted 94 per cent in favour of an offer from the tyre manufacturer, ending a strike of nearly three-months.
The labour dispute between the United Steel Workers of America (USWA) and Michelin appears to have come to an end as the two sides have reached a tentative agreement.
Although Michelin North America Inc. and the United Steelworkers of America have been under self-imposed deadline pressure to come to terms with the negotiations on a new contract agreement, both parties remained at the table when the fixed date for a conclusion passed by.
Workers at BFGoodrich’s plant in Kitchener, Ontario, began strike action on June 1st in a protest against changes made to their contracts. United Steelworker’s Ontario Director, Wayne Fraser, says that workers produce “a number of high quality tyres and are not prepared to accept deep cuts to their benefits.”
The Michelin owned company is demanding that workers pay a portion of their health benefits and is imposing a lifetime cap on health care benefits for future retirees. Plans to contract out jobs have also angered the workers who feel that their livelihood is being threatened.
Representatives from the local union and the Canadian Ministry of Labour spent the previous weekend trying to negotiate a settlement, but BFGoodrich was unwilling to make any concessions.
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