German specialty chemicals group Lanxess has founded a dedicated company for the Middle East, Lanxess Middle East GmbH. The company has its offices in Dubai and is being headed up by managing director Elie Saad, who has held a number of positions within the Lanxess group and was most recently the head of the global polymer additives business in within the company’s Functional Chemicals business unit.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, the 260,000 member union that represents tyre and metal industry workers, states it will engage in collective bargaining with employers this year to gain a number of benefits for its members, including a 20 per cent across the board wage increase. Other benefits it seeks include agreement contracts with a minimum one-year’s duration and a ban on labour brokers.
ATS Euromaster is helping to construct the largest single tyre wall in the world after supplying a truckload of scrap tyres to an exciting rural development project in Newstead, Nottinghamshire. The tyres are being used to form the building blocks of a new visitor centre and café, after Newstead became one of six villages to receive a grant from the Village SOS project, sponsored by Big Lottery Fund and the BBC.
Lanxess has announced the temporary closure of its office in Tokyo. For the time being, management from the Tokyo office will be based in Toyohasi, some 250 kilometres southwest of the Japanese capital. The specialty chemicals firm’s Rhein Chemie operates a production facility for rubber chemicals in Toyohashi.
A Taiwan based news source has reported claims by a domestic vehicle components supplier that China intends to make the fitment of tyre pressure monitoring systems mandatory on new cars. Kim Tsai, chairman of Mobiletron Electronics, aims for his firm to seize at least ten per cent of the market boosted by this policy – a market expected to create business opportunities in excess of NT$20 billion (£422 million).
Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera has resigned from his position on the advisory board of the Libyan Investment Authority, which is the eighth largest shareholder of the multinational financial institution UniCredit, according to a Reuters report. The decision to resign came “in the face of the tragic events that are hitting the Libyan people,” according to a Pirelli statement. Tronchetti Provera has been on the LIA’s investment committee since March 2009.
Three changes within Yokohama Rubber’s senior management were decided upon at the company’s board of directors meeting on February 14. These changes, effective April 1, 2011, include the promotion of Hikomitsu Noji to a director and senior managing corporate officer role. Noji is currently director and managing corporate officer, president of Tire Group and general manager of Tire Global Production Division. As of April Mr. Noji’s more concise job title will be director and senior managing corporate officer and president of Tire Group.
Preparations for Michel Rollier’s eventual departure from Michelin are to commence after the Group managing general partner expressed his intention not to complete his term of office. According to Michelin bylaws this would occur when Rollier turns 72, however in agreement with the company’s Supervisory Board the 67-year old intends to recommend shareholders elect Jean-Dominique Senard –one of the company’s two non-general managing partners elected in May 2007 – to replace him as managing general partner. Shareholders are expected to vote on this at the Extraordinary Meeting scheduled for May 13, 2011. At this meeting shareholders will also be invited to approve resolutions to adjust the Group’s corporate governance procedures, Michelin notes.
At its February 3 extraordinary meeting, the Lanxess AG Supervisory Board agreed to revoke the contract of chief financial officer and Board of Management member Matthias Zachert. This measure was taken at Zachert’s request, Lanxess reports. The 43-year old has served on the Lanxess Board of Management since 2004.
This year Continental intends to hire around 1,500 university graduates and young professionals worldwide, for both its tyre and other automotive businesses. Announcing Conti’s planned intake for 2011, the company’s Executive Board member for Human Resources, Heinz-Gerhard Wente said some 400 from this total would be based within Germany. Recruits with engineering and natural science majors are particularly sought after, however the company will also take on business and economics graduates – Conti says recruits with a commercial background will account for approximately 300 of the 1,500 new positions, while the remainder will join the 30,000 or so engineers that currently work in various areas of production and research & development at Continental.
Wegmann Automotive has named Thorsten Thom as its new managing director. The 40 year-old industrial engineering graduate ascended to the position on 1 January 2011. He joins Felix Bode and Markus Vogler on the Group's board of directors.
As a means of thanks for their contribution to the company’s recovery from the recession, Continental AG’s 146,000 employees worldwide will receive a one-off payment. Executive Board member responsible for human resources, Heinz-Gerhard Wente, announced that a total of 45 million euros has been set aside for this purpose. “After the serious economic and financial crises last year, our employees throughout the world demonstrated their commitment, working hard to contribute substantially to Continental’s speedier-than-expected recovery,” he said. “In recognition of this commitment, the Executive Board decided on the one-off payment for the spring of 2011, even though the company is still facing several major challenges.” Exactly how much an employee will receive depends on where he or she lives, however. While Continental’s 45,000 workers in Germany will receive 400 euros, those employed in lands with ‘lower living costs’ will receive only 200 euros.
Following the occurrence of what it calls as “recent events”, the Tire Industry Association (TIA) has publicly reiterated its “complete, ongoing support” for the Board of Directors, staff, and members of the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB). In a letter sent to TRIB, TIA executive vice president Roy Littlefield stated “we know that this has been a time of great change within TRIB, but we are confident that the recent decisions made by the TRIB Board of Directors were reached through a careful, deliberative process and will result in TRIB being an even stronger, healthier organisation that is well-poised to take on the challenges facing the retreading industry.
While interim TRIB managing director, Marvin Bozarth was writing to the retreading association’s membership introducing himself, his predecessor Harvey Brodsky has been busy forming another association. According to online news reports, Brodsky has formed his own retreading organization. Like TRIB this new association – the Retread Tire Association – is said to be a non-profit, 501(c)(6) entity that is “dedicated to promoting and expanding retreading and proper tyre repairing throughout the world, with no closed doors and no closed meetings.”
The Tire Retread & Repair Bureau of Information will not hold a special membership meeting during the upcoming Global Tire Expo powered by TIA in Las Vegas, reports Tire Review. Former TRIB managing director Harvey Brodsky had announced the meeting on 3 October.
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