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Watts Becomes Certified Toyota Supplier

Watts Industrial Tyres was recently names as one of 20 select suppliers who achieved “Certified” status at Toyota’s annual supplier meeting in Ancenis near Nantes, France. In addition the company was one of only 13 suppliers presented with a special award for delivering 100 per cent of product to line on time over the assessed 12-month period.

Toyota Industrial Equipment S.A. (TIE SA) has grown substantially since the factory was built in Ancenis, near Nantes, on the West coast of France, and produced its first forklifts in 1996. TIE introduced its Certification process in 2004, with scores awarded to its suppliers for their performance in four key categories, quality, cost, delivery and environmental management. Watts Industrial Tyres achieved an overall score of 94 per cent for 2006 with Toyota awarding “Certified” status to those suppliers who achieve 90% or higher.

15th June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

WTO: Brazil Retread Import Ban ‘Inconsistent’ With Trade Rule

After an extended period of consideration and consultation, the World Trade Organisation has ruled that Brazil’s ban on imports of retreaded tyres from Europe is not consistent with its international trade rules. As a result, the panel recommended that its ”Dispute Settlement Body request Brazil to bring these inconsistent measures…into conformity with its obligations under the GATT 1994.” However, the Brazilian government had continued to import retreads from neighbouring countries in the Mercosur trade group, leaving itself open for accusations of protectionism. The Brazilian government reportedly has no plans to appeal.

In a 241-page decision, the WTO investigative panel ruled that, while Brazil could restrict trade in certain goods on environmental and medical grounds, this does not apply to European retreads and cannot be used to aid trade discrimination or protectionism. The Associated Press quoted Stephen Adams, a trade official for the European Commission, as saying the European Union is “strongly in favour of environmental and public health protection, but Brazil's measures do not serve those objectives.”

13th June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Up Close and Personal With Dunlop

(SA Treads – South Africa) April of this year marked the end of an era. Industry icon, Pierre Dreyer, outgoing managing director of Dunlop Tyres SA and Mike Hankinson, CEO, officially announced their joint retirement from Dunlop and the tyre industry as a whole, in a move that will see them pursuing new business ventures and personal aspirations in the months and years to come. Simultaneously, Brazilian-born Dr Luis Ceneviz assumed the role of managing director of Dunlop Tyres SA on 1 April 2007. Amidst all the last-minute frenzied activity, we managed to secure an exclusive interview with all three, to not only recap any historic milestones the Company may have achieved, but gain some insight into what we can expect from this new tyre manufacturer going forward.

1st June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear to Supply Tyres for Updated Boeing 737 Line-Up

A six-year contract has been signed between the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and Boeing Commercial Airplanes for the OE supply of aviation tyres for the Boeing Next-Generation 737 airliner range. The deal announced by the two companies on May 31 will see Goodyear supply flight leader and flight radial tyres for the Boeing 737 nose gear and flight leader tyres for the main gear.

Pierre Jambon, general manager for Goodyear’s global aviation tyre business, said, “This contract is significant, due to the importance of Boeing 737 aircraft in the world’s airline fleets. Because of Goodyear’s global footprint, this supply arrangement also allows us to expand our position with replacement tyres and tyre services.” He further added “our tyres must withstand the stress of repeated takeoffs and landings and the substantial speeds and loads of large aircraft. Thus, aircraft tyres are a showcase for Goodyear’s substantial technological capabilities.”

Goodyear aviation tyres are manufactured in the US, Thailand and Brazil. Currently the US tyremaker is the world’s largest supplier of tyres for commercial, military and general aviation aircraft.

1st June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Marangoni Launches Ringbuilder 3000

For Marangoni Retreading Systems, innovation Ringtread retreading technology is guided by the concept of a “production island”, i.e. a highly automated multi-purpose work centre with input of raw materials (compounds and tyre for retreading) and output of the end product (the retreaded tyre). The result of this philosophy is the new generation of “Ringbuilder” building machines, in version 3000 for large retreading firms and 2500 for medium-sized retreaders. Taking up from where the previous RB2500 left off, the RB 3000 further develops the concept of high-level automation and throughput.

31st May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Vipal: Aiming for the Top Three

Already represented in more than 90 countries, 2006 saw Borrachas Vipal’s exports grow roughly 30 per cent as the retreading materials and repair company took steps to increase its presence in the main European markets. Going forward, Vipal’s willingness to utilise its strong production capacity should not be underestimated. Early indications are the Brazilian company is making headway in its plans to become a top-three player in the European retreading materials market.

The Brazilian retread market, the second largest in the world, covers approximately 8.5 million units, 90 per cent of which are cold retreads. Here, on home turf, Vipal controls a commanding lead in terms of market share, holding roughly 43 per cent. Such a figure is streets ahead of the well-known European market leaders’ South American subsidiaries (Marangoni do Brasil, for example, has a market share of around 6 per cent).

25th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Viva Brasil, Viva Ringnet

This March, members of the Ringnet, the specialist Europe-wide network of retreaders and resellers of RINGTREAD tyres, met in Brazil to celebrate the first two successful years of activity of the network. The event, organised by Marangoni Retreading Systems and called Viva Brasil Ringnet Tour 2007, saw the participation of the Ringnet members who in 2006 achieved the objectives set as part of an intense marketing campaign for the promotion of Ringtread tyres with the end user.

The Viva Brasil event took place from 16 to 25 March, in Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, and culminated in the convention held at the Ouro Minas Hotel in Belo Horizonte. The convention was attended not only by the Ringnet Europe member companies, but also by Brazilian retreaders, customers of Marangoni do Brasil, which were invited with the aim of presenting the Ringnet project for the local network.

16th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Passes the 100 Million Mark in China

In late March Hankook Tire celebrated a significant milestone – the 100 millionth tyre manufactured by the company in China came off the production line at Hankook’s Jiaxing facility in Zhejiang Province. This achievement is noteworthy not only in terms of Hankook’s presence in China, but it also serves as a reminder of the speed at which the country’s tyre industry has developed – China’s National Bureau of Statistics records the nation’s total tyre production in 2006 to be 433 million units, a 15 per cent year on year increase.

Speaking on this topic in early 2007, Cho Choong Hwan, vice chairman and former CEO of Hankook Tire, remarked that production from within the BRIC nations – Brazil, Russia, India and China – was growing at a faster rate than domestic demand, meaning that exports from these market were growing considerably, particularly from China.

9th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Publishes “Very Strong” First Quarter Figures

Continental AG’s consolidated sales for the first quarter of 2007 rose by 9.8 per cent compared with the same period of the previous year to 3.964 billion. At the same time EBIT rose by 24 per cent to 436.8 million euros, up from 352.4 million the previous year. For the first three months of 2007, there was a free cash flow of -119.8 million euros, down from -230.2 million. Net debt was 141.3 million euros higher than at year-end 2006. “This was mainly incurred through the financing of the acquisition of the automotive electronics business of Motorola and the contributions to the Contractual Trust Arrangement (CTA) of 630 million euros,” explained CFO Dr. Alan Hippe.

4th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Wente Joins Continental AG Executive Board

The Supervisory Board of Continental AG has appointed Heinz-Gerhard Wente (56), member of the Executive Board of ContiTech AG, to the Executive Board of Continental AG. The decision will take effect from 3 May 2007 when he will assume responsibility for Human Resources at Continental AG in addition to his current function at ContiTech AG. Wente will also serve as Continental AG’s Director of Labor Relations.

Wente succeeds Thomas Sattelberger who has held the position of Continental AG’s Human Resources director since July 1, 2003. Sattelberger had requested the Supervisory Board of Continental AG that he be granted early release from his contract and premature termination of his appointment to Continental AG’s Executive Board in order to take up a new challenge in another large company.

27th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

WTO Interim Panel Rules for EU in Brazil Retread Dispute

A WTO panel has reportedly made a preliminary ruling in favour of the EU’s complaint against Brazil’s retread import restrictions. According to local news sources, a confidential interim report circulated to the two parties on 12 March ruled that Brasilia’s policy of allowing imports from its Mercosur trade bloc while banning them from the rest of the world was not consistent with WTO rules. It is extremely rare that WTO dispute panels reverse the findings of their interim rulings.

Despite the apparent setback, Brazilian officials have expressed some satisfaction with the decision, suggesting that the findings would, if maintained, allow them to retain the measures with only modest adjustments.

16th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Opens New UHP Factory in Romania

Pirelli Tyre’s IPO last summer completely failed when the parent company was required to sell about 39 per cent of its tyre division Pirelli Tyre S.p.A. to a group of corporate investors from the banking sector rather than to private shareholders. And it will soon be seen whether these moves have actually more than merely temporarily quenched the parent company’s thirst for money. It appears that the tyre maker’s parent company, Pirelli & C. S.p.A., continues to have problems. Its shareholding in Telecom Italia has always been troublesome and was (and is still) obviously not fulfilling high expectations. Only recently more and higher depreciations had to be integrated into Pirelli’s balance sheet because the stock price of Telecom Italia proved unable to recover. In glaring contrast, however, is Pirelli’s tyre business.

1st March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Marangoni Ringnet Expands in Eastern Europe

(Akron/Tire Review) The Marangoni Ringnet network is steadily expanding throughout the U.K., Iberian peninsula, Germany, Scandinavia, Benelux and central and eastern Europe, according to Marangoni Retreading Systems. Ringnet is Marangoni’s European network of retreaders and dealers of Marangoni Ringtreads. The network was officially launched in Italy at the Autopromotec exhibition in May 2005.

22nd February 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Boosts Profits in 2006

Continental AG has announced that its 2006 sales and earning figures have, for the fifth time in a row, outperformed the previous year’s figures. The company’s Passenger and Light Truck Tires division increased its sales to 4,693.6 million euros (£3,156.5), up 5.6 per cent compared with 2005. Conti’s executive board chairman and person in charge of the division, Manfred Wennemer, said “In view of various negative impacts, particularly the 169 million euro increase in raw material costs, we have done a really good job, also in comparison with our competitors.” Sales volume was slightly higher than in 2005, with 106.3 million tyres sold.

22nd February 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

RubberNetwork and Webb Negocios Announce Joint Venture

US based RubberNetwork, a consortium of the companies participating in the global tyre and rubber industry, and Brazil based Webb Negocios, a company specialising in consulting, ebusiness and outsourcing Company, announce the formation of a jointly owned enterprise, RubberNetwork-Webb. The newly constituted company builds on a five-year commercial relationship between RubberNetwork and Webb and draws on the strengths of both companies. The venture will offer a range of Supply Chain services aimed at reducing costs and improving efficiency to companies in the community of the tyre and rubber industry.

7th February 2007/by Tyrepress Editors