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Hayes Lemmerz Ventures to Turkey

Hayes Lemmerz International has formed an aluminum wheel joint venture in Manisa, Turkey. The new company, Jantas Aliminyum Jant Sanayi ve Ticaret AS (Jantas Aluminum Wheels), will predominantly serve the Turkish market, but will also deal with other European markets. Production is scheduled to begin at the end of 2005 and it is estimated that it will produce up to 1.5 million wheels annually.

Three companies are involved in the business venture; 40 per cent will be owned by Hayes Lemmerz, 35 per cent by Cromodora Wheels and 25 per cent by Inci Holding A.S. Financial. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

10th August 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Hosts Seminar On Rubber Tree Parasites

In Brazil recently, Michelin hosted the world’s first research seminar on parasites that attack rubber trees (hevea) and which are threatening the rubber industry in Central and Latin America. Microcyclus Ulei is a parasite that attacks and eventually kills rubber trees and Michelin has set up a laboratory and research centre at its plantation in Bahia, Brazil, where 14 resistant varieties of hevea have been identified and are being tested.

11th May 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin 1Q results – Volumes rise as European and US markets grow

Michelin’s first quarter results show that the group’s net sales totalled 3.799 billion Euro; up 3.9 per cent on the 1Q 2003 figure of 3.654 billion Euro. If currency fluctuations are factored out, the increase would be nearer 9.5 per cent. In tonnage terms, volumes rose 7.6 per cent over 1Q 2003. Net Sales by Product 1Q 04 were as follows millions of Euros: Car/light truck: 1,842.3. Truck: 995.5. Other businesses: 1,187.6. Inter-sector eliminations: – 226.4. Total: 3,799.0.

28th April 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental To Invest In Brazil, Malaysia

Continental AG plans to invest more than 250 million euro in building a new tyre production facility in Camacari (Bahia/Brazil) and expanding capacity in Malaysia with joint venture partner Sime Darby (car tyres in Alor Setar, truck tyres in Kuala Lumpur).

16th March 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Raw Material Costs Hit Michelin’s 2003 Figures

Michelin has released its 2003 year-end figures. These show net sales of 15.4 billion euro (down 1.8 per cent on 2002), although sales volume (in tons) rose by 3.7 per cent. Operating income was down 6.7 per cent, to 1.143 billion euro and net income was down 47 per cent, to 329 million euro. The main impact on the figures came from sharply-increasing raw material costs, which rose by 21 per cent (in US$) during the year. Currency fluctuations and several one-off extraordinary items also had a negative effect on the figures. Michelin believes that, in the light of these exceptional cost increases, its 2003 figures show that the company is resilient, with increased investment and a strengthened global presence. The company claims a worldwide tyre market share of 19.2 per cent.

25th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

New Bridgestone CEO Eyes Profit-Making

Mark Emkes says his top priority as the new chief executive of Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. is to make the division he headed the past year turn a profit. As the Nashville-based business continues its turnaround from a devastating tyre recall in 2000, three units are making money. Not Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, which includes tyre manufacturing and sales of wholesale and original equipment. “We’ve made nice progress over the last 12 months, but the goal for 2004-2005 is to make that business profitable,” said Emkes, who will continue heading that division even as he takes over the entire company after John Lampe retires on March 31st.

12th January 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear majors with Volvo

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced that it has reached global supply agreements to become a major tyre supplier to the Volvo Group in Europe and Brazil. Last month, Goodyear was named standard equipment tyre supplier for the Volvo Group’s Volvo and Mack truck operations in North America. Goodyear, with the three-year contracts, will now be a key supplier to the Volvo Group’s three major truck brands – Mack, Renault and Volvo – on three continents. “Reaching this global agreement with a world-class customer such as Volvo is a major accomplishment and a testament to Goodyear’s product quality, technology and customer service – not only on one continent, but on three,” said Robert J. Keegan, Goodyear’s chairman and chief executive officer.

19th December 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear wins further Volvo contracts

Goodyear has won global agreements to supply OE tyres to the Volvo Group in Europe and Brazil, following the recent award of a North American supply contract. The three-year contracts mean that Goodyear will be a key supplier to Volvo’s three major truck brands – Mack, Renault and Volvo. The tyres will be produced at Goodyear’s factories in Danville (Kansas), Colmar Berg (Luxembourg), Wittlich (Germany), Kranj (Slovenia) and Sao Paulo (Brazil).

18th December 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Latin America appointment

Eduardo A. Fortunato (50) has been appointed president of Goodyear’s Latin American tire business, succeeding Chris W. Clark. Fortunato’s previous post of president and MD of Goodyear Brazil has been taken by Chris Corcoran, currently director of sales and marketing, Latin America. Fortunato joined Goodyear in 1975 in the Engineered Products division.

5th November 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

New president for Hayes Lemmerz Europe

Hayes Lemmerz has named Fred Bentley (38) as president of the company’s European Wheel Group, succeeding Giancarlo Dallera, who has retired. Bentley joined Hayes Lemmerz in 2001, before which he held senior positions with Honeywell Consumer Products and AlliedSignal. In his new post, he reports direct to Curtis Clawson, chairman of the board and CEO, and will have responsibility for the European Fabricated Wheel and Cast Aluminium Wheel businesses, plus wheel operations in Brazil, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey and India.

7th October 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

New Pirelli Plant in Brazil

Pirelli has opened its new Feira de Santana factory in Bahia, Brazil. With a primary investment that amounts to about 120 million US dollars, the plant has 32,000 square metres of constructed area. The initial daily production is of to 2,500 high performance radial tyres, which will be destined to the domestic and Latin-American markets, as well as the American and European ones. In 2005, when the factory will be at full operating capacity, approximately 7,500 tyres will be manufactured a day. On a second phase, investments of more than 80 million US dollars are already proposed, which will allow the increase of the capacity of production to 13 thousand tyres a day.

23rd September 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Marangoni Tread success in Brazil

A success story for Marangoni is its activities in Brazil, thousands of miles from its European activities. Marangoni’s involvement in Brazil began in the early 90s as a partnership with Brazilian market leader UNISA for the transfer of technology for the manufacture and marketing of the Ringtread product. At its height, there was a network of 15 authorised RTS dealers in Brazil.

However, the serious economic downturn saw UNISA go bankrupt, threatening Marangoni’s progress in Brazil, but the operation in that country was kept alive by the determination of a group of former directors of UNISA, headed by Mr. Dary Fernando Figueiredo. The reason that Marangoni was so keen to remain established in Brazil is that the country is the world’s second largest market for retreads, with a monthly consumption of 12,000 tonnes of rubber, which corresponds to some 10 million retreaded truck tyres annually.

In 1998, Mr. Dary Fernando Figueiredo founded a new company with its head office in Sao Paulo, which had a small warehouse and just one customer. This eventually became Marangoni do Brasil and, in April 2001, a new facility was opened for the production of precured treads, representing an investment equivalent to nearly 12.6 million Euro at current exchange rates and covering an area of 53,000 square metres. Growth was rapid and, in 2002, the volume of treads produced reached 220,000, for 30 customers. The key to this success lies in the close partnership established between authorised dealers and Marangoni do Brasil; a relationship focused on the distribution of the product and the commercial assistance provided to the dealers in their work in the fleet market.

As far as Marangoni is concerned, the story is far from over, as future sales objectives involve a portfolio of more than 50 customers and sales of 550,000 retreads by the year 2005.

4th September 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Automotive Round-Up – First Quarter 2003

What of the major vehicle markets? We kick off with what has been happening in the automotive world in the first three months. Additional figures are now available from the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) for tyre production in the main markets for 2002 for car tyres and for commercial vehicle tyres.

14th May 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Currencies Affect Michelin 1Q Sales

Michelin’s first quarter sales fell 4.9 per cent year on year to 3.655 billion Euros. This was due to a strong negative effect (-10 per cent) due to the weakness of currencies in North and South America versus the Euro. Sales volumes rose, but income fell in passenger car/light truck (-4.9 per cent), heavy truck (-0.9 per cent) and other segments (-5.4 per cent). Despite these figures and a predicted decline in markets, financial analysts regard Michelin as well positioned to make progress, although lower profits for 2003 are forecast.

24th April 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Steelworkers Begin Talks With Goodyear

The United Steelworkers of America (USWA) has announced that it is beginning master contract negotiations with Goodyear in Cincinnati. The talks will address contracts covering 20,000 members and 22,000 retirees across the U.S.USWA International Vice President Andrew V. Palm will lead the USWA Goodyear/Kelly-Springfield/Dunlop bargaining team. “The security of our members’ jobs, wages, benefits and retirement earnings are our paramount concern,” he stated. “We are convinced that Goodyear can return to profitability while also ensuring these basic protections. We do not intend to allow the company to restructure itself on the backs of its workers. If they don’t see us as part of the solution, it will only compound problems.”

13th March 2003/by Tyrepress Editors