Continental Lays Cornerstone for New Plant in Brazil
Continental AG, is boosting its presence on the worldwide tyre market, having laid the cornerstone for a new tyre plant in Camacari in the Brazilian state of Bahia.
Brazil
Continental AG, is boosting its presence on the worldwide tyre market, having laid the cornerstone for a new tyre plant in Camacari in the Brazilian state of Bahia.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced that Pierre E Cohade, formerly executive vice president of worldwide water and beverage company, Groupe Danone, will become president of Goodyear’s Asia-Pacific region.
Alliance has released its second quarter financial results, showing a second straight profitable quarter after a succession of 11 negative quarters. Net income amounted to $1.2 million, compared to a $1.1 million net loss in the parallel quarter of 2003. The figures also showed a 30 per cent growth in sales in the first half of 2004 to $ 63.7 million.
The International Tyre Club is to hold its 2005 meeting in Lisbon, Portugal from March 9-11.
Club secretary James Graham pointed out the reasons behind the decision: “Although recently we have concentrated on introducing the markets of Eastern Europe to our members we do not want to over-focus on these. Other areas of Europe offer just as much new opportunity and in Lisbon we will not just be introducing new faces from Portugal itself. We will be looking to the whole of Spain, South to Morocco & NW Africa and West to Brazil. All areas of equally fast moving potential.”
The ITC’s ‘summit’ style format provides an arena for trade discussions for its tyre and wheel business members.
Club events seek to foster new and mutually beneficial commercial links in regions offering the prospect of higher than average long-term potential. Both the Czech Republic and Hungary have hosted recent successful Club meetings.
Carlos Redondo has been Pirelli’s CEO for Latin America since the beginning of 2003. Before that he was CFO for Pirelli Tyres worldwide. With a turnover of approximately 1 billion euros, about one third of Pirelli’s total worldwide turnover Mr Redondo is successfully piloting his division from its headquarters in Sao Paulo. Tyres & Accessories met Mr Redondo last month in Usuhaia, south Argentina, in conjunction with the launch of its new Sottozero winter tyre. To download the whole article as a PDF file, click here.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.