Brazil
Bridgestone has begun verification tests of its Tirematics fleet solution. In partnership with its Bridgestone do Brasil subsidiary and the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Rio de Janeiro, the tyre maker is evaluating the effectiveness of Tirematics in preventing unexpected operational problems or major delays due to tyre failures.
On 5 April Vipal welcomed Vacu Lug managing director, Tim Hercock to Salvador, Bahia as part of a visit to the retreading materials supplier’s global headquarters and production base. While Vipal Europe manager, Alessandro Campos and Vipal Rubber international business director Aldo Bastos hosted the trip, Cassiano Peliciolli, Vipal’s maintenance and engineering coordinator showed the firm’s tread rubber and motorcycle tyre production sites Bastos initial Vipal institutional presentation.
Cooper Tire & Rubber is interested in expanding its presence in Latin America. Last November the tyre maker signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Argentina’s Fate SAICI, an agreement that initially covers distribution but may be extended to R&D and offtake production, and this month Cooper announced it has established a sales office in São Paulo, Brazil.
On 30 November 2015 Trelleborg’s Trelleborg Wheel Systems agreed to buy Standard Tyres Group, a Brazil-based privately owned industrial tyre manufacturer. The company is the market leader in industrial tyres in Brazil and the main supplier to locally based, global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of materials handling vehicles.
ZC Rubber Group Co. Ltd., (ZC Rubber) China’s largest domestically owned tyre manufacturer, has established a Brazilian subsidiary company – ZC Rubber Brazil Importation and Exportation (ZC Brazil). The new company is located in San Paulo, Brazil’s capital city and economic centre. The subsidiary, overseen by Guorong Ge, ZC Rubber vice president, sales reportedly focuses on supporting the local distribution channel, developing new products for the local market and after-sales service for the wider South American market.
Pirelli has nominated its most popular combination of Formula One tyres, the P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft, for this year’s Brazilian grand prix. It is the ninth time this combination has been brought to a race weekend, and the short intense Interlagos lap will provide plenty of work for the tyres, and the drivers, to do. The track which proceeds in an unusual anti-clockwise direction, was relaid in 2014, changing its levels of abrasion, while the circuit also has a new pit complex. Pirelli expects a performance gap between the two compounds of around 0.9 seconds per lap.
Titan International is considering an expansion of its wheel business in the coming half year. In the company’s second quarter 2015 results announcement, CEO and chairman Maurice Taylor reports that Titan International is “exploring plans to expand our wheel plant in Turkey” and to “establish a new wheel presence in Brazil to accompany our existing tyre business.” Taylor did not furnish any additional details about the two potential projects.
Vipal representatives gave a presentation on reusing raw materials, especially considering the technology used by the company in this respect during the recent International Rubber Conference 2015 in Nuremberg, Germany.
On 4 May the Brazilian authorities passed a resolution calling for anti-dumping tariffs to be levied against Chinese-produced truck tyres with rims between 20 and 22.5 inches in diameter for the next five years.
Michelin’s February tyre demand data shows a sequential improvement in replacement demand in most markets. With China and Brazil being the only real exceptions, basically every other showed month-on-month increases – the first positive uptick months.
The situation in China however, is somewhat bleaker. According to the Michelin tyre demand data, Chinese passenger car tyre replacement demand dropped -13 per cent from growth of +18 per cent in January. “This is a worrying indicator for broader China consumer demand”, Morgan Stanley market analysts wrote in an investor’s note data 13 March 2015.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has appointed ex Apollo Verdestein European president Luis Ceneviz as its managing director – Latin America Tire Operations effective 1 March 2015. In this new role, Ceneviz will be responsible for the company’s business throughout Latin America, including Central and South America, as well as Mexico, where Cooper has a sales and marketing organization and participates in a joint venture tyre manufacturing operation near Guadalajara. He will report to Brad Hughes, Cooper’s chief operating officer.
According to a report emanating from Goodyear’s hometown, the tyre maker intends to bring its regional headquarters for Latin America back to company headquarters in Akron (Ohio, US) next year. The Akron Beacon Journal wrote on 16 December that efforts to relocate the headquarters in São Paulo, Brazil will begin early in 2015 with the transfer of senior management to Akron. Goodyear will spend several months evaluating which other positions it will move from São Paulo to the US, the Akron Beacon Journal added. The headquarters has been based in São Paulo since 2005, after it was moved from Akron.
Fabio Fossen has been appointed president of Bridgestone Brazil, succeeding Ariel Depascuali, who is retiring after more than 15 years with the company. Fossen comes to Bridgestone from Coca Cola Femsa, and his main role will be to lead Bridgestone’s expansion and modernisation in Brazil.
Rubens Barrichello’s F1 days may be over, but the Brazilian driver has won another championship that Pirelli serves as exclusive tyre supplier to; he has taken out this year’s Stock Car Brasil, one of the most prominent motorsport series in South America. The Italian tyre maker has been sole tyre supplier to the championship since 2013.
Once again, the Mercedes team closed out the top two steps of the podium at Interlagos, using three stops – as did almost every driver – to dominate in the penultimate race of 2014. The only surprise was that Nico Rosberg ended Lewis Hamilton’s five GP winning streak to make the Briton finish at least second to ensure championship victory in Abu Dhabi’s controversial double-points grand prix. Both Mercedes drivers started on the soft tyre to make good their front row grid advantage, before seeing out the race comfortably on the medium P Zeros. Tyre supplier, Pirelli correctly predicted this as the fastest strategy for the 71 lap race, and a high degree of tyre wear meant that all but Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, who finished seventh, stopped three times
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