Based in Japan, Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company.
Commenting on Bridgestone’s second quarter financials, particularly the operating profit of 133.8 billion yen outstripping guidance of 118 billion yen and expectations of 50 per cent year-on-year growth, Deutsche Bank analyst Takashi Moriwaki says the bank sees “risk for a guidance overshoot as profitability is on an uptrend thanks to stable selling prices and declining raw material costs.”
Continental has appointed ex-Bridgestone Europe communications vice-president Des Collins head of its new Liaison Office for Public Affairs in Brussels, Belgium. This new office in the European Union’s political capital opened on 1 August, and Collins takes responsibility for representing the legislative and regulatory interests of both Continental’s Rubber and Automotive Groups.
Operating income and net income at Bridgestone Corporation increased 43 per cent and 39 per cent respectively in the first half of the 2012 fiscal year, the Japanese tyre maker reports. An operating income of 133.7 billion yen (£1.1 billion) and net income of 75.2 billion yen (£614.8 million) were achieved even though net sales only rose two per cent year-on-year to 1,488.9 billion yen (£12.2 billion) during the first half.
Bridgestone UK’s contract with Aberdeen-based operator ARR Craib has been renewed for a further year. The newly agreed deal builds on the relationship that began in 2009 and will see Bridgestone supplying a combination of new and retreaded tyres over the next 12 months to ARR Craib’s fleet of 200 trucks and 500 trailers. The company will also continue to utilise the Bridgestone Mega-Fleet system.
A location has been found for the US-based guayule research farm and process research centre that Bridgestone Corporation intends to set up. A 281-acre site in Eloy, Arizona has been acquired for guayule farming activities, and Bridgestone Corporation will establish a process research centre in nearby Mesa, Arizona together with Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations.
Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner claimed victory from behind as he rolled the dice on a softer rear tyre than his championship rivals at Laguna Seca. Approaching the race differently to his main championship rivals Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo and teammate Dani Pedrosa, Stoner trailed Lorenzo for most of the race, but having managed his tyres well he was able to exploit the extra rear grip on offer to pass Lorenzo down the main straight on the entry to turn one on lap twenty-two. While only six of the twenty-one riders on the grid selected the harder compound for the rear, the four riders between second and fifth all chose the medium compound Bridgestone tyre. Stoner remains in third position in the riders standings, though his fourth victory of the season means he narrows the gap to Lorenzo to thirty-two points and just nine to Pedrosa.
Volkswagen has selected the Bridgestone Ecopia EP25 tyre as original equipment for the manufacturer’s new up! city car. The A-segment car was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011, and Bridgestone started delivery of 165/70R14 81T and 175/65R14 82T size Ecopia EP25 tyres in November 2011. The blue motion version of the up! will be fitted with 175/65R14 82T.
Following the announcment that Dutch tyre firm Magna Tyres became an official preferred supplier to Terex Cranes in March, the company has continued growing both around the world and closer to home. All cranes produced by Terex at its Zweibücken, Germany and Montceau les Mines, France production lines are now equipped with Magna Tyres as standard.
Bridgestone has been replaced as the Superbowl halftime show sponsor by PepsiCo. The Super Bowl famously has one of the top global television audiences for any event, and attracted an estimated 167 million viewers this year. It is also well-known that buying into this popularity comes at a substantial cost – television commercials during the Super Bowl are estimated to run to a high of $7 million per minute.
The second half of the 2012 MotoGP begins with the US Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend – the first of two consecutive US rounds. Tyre supplier Bridgestone is anticipating the section known as the Corkscrew, providing rubber to deal with the quick changes of direction and elevation required to complete the stretch successfully. Bridgestone will supply front tyres to provide increased front-end stability, high levels of edge grip for the more demanding sections, and good warm-up performance for a circuit that has one of the lowest average speeds in MotoGP. With seven left-hand turns and only four right-hand turns, the asymmetric rear slicks feature slightly harder rubber on the left shoulder for greater durability, though overall Bridgestone will supply rubber compounds for its rear tyres at the soft end of the spectrum.
Roger Sanders has announced his retirement after nearly 30 years with Continental. Sanders entered the tyre industry in 1965 to become one of Dunlop’s first ever apprentices. He subsequently joined its motorsport division, where he progressed to become Dunlop’s youngest ever manager and technical expert, specialising in motorcycle tyres. He will leave the position of general manager of the tyre manufacturer’s Technical Services division, UK and Ireland.
Continental has announced the appointment of Steve Howat to the role of general manager in the tyre manufacturer’s Technical Services division, UK and Ireland. Howat joins from Bridgestone, where he held the position of European Training Manager, delivering extensive technical, business and sales training to the company’s customers and staff across Europe. Having joined Continental on 1 June, he will replace respected industry expert Roger Sanders, who is retiring this year after nearly 30 years’ service with the company.
Bridgestone Commercial Solutions has announced the North American launch of the M853, a new on/off highway all-position radial for regional hauls. Bridgestone says the M853 combines wear resistance with extra load capacity for longer service.
Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo dominated the Italian Grand Prix ahead of Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso. Bridgestone’s special construction rear slick tyre, provided in order to give riders another option for dealing with Mugello’s abrasiveness and high track temperatures of around 49°C, was only used by Casey Stoner, who finished eighth; the rest of the top ten all used the hard slicks on both front and rear.
Bridgestone has announced an overhaul of its consumer focused point of sale material. The action comes following an “extensive review of all collateral”, Bridgestone said. The manufacturer has also formed an independent focus group of drivers, who Bridgestone says have “helped shape the new look and feel as well as content”. The new product posters and leaflets are designed to “position the product with the relevant audience” instantly, with “a plain English explanation of what the main features of the product are, closing with bullet points summarising the main benefits,” Bridgestone states
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