Bridgestone Archives - Page 123 of 277 - Tyrepress

Based in Japan, Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company.

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Reifen Müller expands its mould cure retreading operation

Companies wishing to survive as retreaders these days either need to find a profitable niche where few competitors exist and margins are high or they must have the absolute will to follow current market trends and the ability to invest. A factor particularly responsible for changing the market is the growing demand for premium retreads by professionally managed fleets – the new tyre industry is a driver of this change. Therefore small and medium-sized retreading firms must make an effort to retain sufficient business. A real-life example of a company that is thriving despite the market changes is Bavaria, Germany based Reifen Müller.

30th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone reveals three-pronged IAA focus

Bridgestone has revealed that it will focus on its future strategy in ecology, innovation and reliability on its 284m² stand in Hall 8 at the 2011 IAA show in Frankfurt. The stand will be split into three sections, with the left devoted to ecological features, the middle and “innovation zone” and the right focused on reliability.

26th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Engineers convicted in Goodyear corporate espionage case

A US federal judge has sentenced two former Wyko engineers to four years probation and 150 hours of community service after they were convicted of stealing trade secrets from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. in a corporate espionage case that first surfaced in 2009.

26th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Why Bridgestone believes its new European structure takes it closer to the market

Career Tracks, UK News

In the final quarter of 2010 Bridgestone announced that it was reorganising its European operation into key “regions“. At the start of 2011, this plan entered its second phase with the establishment of the North Region (consisting of the UK, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Ireland and Sweden). As a direct result of this, there were a number of promotions for executives at the company’s UK headquarters.

On 1 January 2011 John McNaught became North Region managing director with Sam Enya as the North Region deputy managing director and also sales administration director. At the same time John Folliss became North Region commercial sales and marketing director with Andy Lane taking the position of North Region consumer sales and marketing director. Six months into his new role, Tyres & Accessories met with Andy Lane and learnt details of how the company sees the UK and other North Region markets progressing or otherwise this year and how the new approach positions the company to deal with this.

26th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

World’s largest tyre arrives in Europe

The first European shipment of the world’s largest tyre has arrived in Sweden. On August 10, six of Bridgestone’s whopping 4.02 metre diameter size 59/80 R63 off-road were unloaded at Gothenburg and then transported a further 1,500 kilometres north to the Aitik open-pit copper mine in Lapland. There they will be mounted on an electric-drive model of one of the world’s largest vehicles: the Caterpillar 795F mining truck, which weighs 570 tons fully loaded. A second set of six tyres has already been ordered by mine operator Bolidean and will be delivered in September.

26th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Winter truck tyres steady

As you might expect, the majority of the forthcoming September issue's winter tyre feature focuses on products designed for use on passenger cars, but what are the latest developments on the commercial vehicle side of things?

25th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Semi-resurfaced Indianapolis circuit poses Bridgestone challenge

With 1.5miles of the 2.6mile Indianapolis circuit recently resurfaced, the twelfth round of the 2011 MotoGP season will pose a new challenge for Bridgestone’s tyres, though Hirohide Hamashima, assistant to director in the company’s motorsport tyre development division is unworried. Speaking as the company confirmed its allocations would remain the same as last season’s visit to the Brickyard, Hamashima said: “Reports are that IMS have done a great job resurfacing the circuit which will make for more consistent conditions this year. It won’t change the physical demands placed on our tyres, because the corners are still the same and haven’t been re-profiled, so we haven’t changed our compound selection from last year other than with the addition of the third spec of front tyre with the new regulations.

23rd August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Triangle to work with University of Akron in rubber and elastomer research projects

The city of Akron boasts strong credentials for being the tyre industry capital of the United States. Back in the US industry’s glory days it went by the name of “Tire City” and was home to the four major domestic players, Goodrich, Goodyear, Firestone and General Tire. Goodyear is the only one of this quartet to retain its main domicile there, the other three having been respectively acquired by Michelin, Bridgestone and Continental, yet in recent years new arrivals have also chosen Akron as home. Today both BKT and Trelleborg operate their national operations out of the city and Bridgestone’s US Technical Center is also located there. As of August 19, Chinese manufacturer the Triangle Group has added its name to this list with the opening of its US headquarters and research and development company.

22nd August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Whereabouts of stolen Bridgestone tyres still a mystery

While the HGV trailer containing £50,000 worth of tyres stolen in Brierley Hill last month has now been found, police are still working to ascertain the tyres’ current location. According to Dudley Police, the articulated trailer was loaded with 650 Bridgestone tyres when it was stolen from CVT Vehicle Services on the weekend of July 16 to 17. These tyres were to be delivered to various vehicle manufacturers. According to Police Constable Ian Leech, who is leading the enquiry into the theft, the stolen tyres are marked with a red and yellow dot – indicating they cannot be sold on to independent retailers.

22nd August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone fits Ecopia tyres to Nissan GreenSource Team in e-Miglia rally

The first 100 per cent electric car, Nissan’s Leaf signed Bridgestone to provide its Ecopia EP150 tyres as original equipment earlier in the year. Now the tyre manufacturer has helped to cement its relationship with the 2011 European Car of the Year with fitment on the Leaf of Nissan GreenSource Team Holland in the e-Miglia rally across the Alps on 5 August.

19th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

JATMA report shows marked Japanese recovery in 2010

Although the earthquake and tsunami in Japan earlier this year caused original equipment tyre sales to decline there, mid-2011 financial quarter results show aftermarket sector sales are continuing to improve, building on signs of recovering demand first seen – as figures recently published by the Japanese Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association show – in 2010. The association’s report, titled “Tyre Industry of Japan 2011”, reveals growth occurred in both the original equipment and aftermarket segments last year, the first time production in Japan has increased in the last three years.

18th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Americas receives local funding for Des Moines plant expansion

To quote Tesco’s inescapable catchphrase, every little helps, and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations’ US$56.6 million expansion project at its Des Moines, Iowa agricultural tyre facility has gained a small boost from the Polk County Board of Supervisors. At a meeting on August 16, this administrative board for the Des Moines factory’s local area approved a $50,000 grant and a $50,000 interest free loan for the project.

17th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Japanese tyre makers avoid share price carnage

Despite the fact that their homeland suffered the combined catastrophe of earthquake and tsunami earlier this year Japanese tyre makers faired surprisingly well at the stock exchange in August at a time when the share prices of virtually all the other tyre majors took a beating. (See “Bloodbath at the stock exchange”).

17th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

MotoGP tyre regulation changes crucial for cold conditions

The Czech Republic Grand Prix weekend saw the introduction of a change in the regulations for tyre allocation, giving riders one more front slick tyre each, a third softer compound option and greater choice of both front and rear slick compound allocation. Bridgestone motorsport tyre development general manager Tohru Ubukata commented that while the weekend had not shown the true impact the regulation changes should have, it had provided a good trial run for riders and teams, The new rules are designed to provide softer compounds for increased safety in cold weather. Ubukata said the impact on the company was purely in increasing the number of tyres it must now bring to each Grand Prix. The tyre supplier also took the opportunity to continue the development of its 2012 tyres, “designed for the new 1000cc engine regulations”.

16th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Abu Dhabi tyre blowout death toll up to 13 in six months

The number of people killed in accidents caused rapid deflation of tyres or blowouts in Abu Dhabi rose to 13 in the first six month of 2011, according to report in UAE newspaper The National. There were 41 accidents caused by burst tyres during the first half of the year, compared with 30 during the same period last year. Thirteen people died as a result of those accidents compared with 10 last year. The number of injuries nearly tripled in the same period, from six to 17.

The figures follow the news in June that the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology announced it was working closely with the Ministry of Interior to review the tyre regulations. A task force comprising the country's largest tyre suppliers and manufacturers has been assembled to look at the technical aspects of the regulations. The proposed regulations on the manufacture, handling, and storage of tyres, will be presented to the country’s Cabinet next month for approval.

16th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors