Based in Japan, Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company.
The 2011 versions of two iconic US muscle car models are to be fitted with the Firestone Firehawk GT as optional original equipment, reports Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO). The V-rated all-season Firehawk GT will be supplied in size 245/45R20 99V on the all-new Dodge performance flagship saloon, the 2011 Dodge Charger plus the 2011 Dodge Challenger muscle car.
China’s Jinyu Tyres became the latest manufacturer to announce a price increase when it wrote to customers on 8 February announcing that costs are on the up. The company’s first round of price increases will see the firm’s truck and bus radial prices increase by between 5 and 7 per cent, followed by a 6 – 7 per cent increase across the Jinyu’s passenger car radial range. According to company representatives, “TBR prices will see another change soon.”
A jaunty nautical appraisal of this year’s outlook greeted shareholders upon the release of Nokian Tyres’ 2010 financial statements. The man at the helm, president and CEO Kim Gran, stated that “a clear improvement in the drivers for demand in core business brought Nokian Tyres back to a strong growth track. The sails are now bulging with strong tailwind as we go into 2011 with thick order books and growing capacity.”
On February 9 Bridgestone Corporation announced an additional price increase for the tyres, tubes and flaps it sells in the Japanese replacement market. These increases will take effect on June 1 and come on top of the December 2010 announced truck and bus tyre price rise to be implemented on March 1, 2011. The latest increases apply to both summer and winter tyres and are eight per cent for passenger car, light truck and motorcycle tyres, 15 per cent for OTR tyres for construction and mining vehicles, ten per cent for other kinds of tyres (including those used on industrial vehicles and agricultural equipment) and ten per cent for tubes and flaps.
In addition to previously announced price adjustments in its Bandag and truck tyre businesses, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has announced price increases for two of its off-road divisions. The company’s Off Road Tire, U.S. & Canada Commercial Tire Sales division (BAOR) has announced plans to increase prices by 12 per cent with some in-line adjustments. The price increases will affect all mining, construction and industrial tyres marketed by BAOR and are scheduled to begin March 1. Furthermore, the Agricultural Tire, U.S. & Canada Commercial Tire Sales division (BAAG), has announced a four per cent price increase on Firestone branded agricultural, construction and forestry tyres; Bridgestone branded garden tyres and Regency branded tyres sold in the United States and Canada replacement markets. The new pricing will be effective April 1, 2011.
Bridgestone Europe has renewed its Swedish market supply contract with DHL Supply Chain. The Jönköping based firm has handled Bridgestone Europe’s warehouse operations for the Swedish market since 1997 and the extended contract, valid until 2013, includes warehousing and a number of value-added services such as the studding of winter tyres.
Bridgestone’s decision to impose a drastic 12 per cent increase of North American truck and bus tyre prices in only likely to recoup roughly a fifth of the increased rubber costs the tyre manufacturer has had to pay recent, Deutsche Bank analysts reported.
Lodge Tyres technician John Lane, based at the firm’s Walsall branch, recently became the 500th technician to attend and pass the Vehicle Roadside Technician training provided by Bridgestone UK Ltd, training department.
Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions has announced a 12 per cent price increase on its Bridgestone and Firestone brand truck and bus radial tyres, effective immediately. Upon announcing the pricing changes, company president Kurt Danielson stated “unfortunately, severely escalating raw material costs, as well as energy and other costs related to manufacturing, have made a price increase of this level unavoidable. We remain committed always to provide a premium package of quality and value to our customers.”
Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera has strongly ruled out the possibility of the new tyre supplier to Formula One favouring the team synonymous with Italian motor-racing Ferrari. However, Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, who struggled to make an impact in the 2010 season barring an unedifying incident when he allowed title-challenging teammate Fernando Alonso to usurp his position at the German Grand Prix, hopes the new tyres’ characteristics will help him regain some lost form in what will be a pivotal season for the Brazilian.
The first retread product in Bridgestone’s Ecopia truck tyre range has been released through the company’s European Bandag dealer network. The M749 highway drive pattern was released as a retread in January 2011 and utilises the Ecopia casing, which Bridgestone says contributes around 60 per cent to the tyre’s rolling resistance qualities. In announcing the introduction of the M749 retread, the tyre maker commented that “by making the M749 Ecopia available as a retread, Bridgestone can now offer long-haul operators the double benefit of cost savings over the full tyre life and a reduction in the ecological tyre print of the fleet.”
Marangoni Retreading Systems has announced a price increase in all European, Middle Eastern and African markets for its entire range of retreading materials. The increase, effective as of 15 February, will be approximately 10 per cent for standard products and 15 per cent for high performance products with high natural rubber content.
Data from tyre market research specialists Encircle Marketing shows that Pirelli was the most recommended brand in 2010. The analysis by Encircle Marketing, which continuously monitors brand recommendations found that Pirelli came top with eight per cent of all recommendations, up by almost half a point on its 2009 performance.
The rebranding of Qualitread retreading products in Europe under the Bridgestone brand name continues in January with the renaming of the M729 drive tread and R168 trailer tread as Bridgestone Retread products. In April the Qualitread M729 EVO regional drive tyre will also join the Bridgestone Retread line-up.
Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas, Continental Tire the Americas and Yokohama Corporation of America have reached an agreement settling all claims relating to the lawsuit regarding Toyo’s forced exit from the joint venture GTY Tire Co. Last June, US publication Tire Review reported claims from Toyo that in December 2009 its GTY Tire partners Yokohama and Continental cut off Toyo’s requested 2010 allocation of 290,000 medium truck radials and had voted to dissolve the GTY partnership, citing Toyo’s “business and capital alliance” partnership with Bridgestone Corporation. Toyo, with a 16 per cent share in GTY Tire, was the ‘junior partner’ in the joint venture – Continental held a 51 per cent share and Yokohama a 33 per cent stake.
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