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Goodyear Temporarily Closes Canadian Plant

Goodyear’s Napanee plant between Belleville and Kingston in Ontario, Canada is to close for a week as the manufacturer continues to react against a stagnating marketplace. The closure, which has an impact on up to 760 jobs, will take place between 30 June and 7 July.

Company spokesman Tom Hogeboom told local journalists that the closure’s timing made relative sense, coming as it does in the week that contains Canada Day and the United States’ Independence Day, which has a predictable effect on production rates. Hogeboom stated that “it’s not a decision we make lightly but the marketplace is telling us it’s something we have to do,” adding “all of our North American plants are doing it.”

27th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Tech International Promotes OTR Manager

Ron Reiring has been promoted to Tech International’s OTR sales manager for North America. His new responsibilities will include developing new OTR sales opportunities for tire repairs and OTR equipment within the US, Canada and Mexico while providing support to Tech’s existing OTR customer base.

Reiring was formerly a western U.S. zone manager for the company. (Tire Review/Akron)

19th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Tech International Names OTR Sales Manager

Tech International has promoted Ron Reiring to the post of OTR Sales Manager, North America. His responsibilities will include developing new OTR sales opportunities for Tech International’s tire repairs and OTR equipment in the US, Canada and Mexico, while providing support to Tech’s existing OTR customer base.
Reiring graduated from Fresno State University with a degree in Industrial technology and, prior to his latest promotion, he served as a Western US Zone Manager for Tech, providing sales support, service and training to Tech’s national account base.

17th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Two-Thirds of Jobs to Go at Goodyear Tyler Plant

About two-thirds of the remaining workforce at Goodyear’s Tyler, Texas facility will be made redundant in August. According to the Tyler Morning Telegraph newspaper, the tyre major has informed the United Steelworkers Union of its plan to lay off approximately 110 people between August 6 and 19. A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice received by the union stated the “permanent mass layoff has been necessitated by a lack of work at the plant.”

13th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Lanxess to Relocate Rubber R&D Facility

Lanxess Inc. announced on May 9 it has entered into a multi-year tenancy agreement with the University of Western Ontario (U.W.O.) Research Park in London, Ontario (Canada), which will become the new home for the Lanxess Butyl Rubber Business Unit polymer research group. Presently operating out of the company’s Sarnia site, the new facility will have global responsibility for the research and development of butyl and butyl-like elastomers. Three global rubber manufacturing sites – Belgium, Canada and Singapore – will be supported from this new facility. It is expected that relocation to the Ontario site will be completed by the end of 2009.

14th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Hunter Announces Sales and Marketing Organisational Changes

US based automotive service equipment manufacturer Hunter Engineering has announced two key new appointments from within the company’s ranks.

Dave Smith has been promoted to senior vice president, and Beau Brauer to vice president of marketing. Smith joined Hunter in 1975 as a sales representative in Richmond, Virginia. and was appointed Cleveland regional manager in 1980. Since 1984, he has served as Hunter’s vice president of sales and marketing. During this time he led the growth of Hunter’s field management team and sales and service organisations from 200 representatives to more than 630 today. Similar growth was achieved in Canada. Smith will now continue to manage Hunter’s U.S. and Canadian field managers and sales and service organisations, and provide guidance to Hunter’s marketing department.

Brauer joined Hunter in 2005 as a sales representative in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was named New York regional manager in 2007, responsible for sales, service and national account activities in the region. As vice president of marketing, Brauer is now responsible for all of Hunter’s marketing and advertising department activities.

22nd April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

TIA Formally Back R2R Bill Effort

The Right to Repair issue has been a hot button for the independent auto service industry for nearly a decade. And calls for such legislation have spread to Europe and Canada. Yesterday, TIA formally announced its support of the latest federal Right to Repair bill – Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (HR 2694) – and “strongly urges Congress to pass the legislation in order to ensure that car owners and their trusted repair shops have the same access to safety alerts and repair information as the franchised new car dealer network.”

“We have always supported Right to Repair, but because most new vehicles are equipped with TPMS that are controlled by computers, we felt compelled to formally state our position,” said Roy Littlefield, TIA’s executive vice president. “Keeping these systems updated and in safe working condition requires ready access to complete and accurate information from the car companies.

17th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Canada Fined for Worker Injury

Goodyear Canada was fined CA$55,000 on April 11 after pleading guilty in connection with a workplace injury that occurred in 2006. Justice Katrina Mulligan heard in the Ontario Court of Justice that the injured employee was working at Goodyear’s Bowmanville facility on November 8, 2006, when the incident occurred. The employee was working on a machine making conveyor belts when he walked into the path of an electronic beam guard that stops the machine’s operation. However, the electronic beam guard failed to prevent the machine from being restarted by an automatic start button. The worker pressed the button and the worker’s arm was drawn into the machine at a pinch point and broken.

17th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Automechanika Canada’s Speakers, Seminars Set

Automechanika Canada, which takes place June 19-21, at the International Centre in Toronto, will offer seminars designed to help aftermarket professionals succeed in these changing times. Highlighting the program are a keynote address by Bob Greenwood, an award-winning automotive aftermarket industry expert; seven industry seminars; and nine educational courses.

Additionally, the Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) and the Ontario Tire Dealers Association (OTDA), two of the show’s industry partners, will contribute to the seminar program, and OTDA will sponsor the exclusive Tire & Wheel Pavilion within Automechanika Canada.

15th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

SmarTire Appoints New Interim CFO

TPMS provider SmarTire Systems has named David A. Dodge as the company’s interim chief financial officer following the resignation of Jeff Finkelstein, who had served in the role since 2002 before leaving to “pursue a new opportunity”, to quote SmarTire. Mr. Dodge, whose appointment was announced on April 10, was formerly vice president and CFO of software development company NeoMedia Technologies, a position he held between 2002 and 2007. Before joining NeoMedia, Mr. Dodge was an auditor with Ernst & Young LLP. Dodge, aged 33, holds a B.A. in economics from Yale University and an M.S. in accounting from the University of Hartford, and is also a certified public accountant.

15th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Canadian Michelin Pension Plaintiff to Pay Legal Costs

The Canadian man who unsuccessfully took Michelin to court over pension fund allegations has been ordered to personally pay half of Michelin’s legal fees. Everett Smith instigated the pension lawsuit on behalf of the Concerned Pension Group, accusing the tyre major of using pension fund surpluses to pay for annual contributions into the fund, but in October 2007 the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruled that Michelin had fully met its contribution obligations.

Justice Suzanne Hood has now awarded Michelin a reimbursement of costs and disbursements to the sum of $599,377.95, and Justice Hood ruled that Everett Smith must personally pay 50 per cent of these costs – $299,688.97. Michelin states that it will “make every effort to collect these funds from Mr. Smith in accordance with the court’s decision.”

14th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone M775 Given US Debut

Following its popularity with logging and oil service fleets in Canada, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire is making its Bridgestone M775 on/off-highway drive radial available to US fleets. Bridgestone reports that the M775 is idea for severe-service applications, and delivers superior traction and exceptional removal mileage while being usable at highway speeds to 65 mph.

This superior traction is provided by the tyre’s block tread and open shoulder design, which digs into soft surfaces. Angled block sipes enhance wet traction by breaking up pocketed water for a solid grip on wet surfaces. With a tread over one full inch deep, the M775 offers more than exceptional tyre life, says Bridgestone. Tough tread compounds combat lug base cracking, a common problem with many ultra-deep drive radials.

13th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Four Drivers Named Finalists for 25th Goodyear Highway Hero Award

Goodyear has announced the four finalists for its 25th annual North America Highway Hero Award. The finalists include two professional truck drivers who dove into chilly, murky waters to pull victims to safety in separate incidents; a Canadian driver who perished while trying to save others; and a New Mexico driver who rescued a pregnant woman from a brutal attack after she was run over by her boyfriend’s truck. The finalists were Rick Tower, of Yreka, California; Richard Filiczkowski, of Bountiful, Utah; the late David Glenn Virgoe, of Innisfil, Ontario; and Ronnie Greene, of Regina, New Mexico.

13th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bandag Offers New Tread Design

Bandag announced today it is now offering BDY2ä, Bandag Drive Severe Service 2, in the North American market. Working with Canadian fleets, Bandag specifically engineered this retread tire design for severe service conditions where superior traction is required from a drive position tyre.

“We understand that keeping fleets up and running on time is critical to the oil field and logging industries. BDY2Ä is a next-generation design offering more aggressive traction than its predecessor,” says Chris Hoffman, product manager of global tyre products for Bandag. “Our retread tyre design complements the new Bridgestone M775 on/off highway radial tyres and has rapidly been put into use by fleets in both Canada and the western United States.”

25th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Official Tyre Supplier for Canadian Championship

Pirelli reports that, after three successful years in which it has demonstrated its strong commitment to the Parts Canada Superbike Championship, it has been re-confirmed as official tyre supplier. The contract has been renewed until 2011, and the Italian manufacturer sees the decision to again select Pirelli as proof it is the best partner for a spec tyre series such as the Canadian Championship.

22nd January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors