As reported at the start of January, Kumho Tire North America has a new CEO and president. Following this appointment, Kumho Tire Co., Inc., has announced that a second executive has been promoted to a senior position in North America. The new CEO and president of Kumho Tire North America is B.K. Kim, and Don Hun (D.H.) Ham has been named president of Kumho Tire USA., Inc.
(Akron/Tire Review) CBC has reported that union workers at Goodyear’s Valleyfield, Quebec, tire plant and government officials are working on a plan to maintain tire production at the plant. Earlier this month, Goodyear announced it would cease tire production there, converting the plant to rubber mixing and cutting some 800 jobs.
Engineers and designers at Goodyear Tire & Rubber are in high spirits after receiving word that the vehicles voted to be North American Car and Truck of the Year both ride on their products.
The announcement was made at the 2007 North American International Auto Show. The Car of the Year, the Saturn Aura (a US version of the Vauxhall/Opel Vectra), comes fitted with Eagle LS2 tyres inP225/50R18 size as OE equipment, while the Truck of the Year, Chevrolet’s Silverado, comes with 20-inch Eagle LS2 tyres as standard fitment for the Silverado SS model.
Having already committed itself to closing plants in the US, Canada, UK and New Zealand, Goodyear tire & Rubber Co has announced its intention to close its manufacturing facility in Casablanca, Morocco, by the end of 2007. Approximately 150 jobs will be cut as a result of the closure.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced its intention to discontinue the production of tyres at its facility in Quebec, Canada and transfer operations to a materials mixing centre. The changeover will take place by the end of the second quarter of 2007.
This decision comes as part of Goodyear’s global strategy of cost reduction, and will see a net job reduction of 800 hourly and salaried staff. The current plant in Valleyfield, Quebec employs approximately 1,000 persons.
(Akron/Tire Review) Longtime tyre industry veteran and current Giti Tire sales director Don Driver died unexpectedly on Oct. 14. The well-known and respected tireman was 56, and apparently suffered a heart attack. Driver began his tyre career as a territory sales representative with Michelin in the early 1970s, moving on to Canada’s Active Green+Ross as a commercial salesman later that decade. He then joined Bridgestone/Firestone Canada and spent 17 years with the tyremaker, including a stint as national sales manager. Driver then moved on to Maine Industrial Tire as vice president of sales and marketing before joining Giti Tire in 2003. He leaves wife, Carolyn, and sons, David and Shane.
Michelin North America (Canada) Inc. has reached a significant milestone in Nova Scotia with the celebration of 35 years of manufacturing. It was back in 1971 when the Pictou County facility produced its first tyre and the Bridgewater plant its first steel cord product. Two years later, Bridgewater produced its first passenger tyre. Then, in 1982 Michelin Waterville began producing tyres for the heavy-weight market.
Strikers outside the Goodyear plant at Akron have been joined by a new ally; members of United Steel Workers of America (USWA) have put up a skeleton with a sign accusing Goodyear of “picking us to the bone.” The pickets have also erected tombstones with names of cities—Akron, Buffalo, Gadsden, Lincoln, Union City—that the strikers say are dying as rubber industry plants are closed.
(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin and Dynamic Tire Corp. have entered into a settlement agreement resolving the infringement of intellectual property rights.
A North American search is on for unsung heroes of the highway – truck drivers who keep the nation’s economy moving and who come to the rescue of fellow motorists. Nominations for Goodyear’s 24th annual North America Highway Hero programme will be accepted up till 30 November 2006.
The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has announced the winners of the recent board of directors elections. The TIA membership voted in open elections to place ten individuals onto the TIA Board for three-year terms. The 10 winners in alphabetical order are:
GPX Tire has moved into a new 143,000 square foot warehouse in Fairbanks Industrial Park just outside of downtown Houston, Texas (9700 W. Wingfoot Drive). According to the company, the larger facility allows GPX to meet the growing demand for GPX tyres in the region.
(Akron/Tire Review) According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Canadian Customer Commitment Index study, after five consecutive years of losing market share to dealerships, aftermarket service providers have stabilized their share of service occasions. Fountain Tire ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction among Canadian automotive service providers.
(Akron/Tire Review) Delticom AG, Europe’s leading online tyre seller, opened a new bilingual online store in Canada. The new online effort is the company’s second direct-to-consumers online venture in North America; it already operates www.tires-easy.com. Delticom said the new site will offer some 60 tyre brands and 10,6000 SKUs. Its U.S. business also includes mounting, balancing and installation through some 8,500 “tyre installation partners.” Based in Hanover, Germany, Delticom said it operates 60 online tyre stores in 25 countries.
A consortium led by the Macquarie Capital Alliance Group (MCAG), which is part of the Macquarie Bank Group, has acquired the world’s largest operator of tyre inflation vending equipment, ASI Holding Corp, for $US420 million. According to local news reports, MCAG will invest up to $109 million, which is up to 61 per cent of the total equity requirement of $179 million.
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