As the 51/49 per cent joint venture between Michelin and Apollo Tyres has failed to materialise, the French tyremaker now plans to establish its own truck and bus radial manufacturing facility in the Indian city of Pune.
Nokian Tyres’ Board of Directors has decided to start the expansion and capacity increase at its Russian factory early. As a result of the start-up of Phase II, the output of the Vsevolozhsk factory will more than double with the target to reach the production of 10 million tyres by 2011.
Every year 4.3 million car and SUV tyres come out of Pirelli’s vast Carlisle factory located just south of the Cumbrian capital. Export markets take between 75 and 80 per cent of this number, and Pirelli’s Carlisle products also feature as OE equipment on some of the world’s most respected automotive brands. In a recent interview with the Cumberland News, Pirelli’s head of operations and Carlisle and Burton-on-Trent, Wolfgang Meier, spoke about the operation he overseas.
China Wheel Holdings, manufacturer of wheel rims for carmakers such as Nissan and Toyota, has stated that it expects revenue to more than double within three years as new production capacity comes on stream and the Chinese passenger car market continues to grow.
On January 31 Columbian Chemicals (Weifang) Holdings S.àr.l., completed the acquisition of Shandong Haihua Carbon Black Chemical Co., Ltd. located in the city of Weifang, in China’s Shandong province. This purchase represents Columbian’s first entry into the Chinese carbon black market.
Some motorcycling purists may scoff at the motor scooter with its tiny engine capacity and decidedly un-macho appearance as little more than an appliance on wheels. Perhaps at best an admission of its merit as a cheap means of getting from A to B may grudgingly be granted. But scooters have developed in leaps and bounds since the days of the earliest Vespas and their kin, and today’s maxi-scooters provide a much more comfortable ride and than previous generation offerings, making them suitable, perhaps even enjoyable, to ride both around town and out on the open road.
Michelin-owned tyremaker BFGoodrich will soon equip the US military’s Humvee vehicle with its Baja T/A tyre after being awarded a US$10.7 million contract. The Baja T/A to be fitted to the Humvee has been developed especially for military use and carries an E Load Rating with a load capacity of 4,540 pounds per tyre at 65 psi (4.4 bar). According to Michelin, the new tyre has a 22.5 per cent increase in projected tread life compared to the previous Humvee tyre, as well as superior manoeuverability and mud traction.
Polyurethane elastomer tyre technology company Amerityre Corporation has reported that its Chinese licensee, Qingdao Qizhou Rubber Company, LTD. estimates it is approximately two months ahead of schedule in the construction of its OTR polyurethane elastomer retread facility in Shandong Province. The construction project, commenced in September 2006, was originally anticipated to be completed in September 2007.
In December last year, 12 sales staff from Belgian tyre distributor Deldo Autobanden paid a visit to the new factory of their partner South China Tire, in Guangzhou.
Research analysts in India have given Apollo Tyres their stamp of approval as a good investment due to the tyremaker’s focus on product development, expansion plans and increasing international presence.
(India/Rubber Asia) India’s largest manufacturer of steel cord reinforced converyor belts, Phoenix Yule, has announced plans to expand its capacity by as much as 60 per cent. Phoenix Yule is the company created by the privatisation of the conveyor belts division of the public sector Andrew Yule. According to Rubber Asia, currently 74 per cent of its 460 million rupee (£5.26 million) paid-up equity capital is held by Phoenix of Germany, while the rest is with the Government.
South China Tire, producer of Sunny and Wanli branded tyres, is to expand capacity to around 15 million tyres a year with a new plant. The first phase of the new plant began production in September 2006, and offers additional production of two million tyres (the total capacity is six million tyres). The total project will take up till 2012 to complete, with a final annual capacity of around 15 million tyres.
The board of the Ruia group’s Falcon Tyres have approved the merger of their company with Montona Tyres, another company within the group. The announcement was made by Falcon Tyres chairman P.K. Ruia, and once the board of Montona gives their go ahead the decision will be taken before the regional high courts where the tyremakers are based to gain official blessing for the merger.
(Akron/Tire Review – Korean Times) Korean tyre makers are going global and setting up operations overseas – Hankook Tire is constructing a factory in Hungary, Kumho in Vietnam and Nexen in Qingdao, China.
Pirelli has reported the death of Former chairman Leopoldo Pirelli. Pirelli, who passed away at his home in the northern Italian seaside resort of Portofino, was 81.
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