The Commercial Vehicle show 2012 will provide Blitz Rotary with the perfect environment to launch their new light capacity HydroLift S2 6.2 Tonne capacity wireless mobile column lifts.
The new lift is an important addition to the comprehensive range of Blitz Rotary commercial vehicle lifting equipment now available, including the very popular, 8.2 tonne capacity wireless mobile column lifts, recently launched at the Coach and bus live show.
Michelin is aiming to recoup part of the market share it has lost in the last decade by pushing up tyre production and sales volume across the board. That’s the view of financial analysts at Morgan Stanley who described the company as “swimming in red ocean.” Referring to the 170 million euros the company just announced it is putting into increasing budget tyre production at its Tigar plant in Pirot, Serbia, financial analysts described the funding as “a small investment for Michelin”, but a “big clue for investors.”
Michelin Group has announced plans to increase its production of economy tyres at the firm’s Tigar Tyres subsidiary in Pirot Serbia by 50 per cent. Currently the tyre manufacturing operation is set to produce 8 million tyres in 2012 but, according to a memorandum of understanding with Serbian authorities and the City of Pirot, the Tigar Tyres which is 300 km southeast of Belgrade, will be producing 12 million tyres annually by the end of 2016. Overall, the project will represent an investment of 170 million euros for the period 2012-2016. This reportedly equates to the creation of 700 jobs in Pirot.
According to Jürgen Gareis, plant manager at alloy wheel manufacturer Borbert’s Thuringia factory in Germany and managing director of Borbert Thüringen GmbH, the company’s cast aluminium wheel plants in Hallenberg-Hesborn and Medebach, both in Germany’s Sauerland region, combine to make up Europe’s largest wheel production complex. Company boss and (with a 76 per cent share) majority shareholder Peter Wilhelm Borbet points out the factories may not qualify for this distinction as they are not under the same roof. But whatever way you look at it, the figures are impressive: In 2012 the major OEM wheel supplier projects an output of four million units from these plants.
The newest member of Pirelli’s Diablo motorcycle tyre range – the Supercorsa SC – has hit the track, the Italian tyre maker reports. It says the new tyre took centre stage at the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy during the first Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race held on 1 April as part of the World Superbike championship. As of this year, all riders in this race category will use the SC2 compound version of the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC in sizes 120/70 ZR17 for the front and 200/55 ZR17 for the rear.
On 28 March Continental celebrated the groundbreaking of not just one, but two tyre factories. Along with the new plant in the US state of South Carolina, reported yesterday by Tyrepress.com, the company broke ground on extensions to its passenger car factory in Hefei, China. The project calls for a 134 million euro investment, and this will allow for a doubling of capacity to eight million passenger car tyres per annum. Hefei plant output includes the ContiComfortContact 5, which it began producing last year, and ContiMaxContact 5, which entered production in 2012; both of these tyres have been tailored for the Chinese market.
Continental Tire the Americas has broken ground on its new consumer tyre plant in Sumter County, South Carolina, reports Tire Review. Governor Nikki Haley and officials from CTA and Continental AG were present as ceremonies took place at the plant site. The plant will produce all lines and sizes of Continental and General brand passenger and light truck/SUV tyres for the North American market, and will primarily build replacement market tyres for at least the first three years of its existence, a Conti official said last October.
Mexican supplier of rubber materials for retreading, Galgo has announced the installation of a new internal Farrel Banbury F270 mixer. The US-manufactured mixer will allow the company to obtain fully consistent blends with the better dispersion of carbon black in a quicker mixing time, according to the company. Galgo supplies Pre-Q treads, cushions in different forms, and extrusion and strips for a variety of rubber products for different uses and applications.
Apollo Vredestein has introduced its new ultra high performance summer tyre in Budapest, the Ultrac Vorti. The tyre, like the simultaneously launched Sportrac 5, has been designed by Italian company Giugiaro for a sporty, distinctive appearance. Vredestein says the Y-indexed tyre excels in terms of grip, handling and braking on both dry and wet surfaces. The Ultrac Vorti name was also created by Giugiaro, inspired by the powerful vortex air flow that is generated, for example, when a helicopter takes off. The name reflects the speeds and forces that the Ultrac Vorti can handle, rated for up to 300kmh, while the tread is reminiscent of the tips of helicopter blades.
Netherlands-based Gaither Europe B.V. returns to the Reifen show this year, and in addition to displaying its established range of truck tyre changing and bead breaking equipment the company will use the exhibition as a platform for launching three new products.
As is the case in any manufacturing business, production of the finished item usually represents the last link in a complex supply chain. Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) are no different. So with a view to understanding a little more of the TPMS landscape, Tyres & Accessories contacted growing Indian valve and TPMS part supplier Sonil Ventilfabrik. The company's link to the segment is in the development and manufacture of what it calls "aiding accessories" to external TPMS sensors. The latest particular aiding accessory, also known as the T valve, has a dual purpose. It offers an additional port to mount TPMS sensors and is simultaneously used to fill tyres with air without removing the external sensor.
Following the crazy scramble for tyres in the winter of 2010/11, when availability was low and some sizes couldn’t be purchased at any price, in 2012 the European market now faces the reverse situation – tyres are there to purchase but unsold stocks are spoiling many people’s appetite to buy. To retain a competitive edge in such changeable conditions requires flexibility; and this is precisely the quality that Dutch wholesaler Van den Ban prides itself in possessing. Flexibility in its various forms was a key theme when Tyres & Accessories recently spoke with commercial manager Cyril Versteeg and Kees Nieuwland, who is responsible for the company’s UK and Ireland sales during a recent visit to the company’s headquarters in Hellevoetsluis, not far from the major port of Rotterdam.
In its 2011 annual report, Nokian Tyres has singled Russia out as the company’s strongest growth area. Reporting rising sales in all Nokian’s key regions – the Nordic markets, Central Europe and Russia – and growing market share in the last two of these, president and CEO Kim Gran stated that “as expected, this development was strongest in Russia, which, boosted by the car business, represented approximately one-half of our growth.”
Production capacity for tractor and combine radials at Mitas’ factory in Ruma, Serbia has been expanded through a 3.5 million euro upgrade. In announcing the upgrade, the Czech Republic-based off-road tyre manufacturer noted the Ruma plant, which was built in 1981 and acquired by Mitas in 2008, is “strategically placed” to supply the Russian Federation due to the special trade relations between Russia and Serbia.
German specialty chemicals manufacturer Lanxess says its position as a premium supplier to the tyre industry has been strengthened by its subsidiary Rhein Chemie’s acquisition of US-based bladder manufacturer Tire Curing Bladders LLC (TCB) for an undisclosed sum. The deal, which closed with immediate effect, sees Rhein Chemie as the proud owner of a firm with the capacity to produce more than 400,000 bladders per annum. TCB primarily serves the North American market and achieved sales of more than US$21 million in 2011. The company employs around 100 people.
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