Continental has released further information about its new Conti.e.Contact range of tyres for electric and hybrid vehicles. The tyres are being produced in Continental’s passenger car tyre factory in Korbach, Germany and the manufacturer has received its first original equipment deal – Renault has appointed Continental sole tyre supplier for its Twizy.
With EU tyre labelling legislation due to come into effect on 1 November, silica supplier Rhodia believes its Zeosil branded ranges of highly dispersible silica (HDS) will continue to develop as key components in providing better performing, safer and fuel-efficient tyres worldwide. “The new tyre labelling [legislation] draws attention to three basic criteria, two of which are directly linked and influenced by silica,” says Christian Léger, silica global business director for Rhodia.
In its 13 years of operation, the Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations plant in Aiken County, South Carolina has manufactured a tyre or two. Or 100 million. On 14 February the 100 millionth tyre rolled off the passenger car and light truck factory’s production line, and the arrival at this milestone was celebrated by company management, workers and invited guests. The tyre at the centre of the festivities is a Bridgestone Dueler A/T RH-S; this particular specimen was signed by guests attending the celebration and will be displayed in the plant’s lobby.
Production capacity of large and ultra-large off the road radials at Bridgestone’s Kitakyushu plant in Japan is to increase in order to meet growing global demand for these products. The tyre maker announced on 16 February that capacity will rise by 20 tons a day to approximately 165 tons in the first half of 2014. Alongside this increase, Bridgestone intends to increase production capacity at its Saga plant, which produces the radial steel cord used in large and ultra-large OTR tyres. As of December 2011 the Saga plant manufactured around 270 tons of steel cord a day; the size of the announced capacity increase was not disclosed in Bridgestone’s 16 February announcement. Approximately 4.7 billion yen (£38.2 million) will be invested in the two projects.
Ugo Forner, senior vice president of Pirelli’s truck business unit, shares an insight into a sector of the world’s fifth largest tyre maker that is sometimes concealed in the shadow of the company’s sporting ambitions (such as Formula 1) and its positioning as a leading high performance passenger car tyre brand. This sector is of course commercial vehicle tyres, a business in which Pirelli has a presence in many markets around the world, including South America, where it is market leader; indeed, the region is considered the company’s “cash cow”.
Commercial production got underway at JK Tyre & Industries’ new plant in Chennai, India on 5 February. The company announced the facility’s entry into service at a press conference in Chennai the following day.
JK Tyre and Industries Ltd, India’s number three tyre maker, has reportedly secured an OE supply deal to Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd, supplying tyres for its Bharat Benz trucks.
“The latest original equipment manufacturer (OEM) client for us is Daimler India that will be rolling out trucks at its plant here,” Raghupati Singhania, vice chairman and managing director, told reporters on Monday 6 February, according local news sources. Daimler India is expected to launch its trucks sometime in the middle of this year.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for Sumitomo Chemical’s new the new solution styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) plant in Singapore on the morning of 6 February. The plant is to be built in the Merbau area of Singapore’s Jurong Island and is expected to be complete in June 2013 and enter commercial operation in the fourth quarter of that year. The plant will have a 40,000 ton per annum capacity.
Federal and Goodride tyre brands are available exclusively through independent tyre wholesaler, Grouptyre in the UK, and the distributor provides full ranges of both to light commercial vehicle operators. Taiwan-manufactured Federal tyres offer three major models designed to cover the everyday workload of most light commercial drivers.
The Dunlop MultiTread mould cure premium retreaded commercial vehicle tyre range is being extended. The new products come in six sizes covering long and regional haul as well as municipal applications.
For long and regional haul applications, the MT SP344 all-position tyre and the MT SP244 trailer tyre are being added to the range, to complement the MT SP444 drive tyres, which are now supplemented with two 60-series sizes. For applications such as buses and other municipal vehicles including garbage trucks and road sweepers, the MT SP372 City all-position tyre and the MT SP472 City drive tyre are being introduced.
Russian tyre maker Tatneft has announced the introduction of a new tyre range and new sizes in several of its product lines. All new for 2012 is a 4×4 range from its Viatti brand. The Viatti Bosco A/T will debut in a size 205/70R15 fitment. Tatneft says this new range has been specially designed for the growing crossover utility vehicle segment and is said to combine comfort with a quiet, stable and efficient ride. It is also able to withstand heavy loads, the manufacturer states.
It’s been almost two years since Lanxess’ Jhagadia production site in India began supplying antioxidants to tyre industry customers, and now the range of products manufactured there has been expanded. Lanxess subsidiary Rhein Chemie has established a facility in Jhagadia for the production of the pre-dispersed rubber additive Rhenogran and the environmentally-friendly release agent Rhenodiv in Jhagadia. The plant was formerly located in Madurai, in India’s Tamil Nadu state, and is one of three new units being set up in Jhagadia. In total, Lanxess has invested more than 70 million euros there and created 300 new jobs. Jhagadia is Lanxess’ second largest production site in India after its site in Nagda in Madhya Pradesh state, and covers an area of 18-hectares.
Although Michelin reportedly needs to increase output at its Nyiregyhaza plant in Hungary at least 400 per cent to remain competitive, a question mark now hangs over when and if previously planned expansion work will take place. On 25 January business daily Vilaggazdasag quoted the general director of Michelin’s Hungarian unit, John Young, as saying the tyre maker had put its expansion plans on hold due to legal and financial uncertainties in Hungary.
Mitas has cured the first test tyre at its new Charles City, USA facility, which is currently in the testing phase. “Mitas can make tyres in Iowa,” said Pavel Charvat, president and plant director. “This test tyre is the first tyre produced by Mitas on the American continent. Now, Mitas is tweaking the machinery, streamlining processes and training workers for the Charles City plant to be ready for serial production in April.” The exact date of the official opening of the plant and start of serial production will be announced in due course.
Tire Review reports that Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has begun moving tyre production equipment out of its Findlay, Ohio, tyre plant. The US magazine reports that late last week the tyre maker was moving the equipment, even as the 1,050 union workers there continued picketing outside of the plant, where they have been locked out since 28 November.
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