A ceremony held on November 23 marked the official opening of the first facility producing Hayes Lemmerz passenger car steel wheels in Asia. The plant in Chakan, near the Indian city of Pune, is the product of an established joint-venture between the US based wheel producer and Indian automotive component manufacturer the Kalyani Group. Approximately US$15 million has been invested in the plant.
Hankook has announced that it will build its sixth global manufacturing plant in Liang Jiang Xin Qu in the Chongqing Municipal of China, investing US$954 million in the project, which will cover approximately 53,000 sqm. It will break ground in the first quarter of 2011 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2015. Upon completion, the plant will produce a total number of 11.5 million passenger car and truck and bus tyres, generating sales of US$1 billion annually, according to the company. It will also create about 4,600 new jobs in the region.
A foundation laying ceremony for Michelin’s new Shenyang factory in Liaoning Province, China was held on November 21, marking the official start of work on the Michelin Shenyang Tire expansion project. When the US$1.457 billion expansion is complete the factory will hold the capacity to produce ten million passenger and light commercial vehicle tyres per annum plus 1.8 million truck tyres and 295,000 retreaded truck tyres.
Having recently centralised its distribution activities on Trafford Park, Manchester, Exide Batteries has just completed a six figure refurbishment of its distribution centre that will virtually double its stockholding to 150,000 units. The warehouse’s footprint has increased 25 per cent to 23,000 square feet and the facility now has 3,500 locations compared to the original figure of 1,920. Exide reports this increase was largely achieved through narrowing aisle width from 3.2 metres to 2.3 metres, a measure that in turn necessitated the replacement of its existing fleet of standard reach trucks with narrow aisle, articulated types better suited to this new environment. Existing racking was further supplemented by new installations with nine tiers instead of six in order to maximise utilisation of roof space.
Dunlop has announced the impending discontinuation of its exclusive tyre supply of the touring car masters’ series, the DTM. This decision to part ways with what is called Europe’s most popular touring car race series was jointly reached with series promoter ITR e.V following several months of negotiations; the official end of supply on December 31 will close the book on a relationship in place since the championship’s revival in 2000. The ITR says details of a replacement tyre and series partner will be announced ‘right after’ an agreement is officially signed. It is widely known that Hankook is to be this partner; the Korean manufacturer is said to have outbid Dunlop for the position and is expected to sign a contract up to 2013 as soon as the current race season is over.
Esco Corp has added high tonnage/high lift jacks to its range of heavy duty hydraulic lifting equipment. Five new models are available, with lifting capacity ranging between 100 and 250 tons. All models are air/hydraulic powered and are balanced for easy moving on 13-inch pneumatic tyres/wheels. Lift extension saddles are stored in the jack’s base for easy adjustments to various lifting heights of 5, 9 and 12-inches. Stacking aluminium safety locking rings are an option as is air powered wheel drive for ease of moving. All models are built with heavy duty lifting holes. Each jack has a maximum width of 23-inches and will fit into tight clearance in mines, construction sites or railroad yards. Lifting stroke on the five models range from 14.5 to 22.75-inches.
Hankook Tire reports that the first additional tyres produced at the firm’s Rácalmás, Hungary as part of the factory’s second phase expansion plan have rolled off the production line well ahead of its target date. The construction of the factory’s second phase had started in September 2009 and will reach its full capacity by the second half of 2011. According to the plans, the new 58,000 square metre sized unit will then be able to produce a further 16-17 thousand tyres a day taking daily production at the plant to 34-35 thousand units daily. According to the company, increased demand has allowed Hankook to invest a further 230 million euros in this expansion bring total investment in the site up to 550 million euros.
Pirelli Tire North America has added a compound mixing facility to MIRS automated tyre manufacturing facility located at the company’s North American headquarters in Rome, Georgia. The $12 million US investment is designed to support the Pirelli Group’s strategic growth plan for the North American market and “help PTNA sustain its market gains and the 30 per cent sales increase realized over the past three years.” Since its inception in 2001, PTNA’s Rome, Georgia facility has benefitted from more than $92 million in investments from Pirelli.
Production of the wide-body Airbus A350 XWB began in August 2010 and the European aircraft manufacturer reports having already received more than 570 firm orders for the new jet from 35 customers. The first delivery is scheduled for 2013, and when the airliners are handed over to their proud new owners each and every one of them will be fitted with Michelin rubber; the French tyre maker states it has been selected to develop and supply tyres for the A350 XWB’s landing gear.
At this year’s Eima international agricultural machinery exhibition in Bologna, Italy, CGS Tyres is displaying a number of its products, such as the Agroforest, a product the manufacturer says preserves the benefits of forestry and field tyres as it is 15 per cent more durable and puncture-resistant than a standard tyre. Also being presented are tyres fitted to the latest agricultural vehicles, such as the prototype Deutz-Fahr eight-wheel 600hp Agro XXL tractor mounted with CGS manufactured Continental brand super volume tyres.
General Truck Tires is offering severe service and construction vehicle fleet operators in the NAFTA region a new all-position wide base tyre intended for super single fitment on steer and trailer positions. Named the Grabber OA (Off Road, All Position) Wide Base, the tyre is being introduced in size 445/65R22.5 during November and two further additions to the range will be made in 2011.
Nexen’s Qingdao, China tyre production plant, which started manufacturing tyres in 2008, will soon enter the black and could be producing as many as 20 million tyres a year by 2017. Korean tyre manufacturer Nexen Tire published the latest details in a recent internal newsletter emailed to staff and customers, where the factory’s management also gave details of Nexen’s plans for the plant.
Based on a site one hour’s drive north of Qingdao Airport in Shandong Province, China, Nexen representatives describe their most modern plant to date (the firm broke ground on a further plant in Gyeongnam Province, South Korea on 24 June 2010) as the company’s “ambitious masterpiece.” With output currently reported to be 6 million truck, bus and car radials a year and bearing in the mind the fact that it already occupies a 530,000 square metre area with further expansion still to come, it is clearly a significant operation.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has reported a 3.6 per cent reduction in operating profit, making $67.1 million, though there was a 10 per cent rise in total company sales for the third quarter (ending 30 September) of 2010 in year-on-year comparisons. Net income attributable to Cooper Tire reached $45 million, a decrease of $2 million from the same period in 2009. Net sales were $883 million, an increase of $80 million from the prior year. The Company reported net income of 71 cents per share on a diluted basis.
The Yokohama Rubber Company announced today that its sales in the first half of the present fiscal year (1 April – 30 September, 2010) increased 17.9 per cent over the same period of the previous fiscal year, to 238.3 billion yen. Sales in Yokohama's tyre operations increased 18.5 per cent over the first half of the previous fiscal year, to 184.9 billion yen, reported the manufacturer.
Yokohama Tire Corp. is investing $13 million in expanding operations at its Salem, Virginia manufacturing plant, reports Tire Review. The project will include new tiremaking machinery, upgrading and modifying existing machines and an increase in high-performance and light truck tyre manufacturing flexibility. The expansion, which will result in a 10-12 per cent increase in production capacity, is slated for completion by August 2011, the company said.
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