Tire Review reports that specialty chemicals firm Lanxess predicts an increase in demand for synthetic rubber in India, a country the company said has a long history in the production and consumption of natural rubber. “Driven by the needs of rapid modernisation, India is currently undergoing a shift toward replacing natural with synthetic rubber in a variety of applications,” the company said.
On 12 October China’s Ministry of Industry announced a new policy for the local tyre industry aimed at promoting environmentally friendly and energy-efficient development but it looks likely to have a knock-on effect on global players as well. One of the key points of the policy is that it sets out radialisation targets for each of the main product sectors. By 2015 the passenger car segment is expected to reach 100 per cent radialisation, with a 90 per cent goal for heavy truck tyres and 85 per cent for light truck tyres.
Referring to Michelin’s recent surprise decision to raise 1.2 billion euros of fresh capital, financial analysts at Morgan Stanley have predicted that the company is planning to expand its Chinese tyre manufacturing base, making this operation “a crucial BRIC[k]in Michelin’s future.”
When Michelin announced its plans to raise fresh capital on 28 September the tyre maker did any indications of what it planned to do with the money. This led analysts to suggest that “China will be a major focus for Michelin.” They believe Michelin is looking for “a swift increase in Chinese capacity” from their current level of around 2-3 per cent of output.
Thompson Commercials, the largest private Renault Trucks dealer in the UK, has ordered 10 sets of xlite forged aluminium wheels for a new fleet of Premium 460.25 6×2 tractor units. The purchase of the 8.25 x 22.5-inch wheels was made after a customer specifically requested the product to further improve the vehicles’ class-leading fuel efficiency and payload capacity.
Trelleborg Wheel Systems is relocating its North American Headquarters and distribution centre, reports Tire Review. The move from Hartville, Ohio, to Fairlawn, Ohio, allows space for further expansion, greater warehouse capacity and more efficient logistics, the company said. “This was a difficult decision after 80 years in our Hartville location,” said Ydo Doornbos, managing director of Trelleborg Wheel Systems Americas Inc.
Sun Tyre & Wheel Systems, part of the $6 billion TVS Group of India, has completed the acquisition of Watts Lanka Private Limited, the firm’s solid industrial tyres manufacturing company in Colombo, Sri Lanka. No details of how much was paid for the company or of the extent of the new owner’s expansion plans have been released.
Announcing the news Sun Tyre & Wheel Systems said it is “dedicated to serving the world’s material handling industry with a wide range of tyre and wheel solutions covering most applications and operating environments.” Watts Lanka Private Limited (which will be renamed shortly) was a joint venture between Watts Tyres Limited of the UK and KVK Invest JSC of Bulgaria, principal shareholder in Balkancar Zarya PLC. One insider told Tyres & Accessories that, as the sale relates to a purchase prior to Watts’ recent buyout, this had been considered as an option for some time.
Continental AG chief executive Elmar Degenhart has shared details of how the automotive supplier is planning to invest 500 million euros into its tyre business in an interview Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper. According to the report, Degenhart admitted that Continental should have invested more in its tyre division during the past five years.
Centrum International Ltd. is a new name for Tyres & Accessories, but as a newcomer in the sector we thought it was right to let the market know who’s out there now. According to the company, Centrum is “a young and dynamic auto garage equipment manufacturer.” The firm, which was founded in 2004, is based in Hong Kong with production facilities in China. Centrum’s production factory facilities are located in Yingkou city in China’s Liaoning province.
Ceat has reportedly increased tyre production capacity at its Nashik, India plant by over 1,000 tonnes a month. The plant produces truck, light commercial vehicle (LCV) and agricultural tyre products. Local news reports said that as a result of the expansion the Nashik facility’s truck tyre capacity has increased by 1,700,000 units, LCV tyres by 96,000 units and rear tractor lines by 50,000 units annually.
Goodyear Aviation has announced today at the NBAA2010 show in Atlanta that its radial aircraft tyre expansion project will be completed by the first quarter of 2011 – ahead of schedule – which will double the company’s radial tyre production capacity. The radialisation of aircraft tyres is a key economical and ecologically-friendly strategy in the aviation industry’s attempts to burn less fuel per passenger, since radial tyres are lighter than the bias or crossply alternatives. The move towards radialisation in the industry has been slow not just because of the changes required in long-lasting hardware, but also because aircraft tyres are retreaded frequently and crossply tyres provide extra casing strength to allow the process to be completed more times; an issue the UK’s Dunlop Aircraft Tyres chairman Ian Edmondson discussed at length with Tyres & Accessories earlier in the year (see below for a link to this interview).
Johnson Controls, Inc. has announced it is investing $118 million in building a third automotive battery plant in China, this time located in Chongqing. The company's existing plants are located in Shanghai and Changxing.
"Our recent investments in China are an indication of the importance of this market for Johnson Controls," said Alex Molinaroli, president of Johnson Controls Power Solutions. "In three years we will be growing from a single plant to three plants that will produce more than 18 million automotive batteries annually. These plants support our plan to install capacity for 30 million batteries annually in China by 2015."
Workshops looking to increase service bay efficiency can now view the latest Hunter RX40 wheel alignment lift console, following installation of the equipment by Pro-Align’s at its Northamptonshire headquarters. The latest addition to Pro-Align’s range of advanced wheel alignment equipment features automatic tyre inflation and remote locking of turn plates and slip plates, saving technicians from walking up to five extra laps around the vehicle. Wheel alignment measurements readings can now be delivered in as little as two minutes, according to the garage equipment supplier, significantly increasing productivity and vehicle throughput.
Radialisation is taking root in India’s commercial vehicle tyre market, and Bridgestone is taking steps to secure its share of this potentially huge market. At a the opening of a Bridgestone Fleet Point outlet in Chennai on October 11, the managing director of Bridgestone India confirmed the tyre maker was on target to begin truck and bus radial production next May. Initial TBR manufacture will take place at Bridgestone’s Kheda plant in Madhya Pradesh state, where truck radial capacity is being added through a US$36.7 million investment. Daily production will start at 200 units and almost double within a year.
A planned fourth factory is expected to increase Balkrishna Industries’ tyre making capacity by 73 per cent. Indian media sources report the tyre maker plans to establish a new facility in Bhuj, Gujarat state, by the third quarter of the 2013 fiscal year.
An October global launch is planned for the latest size in Michelin’s MegaXBib range. The new 800/70R32 tyre, intended for large and heavy harvesting machines, comes with a 181 A8/B load rating. Michelin states this load rating is the highest of any tyre produced using conventional technology and thus offers a higher rating than any currently available tyre with the exception of Michelin’s own CerexBib, which is produced using the company’s ‘Ultraflex’ technology. This increased tyre load capacity has become a key requisite in the development of new, higher-performance harvesters, comments Michelin.
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