capacity Archives - Page 70 of 147 - Tyrepress

Posts

Production Starts at Bridgestone’s Kitakyushu Plant

The manufacture of large and ultra-large OTR radials (ORR tyres) commenced at Bridgestone’s new Kitakyushu plant during June, three months ahead of the planned September start date. The tyre major announced that the first shipment of construction and mining tyres took place on June 16.

This facility, located in Fukuoka Prefecture near Japan’s southern tip, is the first new tyre factory opened by Bridgestone in Japan since 1976, when began production at the Hofu plant. By the time Kitakyushu is operating at planned production capacity in the second half of 2012, it will turn out 80 tons of new rubber per day and employ 329 workers. Yoshikazu Seki has been appointed the plant’s first director.

17th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti to Close Austrian Rubber Mixing Site

Continental has reported the need to ‘respond’ to the continuing downturn experienced by OE and replacement passenger car tyre markets – a market which currently has a production overcapacity of more than 18 million tyres in Europe. As a consequence, the company states, the demand for raw materials is also markedly lower.

“Today, Tuesday, we are informing workers at the Traiskirchen site (in Austria) that we are forced to phase out the mixing and gumming activities in Traiskirchen, which employs a total of 195, by the end of this year,” explained Dr. Bernhard Trilken, in charge of worldwide production for the Continental Passenger and Light Truck Tires division, on June 16.

16th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Removing Jobs, Operations from Puchov Site

At present Continental reports an overcapacity of more than two million truck tyres in its European markets, a situation that has developed due to a “drastic” fall in demand during the opening months of 2009. To remedy this, the company is further reducing European truck tyre capacity by eliminating a number of jobs at and operations its Continental Matador Truck Tires facility in Puchov, Slovakia.

Continental says it has decided to remove 75 positions will be removed from Puchov by November 30 at the latest. On top of this, following a detailed analysis of the company’s machinery business, Conti will concentrate this aspect of operations to its Hannover-Stöcken plant in Germany. This measure, reports Continental, will affect around 190 Puchov based Continental Machinery employees.

15th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Maximum Safety at High Speeds

Today it is entirely possibly to purchase a road legal set of tyres rated for speeds above 185 miles per hour. Yet the faster a tyre’s rotation speed, the higher the resulting centrifugal acceleration will be. IN order to avoid the possibility of smoky scraps of shredded tread appearing in the rear view mirror, these UHP tyres must be designed to handle such extreme centrifugal forces. This can be accommodated by the use of jointless bandages composed of rubberised nylon or hybrid cords, which can absorb extremely high forces.

12th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

New Waste Tyre From Goodyear

Goodyear has launched a new line of waste hauler radials in the USA. New is the Goodyear G289 WHA, which features a deep 24/32nds-inch tread, a special tread compound for tread life and scrub resistance, an “all-season” tread design, sidewall protector ribs, a special shoulder design to equalize tread face pressure, and Goodyear’s DuraSeal technology to seal tread punctures up to ¼-inch.

“Today, we’ve launched a waste-hauling tyre that we believe sets a new standard when it comes to productivity and cost reductions,” said Donn Kramer, Goodyear’s director of commercial tyre marketing. “The G289 WHA was built from the ground up to be a performance leader.” The G289 WHA is available in size 315/80R22.5, in load range L, with a 10,200-pound capacity. (Tire Review/Akron)

11th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Indian Tyre Dealers Voice Opposition to Import Duty

Trouble is brewing between Indian tyre manufacturers and dealers. A duty on passenger car tyres imported from China is expected to be introduced by the end of June, and the two parties hold differing views on the matter.

“We have invited views from all concerned. We will look at all representations before taking a decision. However, on the face of it, there does seem to be a case for application of safeguard duties,” a government official told India’s Economic Times newspaper on condition of anonymity.

9th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Nokian Adds to Forestry Range

Nokian’s forestry tyre product family is growing. New size additions to its Forest Rider line-up, the company reports, are suitable for the very large tractors and forestry machines that are used for harvesting energy wood and constructing and maintaining forest roads. These products also work very well, Nokian adds, on heavy tractors used on contracting sites.

Another new tyre, the Forest King F in size 780/55-26.5, is said to provide greater durability and load-bearing capacity for cut-to-length machinery. Nokian states it is designed for CTL forestry machines and will add much-desired durability and load-bearing capacity for heavy harvesters and forwarders. The new product will replace the Nokian Forest King F size 750/55-26.5.

5th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper VP & CFO Announces Retirement

Following a career with Cooper Tire & Rubber spanning almost two entire decades, company vice president and chief financial officer Phil Weaver has announced plans to retire later this year. The 56-year old joined Cooper in 1990 and held the positions of tyre division controller (1990 to 1994) and tyre division vice president (1994 to 1998) before being appointed to his current role.

“I want to thank Phil for his years of service and commitment to Cooper Tire,” said Cooper Tire chairman, president and CEO Roy Armes. “While Phil was the CFO of Cooper, he was responsible for managing the finance function with a high level of integrity and within strict accordance with all federal and SEC regulations and guidelines. His contributions to the Company were key to many of the successes that Cooper has enjoyed.”

28th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

TyreSafe Warns Against Consumers’ e-Commerce Errors

The rise in online tyre shopping seems set to remain ongoing, but will this trend prompt another more worrying development in terms of consumers fitting appropriate tyres to their equipment? Tyresafe believes that as e-Commerce continues to boom motorists looking to online retailers for their next pair of tyres are putting their safety at risk by selecting tyres with a lower speed symbol than recommended for their car. This error is not always made unintentionally, says the campaign; in fact, there is a danger that some customers are deliberately choosing lower speed rated tyres due to the lower prices yielded in online comparisons. With safe vehicle handling largely dependent on using the right type of tyres for the car, TyreSafe is urging motorists to consider that selecting tyres of the recommended size, load index and speed symbol is essential to safe driving.

Stuart Jackson, chairman of TyreSafe comments that, “When shopping for tyres, many motorists hold the misconception that their choice of speed symbol should be determined by how fast they drive. The reality is that a tyre’s speed symbol is not just a measure of the tyre’s maximum speed capability; it also provides an indication of overall performance, even at lower speeds. While many motorists may be feeling the pinch in the current economic climate, we would encourage them not to compromise on road safety. Driving on tyres with a lower speed symbol than recommended may seriously compromise vehicle handling, putting the driver and other road users at risk. It could also cause irreversible damage through exaggerated wear or sidewall cracking.”

28th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin India Project a Step Nearer to Realisation

Objections to Michelin’s Rs 40 billion (£530 million) greenfield factory project in Tamil Nadu, India have been overruled by the Madras High Court. On May 26 the court ruled against an environmentally based petition instigated by a local villagers’ association, stating that the need for employment and investment must take precedence.

27th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Factory Closures ‘Should Support Price Discipline’

In the wake of Goodyear announced closure of its Amiens, France plant. Financial analysts have highlighted the ‘positive’ effect this will have on the tyre manufacturer’s “price discipline.” Amien has an annual capacity of approximately 6 million units, and its closure forms part of a Goodyear’s 15-25 million unit capacity reduction plan announced. When you factor in that the Amiens plant has between 800 and 1200 employees, the closure could result in cost savings of around $50 million, according to Deutsche Bank, with $700 million of gross cost savings expected this year.

Goodyear’s announcement follows a number of other capacity closures across Europe including: Continental closing its 8 million unit capacity PCR plant in Clairoix France; Pirelli closing its 4 million unit Maresa Spain factory, Michelin reducing its capacity in France, Italy and Spain by 14 million units. In the US capacity cuts have been even more stark with Cooper reducing capacity by 10 million units in Albany, GA; Michelin cutting 4 million units in Opelika; and Bridgestone eliminating 9 million units in Nashville. This all equates to around 40 million units of capacity reduction in the NAFTA region. And as a result of the supply demand balance, this is likely to “support price discipline” say the analysts.

27th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental 2 Series Commercial Tyre: More Details

As previously published on Tyrepress.com, Continental has launched a new range of commercial vehicle tyres, representing four new design features. The tyres feature entirely new inner liner technology, dubbed “AirKeep” for its ability to stay inflated for longer, in addition to modifications to the belt, bead and contour design. The tyre will be manufactured primarily at the company’s plant in Puchov, Slovakia. It comes onto the market at a tricky time, with EU and UK new truck tyre sales down 34 and 20 per cent respectively, according to figures quoted at the launch.

Conti is backing up its new range with a “Technology Truck” tour throughout Europe and the ContiCostCalculator, a new electronic tool based on research conducted by Continental and certified by DEKRA, which calculates the economic and ecological benefits of fitting the new range to customers’ fleets. These initiatives form part of the company’s response to the belief that, in these trying economic times, “you have to understand the pressures on customers and…be a business consultant,” as Conti’s general sales manager – truck replacement Barry Guildford said at the tyre launch in London. He also told Tyres & Accessories that the company was “heavily investing in training [its] salespeople”, in order to impress upon customers the long-term cost benefits of fitting the new Continentals. “It’s about educating the fleet,” he concluded.

26th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Reports: Goodyear India to Expand Annual Capacity to 4 million Tyres

Goodyear India is aiming to boost annual capacity by 15 per cent to 4 million tyres a year, according to various online news sources. The news follows the launch of the Goodyear DuraPlus in the country, a tyre aimed at small family hatchbacks that account for the largest segment in the Indian car market. Goodyear India reportedly wants to target the replacement market with the new tyre and is said to be negotiating car makers on the subject of OE for the new tyre.

In an interesting twist, the reports also states that Indian branch of the manufacturer will soon be offering run-flats imported from Goodyear’s manufacturing facilities in the US or Europe. According to the reports, these tyres retail at more than 10,000 rupees (£132) each in India.

26th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

ContiTread Range Ready, says Marangoni

According to Marangoni, the partnership agreement it signed last year with Continental, involving the launch of the new range of ContiTread precured tread strips, is now fully operational. The agreement with the Marangoni Group allows resellers of Continental truck tyres, who already provide, or are interested in providing a cold retreading service, to use original ContiTread patterns manufactured at Marangoni’s Ellerbrock factory in Germany and take advantage of the technical and logistic support offered by the Italian group’s European platform. The agreement also contributes to the Continental Group “ContiLifeCycle” project in markets where the ContiRe program has not yet been established, or where a cold-retread product is also required.

20th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Trelleborg Introduces New Forestry Products

Trelleborg Wheel Systems has launched a number of new products, including upgraded forestry tyres from the Twin Forestry range and new rims. Six dimensions in the Twin Forestry line have been upgraded, either with upgraded capacity or a higher load index. The four sizes with upgraded load capacity are: 750/45-30.5 T428 173A8; 750/50-26.5 T428 174A8; 650/60-26.5 T428 172A8; and 600/55-26.5 T422 160A8. The 710/45-26.5 dimension has been expanded with two new versions with a higher load index: 710/45-26.5 T428 168A8 and 710/45-26.5 T422 168A8. In addition, Trelleborg also released a new 24.5-inch rim dimension, a flat bar reinforcement that is a cross between the unique box reinforcement and the round bar reinforcement, and a new hump, suitable for forestry tyres with a high load index.

“We are investing heavily in further developing the range,” said Lars Eriksson, product manager for forestry tyres. “Our focus is on maximum customer benefit in terms of the optimal balance between important tyre properties, such as durability, service life and traction, with consistent ground care and comfort.” Trelleborg will be displaying its new products during the Elmia Wood trade show, which takes place June 3-6 in Jönköping, Sweden (Tire Review/Akron)

20th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors