Indian retreading equipment manufacturer Rajmahaal Tire Equipments sees itself in a position to expand its export programme into Western Europe. According to company managing director M.V.D Rajendran, Rajmahaal already sells autoclaves, buffing machines, spreaders and other products in Eastern Europe. Now, armed with a newly developed low-energy autoclave that can accommodate up to 24 tyres, it has its sights set on conquering all of Europe.
The US Atlas and Delta single use rockets have carried nearly 1,300 combined payloads to space, with cargoes ranging from weather, telecommunications and national security satellites, to material for deep space and interplanetary exploration missions. Now Continental Tire North America is making a small contribution to this further exploration and utilisation of outer space through the provision of its tyres for a ground transporter vehicle that will be used to support Atlas V rocket launch processing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
When it comes to high and ultra high performance tyres, few would argue that Italian manufacturer Pirelli holds a position of distinction. The brand boasts original equipment contracts with many of the leading names in top end models from such manufacturers as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, Aston Martin, Maserati, Jaguar, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo, Porsche and BMW, with its latest contract coming on the new Bentley Continental GTC Speed, the car maker’s most powerful convertible ever. Its P Zero collection of tyres – and indeed the marketing campaigns behind the range – emphasise the glamorous, lifestyle-conscious leanings of the market, backing these up with a series of high-ranking results in the 2009 round of magazine summer tests (the P Zero pattern alone picked up wins in Gute Fahrt and Sport Auto, alongside a “very recommendable” rating in Auto Bild Sportscars).
For the past five years SRF S.A. in the eastern French town of Soultzmatt has belonged to wheel manufacturer the Borbet Group. With a capacity of only around 500,000 alloy wheels per year the factory was indisputably the smallest Borbet operated, and the facility has now applied for insolvency.
Company chief Peter Wilhelm Borbet has expressed his regret regarding the 154 employees affected by this action, however he noted the facility’s operation has been subsidised by Borbet ever since it came under the German firm’s ownership. Borbet added that, in view of the crisis affecting the automotive industry – which suppliers such as Borbet also cannot escape – the company was faced with no other alternative. Whether production will continue at the site is now an issue for the liquidator to decide, yet it seems likely that existing orders can be processed.
According to GPX International Tire – one of the world’s leading industrial and agricultural tyre specialists – the company has recently particularly focused upon its presence in Asian markets, and executive vice president Neil Ganz reports “a huge growth in sales” has taken place there. As a result the company chose to once again exhibit at Singapore’s Tyrexpo Asia in order to further expand the growing customer relationships forged in this part of the world.
Tyres & Accessories sister publication Neue ReifenZeitung recently published reports that Continental has been considering moving its truck tyre production East and linking it with certain Russian tyre makers in the wake of the announced closure of its high tech Hannover-Stoecken truck tyre production plant. For a number of years the Russian tyre manufacturer Nizhnekamskshina has worked together with Continental within the framework of a technical agreement, having previously been involved in a technical partnership with Pirelli. The possibility of forming a 50:50 joint venture has been talked about since 2007, however to date the entire result of this joint effort is that the Russians are building a truck tyre factory and Continental is “only” contributing know-how and organising production processes, as well as delivering all the required equipment. The target is said to be for production capacity to exceed one million all-steel tyres per annum.
Tyre recycling machinery maker Granutech-Saturn Systems has announced the appointment of Mike Hinsey as international vice president and the promotion of Scott White to the position of sales manager. Hinsey, a 25-year Granutech veteran, was previously the company’s international sales manager, a post he held for more than 15 years. In his new position he will develop and direct all non-US sales efforts, will oversee the activity of a number of sales agents with international territories, and will report to Granutech’s board of directors.
Despite a substantial slowdown in the agricultural sector, Trelleborg has reported a ‘positive trend’ for high-performance agricultural tyres during the first quarter of this financial year. This area of strength contrasted with sales of industrial tyres, which declined sharply during the quarter. Overall, Trelleborg Wheel Systems experienced a 1.25 per cent decline in organic sales during the period and a one per cent drop in total sales after taking exchange-rate effects into account – down to SEK 950 million (£76.6 million).
Agricultural tyre specialist Alliance has complemented its range of radial flotation tyres with a number of new sizes. The manufacturer has a long tradition in the development and manufacture of flotation tyres for agricultural use; in 1998 the Israeli-Indian company became the world’s first manufacturer to produce this type of radial. Now the manufacturer is launching further new developments that broaden the range of suitable applications to include use on slurrey tankers and dumpers.
On April 13 Michelin North America announced plans to close its BFGoodrich passenger and light truck tyre factory in Opelika, Alabama. The company says this ‘restructuring plan’, which will lead to the plant ceasing production by October 31, is being pursued in response to an unprecedented drop in market demand.
North American consumers are, Michelin adds, driving fewer miles, purchasing fewer vehicles and delaying tyre purchases. For this reason the company has a significant overcapacity in these markets – and Michelin says it doesn’t expect this overcapacity to ‘rebound in the near term’. This appraisal of the current market situation is in line with that of the Rubber Manufacturers Association, which expects North American tyre sales volume to decline this year for the second year in a row.
In the medium to long term, demand for passenger car radials in China is expected to increase. To meet this growing demand, Bridgestone announced on April 13 that it will increase production capacity at its Bridgestone (Wuxi) Tire Co., Ltd. facility in China’s Jiangsu Province. The company reports that it will receive government funding to facilitate a capacity increase at the five-year-old plant.
Times are hard; for some they are even too hard. During the prevailing financial and economic crisis plenty of steps need to be taken if a company wants to successfully weather the hardships involved. In an exclusive interview with Tyres & Accessories, Massimo De Alessandri, CEO of the Marangoni Group, explains how his company is facing the current situation, why its prospects are quite good, and why there won’t be any long-term damage to the group.
TYRES & ACCESSORIES:
The economic environment in Europe has been difficult in recent months, to say the least. How has the Marangoni Group been affected by this?
When 95 per cent of a company’s sales are achieved in export markets, it would be well advised to ensure its presence at international exhibitions. This is the view held by Balkrishna – also known as BKT – the central business unit of India’s Siyaram Poddar Group. The last two years in particular have been a time in which the agricultural, earthmover, industrial, ATV and small tyre manufacturer has been able to distinctly expand its market share in Asia. As executive director Anurag Poddar explained during an interview with Tyres & Accessories, the company intends through its own marketing plant to further increase sales in the region. During the Tyrexpo Asia exhibition in Singapore the company displayed the first steel belt radials for earthmoving equipment to be produced in an Indian factory, and this landmark product can be used to symbolise the company’s sizeable ambitions for the Asian markets.
Klarius Group, the exhaust manufacturer, reports that it is currently enjoying success despite the challenging market having invested £1.2 million in its UK manufacturing and R&D facilities over the last 18 months. According to the company, the investment has gone into moving production arrangements over to lean manufacturing, fast track product development for exhausts and catalytic converters and in-house logistics facilities.
The Klarius Group was formed in August 2007 following the acquisition of the Emissions Control activities of ArvinMeritor Light Vehicle Aftermarket Europe. In its final year of trading prior to the acquisition (2006/2007), the Emissions Control division registered a £7 million operating loss. However, since the Klarius takeover this has been turned around, as evidenced by the Group’s first set of accounts which reveal that Klarius moved into profit well within its first full year of trading. Favourable euro exchange rates have also combined with a strong international sales approach to secure new supply agreements and install new distribution facilities and warehousing across Europe.
In late March Cooper Tire & Rubber announced the appointment of Jeffrey J. Schumaker as general manager of the company’s manufacturing joint venture in Mexico, Corporacion de Occidente. Schumaker joined Cooper in 1988 and has served as tyre testing manager, and sport-utility vehicle and light truck tyre development manager in the US and as technical liaison manager in Melksham. Following his time in the UK he held the position of business unit manager in Albany, Georgia, and, most recently, as director of quality systems. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and master’s degrees in manufacturing management and operations management.
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