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TRIB Names Three New Members

TRIB – that’s the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau for those of you playing at home – has announced the addition of three new international members. Commenting on their joining, TRIB managing director Harvey Brodsky, said “TRIB continues to add members as more and more companies in the new tyre and retread industries throughout the world realise that TRIB is the only international retread industry association representing new tyre manufacturers, retreaders, suppliers to the retread industry and tyre repair companies.”

9th November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Kicks Off World Cup Contest

To liven up the journey along the road to next year’s football world cup, sponsor Continental AG has launched a new contest on its www.contisoccerworld.co.uk football website. The ‘ContiFanContest’, which can be tackled in any of four languages, is a video contest in which six of eight tasks on offer must be completed. The main prize for all qualifying participants is one of 11 sets of three day all-inclusive trips for two to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, including flights, hotel accommodation, a safari and tickets for a match in Johannesburg. The ContiFanContest will close on 04 December 2009, the date on which the groups will be drawn in South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

9th November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Vee Introduces Three New Tyres

Thailand-based Vee Rubber launched three new tyres at the SEMA Show: Vitron, an all-season high performance tyre; Winter Season III, a studdable snow tyre; and Taiga Ice Axe, a studdable light truck snow tyre. The new lines are part of the company’s growing presence in North America. Sold through regional wholesalers and large tyre dealerships – those with 20-plus locations – Vee estimates it will sell six times as many tyres as in 2008, said Patrick Hyland, the company’s sales and marketing manager.

6th November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

October New Car Registration up 32%

October new car registration shot up 32 per cent in October to 168,942. According to figures released today the increase is the best gain so far in 2009. Private purchase shot up between September and October, prompting the SMMT to report that the latest numbers are the result of the fourth month of sustained growth coming from the Scrappage Incentive Scheme (SIS).

Looking at the figures broken down by brand, it is clear that Vauxhall and Ford remain outright market leaders. However, there is continued progress amongst the once smaller Korean brands. To put this into perspective, in October Hyundai (7179 registrations) out-sold Fiat (6570) and Kia (5633) sold more cars than Honda (4490).

5th November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Get Going With Falken Tire

Falken Tire has launched a new slogan it says ‘personifies’ its mission – We get you going. This phrase, explains Falken in a press release, holds multiple meanings and purposes for the tyre maker: “Over the years, the company has made every effort to capture the essence of a valued product in a highly competitive market. Falken has consistently taken a leaps-forward approach in how it designs, produces, markets and sells its tyres. From the sophisticated tread and carcass designs, engineered in Japan, to the most important facet of sales: Customer Service.

5th November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Sales & Earnings Decline in H1

Yokohama Rubber has reported a year-on-year 21.3 per cent drop in sales during the first half of the financial year. Upon announcing sales in the six months to September 30, 2009 amounting to 202.1 billion yen (£1.4 billion), the company noted that demand in its principal markets – Japan, North America and Europe – had weakened. Slackening demand also undermined sales volume in Yokohama’s Multiple Business (diversified products) Group, which posted sales declines in high-pressure hoses, in conveyor belts, in sealants, and in aircraft products.

2nd November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Posts Positive Q3 Results

Citing lower raw material costs, continued manufacturing improvements and a better utilisation of capacity as the key driving factors, Cooper Tire & Rubber has reported a US$41 million net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2009, a $102 million improvement over the same period last year. The company’s net sales for the period were $803 million, a year-on-year increase of $9 million, while operating profit was $71 million for the quarter, a $118 million improvement from the corresponding months in 2008.

2nd November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

CTNA, Hoosier to Pool Performance Tyre Know-How

A partnership initiated between Continental Tire North America and Hoosier Racing Tire carries the hope of taking the convergence of the high performance street tyre and racing tyre industries a “significant step forward.” On October 30 the two companies announced their intention to invest “substantially” into a strategic alliance involving marketing, business and research and development. Specifically, the two companies have assembled a “team of industry veterans” who now become the driving force behind the collaborative marketing, product development and implementation process.

2nd November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Revised Toyo Figures Show Improved Profitability

Toyo Tire & Rubber has made a number of revisions to the consolidated performance forecasts for the first half of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010 (April 1, 2009 to September 30, 2009) that it released on May 11, 2009. Predicted net sales have been bumped down 7.4 per cent, or 10.4 billion yen (£69.7 million) to 129.6 billion yen (£868.3 million). Despite this reduction in sales, however, operating loss is expected to decrease from 2.8 billion yen to 1.3 billion yen (£8.7 million). Ordinary loss will also diminish, from 4.1 billion yen to 1.3 billion yen. Net loss also decreases from 4.2 billion yen to 2.0 billion yen (£13.4 million).

29th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Q3 Figures Show Improvement

Michelin reports its decline in unit sales during the third quarter of 2009 and over the first nine months of the year is “in line with the decline in global tyre markets.” During the most recent quarter the manufacturer recorded a 14.0 per cent drop in unit sales, a figure that shows a lift in sales compared to the preceding months: in the first nine months of the year unit sales were 20.1 per cent down. The French tyre major generated net sales of 3.754 billion euros in the July to September quarter, a 10.9 per cent decrease on the corresponding three months in 2008. During the nine months to September 30, 2009 net sales amounted to 10.888 billion euros, a year-on-year decline of 12.5 per cent. Deutsche Bank analysts comment that third quarter sales were “slightly better than expected”; sales also beat the expected average of 3.727 billion euros gleaned from and a Reuters survey of six analysts. While volumes were as bad as Deutsche Bank’s analysts anticipated, Michelin’s four per cent price-mix for the quarter was a pleasant surprise. Price mix during the nine months was 7.6 per cent.

27th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Meyle to intensify UK sales activities

German vehicle spare parts manufacturer Wulf Gaertner Autoparts AG has reorganised its Meyle brand sales activities in the British aftermarket. In September the company launched its new UK subsidiary, Meyle UK Ltd. The local operation, headed by managing director David Ward, is responsible for the marketing of Meyle brand suspension and steering components, rubber-to-metal parts and brake system components. Meyle UK will, says the parent company, be able to “significantly improve supply capability of its complete range of 12,500 items to customers across UK,” including the 500 or so heavy duty parts that have been reengineered beyond their OE counterparts.

20th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Wincanton Establishing Direct Imports Capability for Micheldever

Micheldever Tyres has appointed logistics services provider Wincanton Plc to set up a direct import and trunking solution for the business. This arrangement will see a portion of an existing Wincanton site in Kettering, Northamptonshire set aside as a ‘direct import centre’ for Micheldever. From here more than 50,000 tyres will be shipped to wholesale distribution centres throughout the UK, which in turn will supply 22 per cent of the national tyre market. According to Wincanton, the new solution will reduce lead-times onto site following arrival at the port plus reduce product movement and handling across the network.

19th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

US Tariffs “Groundless”, says China

China’s Commerce Ministry has labelled US measures against Chinese imports, such as the tariffs on consumer tyres, as “groundless”. On October 15 ministry spokesman Yao Jian told journalists "the US launched a large number of trade remedy measures this year. Quite a few such measures were groundless and wrong."

15th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Working With Developer on Burton Retail Site Development

Pirelli is cooperating with a property developer on plans to build a housing estate on the site of its Burton factory’s former retail division. Developer St. Modwen Properties, who purchased a 21-acre plot from Pirelli in 2005 and a further nine acres in 2007, intends to construct around 200 houses on a 20-acre site.

14th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

NTDA – Over 80 Years and Still Going Strong

Beginning by quipping that he didn’t mean to lie at last year’s event when he said the 2008 dinner was to be his last, NTDA chairman Peter Gaster opened this year’s chairman’s speech by explaining that the his chairmanship has been extended while he completes a review of NTDA’s future. Kwik-Fit’s David White, who will succeed Gaster as chairman, is set to take over when the select group of NTDA members has been consulting with have completed their recommendations.

The current chairman was keen to point out the association’s history and strengths: “Our association has been in existence for over 80 years and, in tyre industry terms, is the oldest surviving association and is still going strong! The main themes of any proposed changes are based upon the strength and weakness or pros and cons of our association.”

This was a reference to the association’s recent moves to resist “integration with other organisations.” However, “we would view any trade association that wanted to affiliate or even join the NTDA with an open mind and on its merit,” he added. This means that NTDA will maintain its office in Aylesbury with the ongoing support of its director and staff for the “foreseeable future.”

1st October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors