Yokohama Rubber’s supply of tyres to the Macau Grand Prix on November 19 to 22 marks the 27th consecutive year in which it has done so. As part of the weekend’s activities in Macau, the company will also support the final race of the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship series and other races. A total of about 2,500 tyres will be supplied.
Nokian Tyres says it signed a 180 million euro syndicated revolving credit facility for three years with international banks on November 4. The facility, the company reports, will be used for general corporate purposes and to refinance the existing 180 million euro syndicated revolving credit facility signed on April 19, 2005. The Mandated Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners are Calyon, Handelsbanken, Nordea, Pohjola Bank, Sampo Bank and SEB. DnB NOR acts as an arranger. Pohjola Bank was the sole coordinator for the facility, Nokian adds.
The ITDN has been providing a tyre breakdown service to independent tyre dealers for 24 years, and in the past 12 months the network has gone through tremendous change to update and enhance systems. The company has recently developed a state of the art in-house breakdown logging system and its ‘ITDN Interactive’ web-based member programme. ITDN has recognised the increased need for up-to-date information flow to its members and fleet customers and will continue to offer extra benefits and ongoing development. Furthermore, the Devon based company now has an internal IT development team. Despite these many changes, the company reports that its chief concern remains, as always, to provide support for its membership to help their independent tyre dealers grow.
German automotive technology supplier Bosch admits the recession has left a clear mark on its results. For 2009, the Bosch Group expects sales to decrease by 15 per cent, to some 38 billion euros. In its automotive businesses, the decline in worldwide sales will be as much as 20 per cent at year-end. Yet following the deep recession, Bosch Automotive Group chairman Dr. Bernd Bohr sees clear signs that the automotive business’s situation has stabilised. Orders have begun to improve and during the past few months Bosch has acquired major new projects. This is expected to support the company’s growth in the coming years. However, Bohr cautioned “it could take us until 2012 to return to the pre-recession levels of 2007."
Hankook Tire has announced plans to top up the talent pool at its Europe Technical Center (ETC) in Germany. The Korean tyre maker intends to take on three new engineers before the end of the year, increasing the number of developmental team specialists at the Langenhagen site near Hanover to 36. These new additions follow three other new appointments at the centre this year; in total, the developmental team will grow by more than 16 per cent during 2009 – a growth rate, as Hankook notes, that meets the company’s economic growth.
Production capacity is to be expanded at Cooper Tire & Rubber’s Texarkana, Arkansas facility. The company reports that, in response to growing market demand for its products, operations at the Texarkana passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyre plant will shift to a 24/7 operation as of January 1, 2010. Approximately 200 additional employees will be needed to support this increased production volume, which will be phased in over several months in 2010.
Industrial and commercial equipment provider, Slingsby has launched a new website – slingsby.co.uk. The company reports that it is one of the largest of its kind in the UK. Lee Wright, marketing director of Slingsby, explained: “With such a large product range and wide-spanning customer base, the launch of this new website marks a significant investment in technology for Slingsby.”
The Marangoni Group research centre is located in Rovereto, Italy, at the foot of the Alps, where snow covered and icy roads plus below-zero temperatures are normal for many weeks of the year. According to Marangoni, everyday driving experience in these conditions acts an additional tool available to the engineers who design its winter tyres. As a result, the company reports its expertise and skills in producing tyres that work well in the conditions they were designed for are greatly enhanced. Exploiting their experience, engineers at the Marangoni Car Tyre research centre have designed and developed a range of tyres that covers all car segments. This line-up is divided into series suited for continental European climates and the harsher winters of northern Europe.
Continental’s HTL1 super wide trailer tyre was introduced into North American markets in early July, and the company reports that users there are already praising a particular benefit delivered by the on/off road and construction use tyre. Although most fleets choose a super single trailer tyre to reduce weight or increase fuel economy, Continental Tire North America states customers have reported the HTL1’s stone ejection system increases tyre longevity other super single trailer tyres they have used.
Brake Engineering is a UK pioneer in the field of brake caliper remanufacture, and in its 28 years of business the company has grown to become a major UK and international distributor of brake discs, wheel cylinders, brake pads and shoes, fitting kits, brake caliper repair kits, and remanufactured drive shafts. To assist its distributors in these difficult times, Brake Engineering has come up with a range of ready made promotions that it calls ‘Promo Basics’. The company reports that the Promo Basics promotions – which include rewards such as free newspapers, snacks and drinks – won’t break the bank
The adoption of automated sort-and-palletise systems and all three of Cooper Tire’s US factories is saving an estimated US$10 million a year, the company reports. Installation of the first of such systems, which use towering gantry cranes and conveyors to sort and stack tyres by bar code, began in Findlay in May 2007 and the final system in Texarkana was signed off in February 2009.
The Findlay automation system has reduced the number of manual tyre lifting touches from five to zero, and pallets of tyres previously handled three times by a forklift are now handled just once. “It’s an ergonomic improvement by having the tyres handled automatically versus people lifting them by hand,” points out Findlay plant engineer Scott Forry. The installation of the system is, comments Forry, “the largest single automation change that the Findlay plant has undertaken.”
What is happening in the tyre world? First your preferred source of industry news launched its Twitter service – see http://twitter.com/tyrepress for more details – and now Michelin has also joined the word of tweeting with its very own site. The company reports its tweets will include product information, tyre facts and tips, news of consumer offers and events.
Furthermore, the latest Michelin UK Twitter updates include the locations of Michelin’s Fill Up With Air roadshow where drivers can bring their car for a free pressure check and adjustment if required. Michelin’s tweets can be followed at http://twitter.com/MichelinTyres.
In June Dutch company Magna Tyres launched its MA04 E4 tyre. Developed specifically for mining, quarry and construction applications, this product is intended for 40 – 100 tons nominal payload off-highway trucks in order to help them keep materials moving at high volume with lower costs per ton. According to Magna, the new MA04 is “reliable, durable, dependable” and features “an aggressive tread pattern to ensure maximum traction.”
The release of the MA04 follows the earlier launch of another project for even larger 240 ton rigid dump trucks. The Magna MR420 is designed to offer lower cost per hour, long tyre life and outstanding protection. The MR420 E4 pattern is already available in three major sizes: 40.00R57; 36.00R51; and 33.00R51.
According to Marangoni Meccanica SpA, producer of the Marangoni Tyre Machinery brand, a key company aim is to deliver customised industrial solutions that are quality focused, highly innovative and flexible – and in doing so provide end-users with the best possible solution. The company has been developing production technologies for both new and retreaded tyres since the sixties, and in recent years has invested into developing its proprietary “Alpha R” strip winding equipment.
At present the Italian firm is placing a particular emphasis on the development of innovative equipment and state-of-the-art technological solutions for the manufacturing of large radial tyres, including tailor-made tyre assembly systems serviced by fully automatic Alpha R applicators.
In the two years since Vredestein released its Quatrac 3, the company reports that the all-season tyre has proven to be “phenomenally successful.” The tyre range has now been extended to include SUV fitments, and these new additions are based upon many of features found in the passenger car range.
The tyre’s extra wide tread, comments Vredestein, ensures an even better road-holding and offers exceptional stability without compromising on comfort.
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