With the Chinese and Indian tyre industries proving to be the most rapidly transforming, the Asian region is one that has the attention of industry players and observers worldwide. According to 2005 statistics these two countries account for almost 30 per cent of the natural rubber produced globally each year, with much of this rubber ending up in tyre production.
Indian tyre major MRF has signed up popular Indian driver Gaurav Gill to compete in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) for a full season this year. Addressing a press conference to announce MRF drivers for the championship, K M Mammen, MRF’s chairman and managing director, said “this is the first time that an Indian will be vying for honours in the event by competing in six of the seven legs. Gaurav (Gill) is also the first Indian to register with the FIA for the APRC Series.”
(Akron/Tire Review) TIA has announced that its 2008 OTR Conference will be held in Hawaii. The Feb. 21-23 event will be held at the Kapuna Beach Prince Hotel, according to the association.
The 2007 OTR Conference, held on Rancho Bernardo, California, ended this past weekend.
Indian manufacturer Apollo Tyres recently organised a day-long conference, attended by over 80 participants from the company’s raw material and machinery suppliers and business partners. Called “Beyond Business?”, the theme of the conference was whether a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are an integral part of business activities, or beyond the scope of business.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plans to introduce a new tyre in July that caters for a customer base that purchases premium high-performance cars. This tyre, the carbon-fibre, reinforced Eagle F1 All Season tyre, was revealed at the company’s annual tyre dealers’ conference in held Orlando, Florida at the start of February.
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. introduced dealers to a new consumer marketing and advertising campaign that supports an all-new theme for the Goodyear brand: “Get There.”
Larry Mason, president of consumer tyres, officially debuted the new message and accompanying television ads at Goodyear’s annual dealer meeting in Orlando, Florida.
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear’s North American Tire division has created a new internal team called the Customer Development Organization.
The announcement was made this past weekend at Goodyear’s annual dealer conference in Orlando, Florida.
Automechanika, a leading international brand of automotive parts and service trade shows, will join forces with CarFixWORLD to make its debut in the Canadian marketplace. This event will be presented jointly by Messe Frankfurt, producer of what will now be a dozen Automechanika shows across the globe, and Business Information Group, publisher of over 90 media products in Canada.
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Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp is recalling at least 56,000 trucks again to repair components that were the cause of another big recall nearly three years ago, the company said. Mitsubishi Fuso, which is majority-owned by DaimlerChrysler AG, told the Japanese Transport Ministry that it would recall its ‘Super Great’ model trucks as their wheel hubs contained a flaw that could lead to the tyres falling off.
Under the new labour agreement to emerge in the wake of the USW strike, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will cut starting pay for newly hired workers in the U.S. by 35 per cent to US$13 per hour.
Chief Executive Officer Robert Keegan gave details the new wage rate in a conference call, Goodyear’s first discussion of the contract since the 29 December announcement that the United Steelworkers union members had given their approval.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. chief financial officer Richard Kramer has announced that the company will continue to “attack high-cost factories” as part of its programme to lower its worldwide operating costs.
India’s largest tyremaker, MRF, recently outlined its plans for expansion at three of its factories. The expansion is estimated to cost somewhere between £58 and 70 million, and will be implemented over a period of two years.
The sale of unsafe second-hand tyres has become a major contributor towards road fatalities in South Africa, according to the body representing South Africa’s tyre manufacturers, the South African Tyre Manufacturing Conference (SATMC).
Apollo Tyres Ltd has launched the Apollo Acelere Sportz – a premium V-speed rated tubeless car radial for the rapidly-growing range of premium and luxury cars. Acelere Sportz is India’s first complete range of asymmetric tyres, incorporating many performance, aesthetic, fuel efficiency and safety features.
This premium tyre can be fitted to a wide range of sedans and is an addition to the growing Acelere range of tubeless tyres, catering to the new generation of automobiles on Indian roads. Currently, Apollo commands a 15 per cent share of the tubeless radial market, and, with Acelere Sportz this is expected to grow to 20 per cent in a year’s time.
(Akron/Tire Review) Will they or won’t they? That’s the big question heading into the sixth week of the United Steelworkers strike against 16 Goodyear plants in North America. Goodyear stated 9 November that it was sending its negotiating team back to Cincinnati, and that the company was “willing and prepared to resume formal bargaining with the United Steelworkers at any time.” While the USW applauded Goodyear’s return to the Queen City, it did not commit to resuming contract negotiations. “We are pleased that the company has apparently come to its senses and will return to the table,” said Tom Conway, USW International vice president. “We stand ready to bargain a fair labour agreement, as we always have, and assume by this announcement that the company has abandoned its destructive position on closing plants and slashing health care.”
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