As it is doing in the USA with its Road to Indy engagement, Cooper Tire will continue to race in the virtual world in Europe. The coming weeks will see the launch of the World RX Esports Invitational Series, with Cooper Tire Europe as tyre ‘supplier’.
Michelin isn’t the only firm in the industry now contributing towards efforts to manage the COVID-19 outbreak. Continental is providing medical hoses for use in Italy’s Bergamo and Lombardy regions. These items are being made at its facility in Daverio, Italy.
We know Michelin as a tyre maker, but at the moment tyre, mask and visor maker would be more accurate. The company is manufacturing these high-demand products in its own facilities in Europe or coordinating their outsourced production.
Alcoa aluminium wheels is now a Howmet Aerospace brand. On 1 April, Howmet Aerospace Inc. launched as a standalone company following the completion of Arconic Inc.’s separation into two firms. Howmet Aerospace is active in the aerospace, defence and space, and commercial transportation sectors and is made up of engine products, fastening systems, engineered structures and forged wheels businesses that in 2019 generated more than US$7 billion in revenue.
Michelin has been working with other companies to produce a new type of reusable face mask for use in the COVID-19 pandemic. The tyre maker adds that this OCOV mask, developed within a matter of weeks, is affordable, sustainable and can be produced in large quantities.
The last few months have been a challenging time for the tyre industry, but some of the first companies affected by the COVID-19 crisis are now reporting a return to normality. Zhongce Rubber Group (ZC Rubber) says its production at its plant in Hangzhou, China is now “in full swing” and its more than 9,200 employees back at work.
Automotive supplier Schaeffler AG and the Schaeffler family are jointly donating one million euros to the Red Cross to help in the fight against COVID-19.
As the Chinese Government announces it will maintain subsidies for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, an indication that it will support the industry in recovery, David Leggett, automotive analyst at GlobalData, says “all eyes will be on China, being the first country hit by the crisis and the first to attempt to navigate a way out.”
The Nexion Group, best known as the manufacturer of the Corghi brand of garage equipment, has extended the suspension of work in its Italian factories and offices for a second week, up to 5 April. The decision comes in compliance with the Italian government’s 25 March decree, implementing “urgent measures to deal with the epidemiological emergency from COVID-19.”
The Nexion Group has suspended all activities at its Italian factories and offices until Sunday 29 March. The company had managed the situation by minimising risk to its employees while continuing some business functions until now but has taken the decision to enact the closure based on current circumstances. The company, best known for the Corghi brand of garage machinery distributed by Rema Tip Top UK, states that it will use the closure as an opportunity to “check, improve and guarantee” health and safety measures currently in place at its plants.
Goodyear Europe, Middle East and Africa will suspend tyre production at all its European tyre and retread plants by the end of the week, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The manufacturer states that the temporary closure, which will last until at least 3 April, is “to protect its employees and respond to the sudden decline in market demand.” The closure affects the company’s plants in France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Slovenia. It also includes the Dębica plant in Poland.
Production at several Toyota factories in Europe has been suspended as a result of the coronavirus and its social and economic impact upon the region, and other facilities will be shuttered by the end of this week. Toyota Motor Europe (TME) says it decided to halt production for a number of reasons linked to the safety and security of its employees and stakeholders. In particular, it has needed to respond to short-term uncertainties in sales, logistics and supply chains resulting from lock-down measures implemented by various national and regional authorities.
SingEx Exhibitions has postponed its forthcoming Tyrexpo Africa trade as a result of concerns relating to the coronavirus. As a result, the event will now take place 4-6 August 2020 at Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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