Mitas and IBM announced on November 10 that IBM will create for the Czech Republic tyremaker a new enterprise integration platform based on Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). The new platform will, says IBM, significantly streamline application alignment and management, shortening time necessary for change deployment. Other benefits of the new Mitas platform include cost savings through more efficient system administration.
The International Tyre Club (ITC), founded in 2001 to provide an annual business forum for industry professionals to meet together regularly and cost-effectively, says it has already received much interest in its 2009 Club Summit. According to the ITC, traders and wholesalers from a dozen countries are already lined up to attend the Club’s ITC 2009 event, one of the very first in next year’s business calendar.
Continental is reportedly cutting back production at its three European truck tyre factories by 6.5 per cent. A company statement stated that “the entire European replacement business recorded a drop of almost 10 per cent in the first eight months of this year, without any sign of improvement.” In response, says Conti, output will be cut to compensate for losses in its volume.
On May 16th 2008 Bridgestone Europe and its logistics partner Fiege officially opened the new Bridgestone “European Logistics Center ” (ELC) East in the Czech Republic town of Bor. Around 100 guests attended the opening ceremony including representatives from 15 local, regional and national media, neighbouring companies, several customers and suppliers, and various members of Bridgestone Europe and Fiege Group companies.
Both VIP speakers, Fiege CEO Mr. Jens Fiege and Yves Kerstens, VP Supply Chain, Bridgestone Europe, expressed their satisfaction with the relationship between the two long-term partners and the results achieved, specifically in the case of the Bor tyre warehouse. Mr. Kerstens stated in his speech: “Personally I am very pleased to see the results that have been achieved in this context with the Fiege Group. In 1978 Bridgestone was Fiege’s first “contract logistics” customer in Germany and today Fiege is our main service provider in Central and East Europe, operating warehouses in Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic and also the first partner to perform cross border deliveries.”
Czech Republic based manufacturer MITAS a.s. is expanding its Mitas brand earthmover radial range with the addition of a 25-inch size. The company reports that trial production of this new product is already underway, and serial production will commence in the second half of the year.
The new earthmover radial is suitable for all wheel loaders and articulated dumpers, and Midas has plans to make further additions to the line-up. “When the first stage of the project, the EM-radial-tyres in 25 inch, is successfully completed, the second stage of the project, the production for EM-radial-tyres up to 33 inch will be implemented”, said Dr. Jaroslav Čechura, general director and chairman of the Board at MITAS a.s.. “The total investment for the Mitas earthmover radial tyre project amounts to ten million Euros.”
Czech Republic based company Coda Development s.r.o. reports it has developed and patented a self-inflating tyre (SIT) system, which it will preview at the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit between April 14 and 17. According to the company, the SIT system delivers the key benefits of eliminating tyre pressure checks and the manual inflation of tyres, along with removing the safety and fuel consumption issues linked to driving on incorrectly inflated tyres. Coda Development adds that production costs for incorporating the SIT system will “increase only marginally” in comparison with the fitment of standard tyres.
The CGS group which includes Mitas (tyre production), Rubena (technical rubber products) and Buzuluk (machinery and equipment for the rubber industry) has recently acquired a full ownership stake in the company Konty G with compounds manufacturing facilities in Zlín, Czech Republic. The company will continue to supply compounds for the Mitas factories in Zlín and Otrokovice. Additional free compound capacities will be offered to other tyre manufacturers. Mr. Josef Kubáník, formerly Quality manager of the Mitas plant in Zlín, has been appointed as the new Director of Konty G.
Cooper Tire & Rubber has named Curtis Schneekloth as the company’s new investor relations director. Scheekloth’s main role is to be that of spokesman on financial issues, communicating with stock market analysts and investors. Employed by Cooper since 2003, Schneekloth has most recently held the position of lead accountant in Strategic Planning, a role he has performed since January 2006. Prior to joining Cooper Schneekloth held a number of financial roles in both the US and the Czech Republic.
Speaking of the appointment, Chief Financial Officer Phil Weaver said, “Curtis Schneekloth shows a keen understanding of Cooper’s operations, as well as offering a mix of international and entrepreneurial experiences.”
Matador’s new MP 46 Hectorra 2 high performance tyre has been rated very highly in an independent test conducted by the Czech Republic motoring magazine Auto Motor a Šport. Following a comparative test evaluating each tyre on a number of criteria, the expert evaluators labelled the Hectorra 2 as “recommended.” The comparative test revealed the tyre’s greatest strengths lay in the areas of low rolling resistance and short braking distance on wet and dry surfaces. This Hectorra 2 was also rated one of the best handlers.
Slovakia’s number one tyremaker has held their “Matador Winter Grip” event for a second year, this time at Tále in the Low Tatra Mountains. Testing on what has been called difficult and snowy terrain in weather not conducive to the event, participants were able to experience driving the company’s tyres on a range of vehicles, including models from Mercedes, Skoda, Seat, Jeep, KIA and Honda.
Indian tyremaker Apollo Tyres has reaffirmed its commitment to the development of professional tennis in its homeland by signing up a doubles team to compete in the 2007 ATP and Grand Slam Tours. The two players are top Indian player Mahesh Bhupathi and the Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek.
Sources inform us that Finnish tyre manufacturer Nokian seems set to expand their distribution centre. The company’s Prague (Czech Republic) distribution centre, which already services a number of East European countries, will apparently see its role upgraded into a European-wide distribution centre. T&A has also been told that a re-organisation of the centre will accompany this expansion. Dieter Köppner, current Managing Director of Nuremburg based Nokian Reifen GmbH, Nokian’s German subsidiary, will be responsible for the new European Centre.
Moody’s agency assigned four new national scale ratings in the Czech Republic and Slovakia – the Matador Group among them. The long-term A2 rating suggests the Slovakian manufacturer has a stable future outlook and means confirmation of favourable investment conditions for Matador Group. At the end of October the news that Continental was in “discussions” with Matador Group’s Rubber Division surfaced.
Goodyear-owned tyre maker Sava Tires, one of Slovenia’ largest exporters, has become part of a new organisational structure of 11 Central and Eastern European countries. The move has reportedly been made to make the company more responsive and does not entail moving production away from Kranj, Sava Tires said in a press release on 2 October.
Just two weeks after their win at Lime Rock Park, Pirelli and Aston Martin returned to the winners circle in the USA at the inaugural
Utah Grand Prix, fifth round of the American Le Mans Series, held at the brand new Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City. The road racing circuit is the longest in the US at 4.5 miles; a challenge of 24 curves made all the more challenging by hot weather and the mixture of salt and sand continually blown onto the asphalt, making it highly abrasive.
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