Hankook Tire reports higher revenues and operating profit for the second quarter of 2012. The Korean tyre maker’s revenues rose 18.5 per cent year-on-year to KRW 1.84 trillion (£1.03 billion) in the three months to 30 June and operating profit jumped 112.1 per cent to KRW 215.5 billion (£121.15 million).
Size does matter, and this is precisely the reason why Prestons of Potto doesn’t regret a switch from 295/80 R 22.5 drive axle tyres to 315/80 R 22.5 fitments on its new tractor units. The different size tyres – all Michelin XDN2 Grip – were specified on 20 new Scania R480 6×2 tractor units that entered service with the Northallerton-based company in February and March 2010. After more than two years on the road, Prestons reported that the highest-mileage tractor unit had clocked up 325,683 miles (524,137 kilometres) before its tyres needed replacing.
Tire Group International and Alliance Tire Group have announced a distribution agreement that gives TGI exclusive distribution rights for Galaxy-brand tyres in Latin America and the Caribbean, with exception of Colombia and Ecuador. The distributor will offer Galaxy’s industrial, agricultural and off-the-road tyre lines as both direct factory shipments and fill-in from its distribution centre in Miami, Florida.
West Yorkshire’s Bedfords Transport says it has been able to halve tyre-related breakdowns since adopting a new tyre policy with ATS Euromaster in December 2011. The company signed a new deal with its existing tyre service provider to fit Pirelli new and remould tyres across its fleet of 84 trucks and 135 trailers. During the first seven months of the contract, Bedfords Transport has recorded an average of 3.4 roadside tyre failures per month, compared to 6.4 per month during the previous year. The company credits a “closer working relationship” with ATS-E for the significant impact on operational uptime the new deal has made.
On 10 July, the general director of Pirelli Tyre Russia and Pirelli S.p.A. chief procurement officer, Carlo Costa, met with Voronezh Region governor Alexey Gordeyev to discuss plans for the Voronezh Tyre Plant, which the Italian tyre maker acquired together with Russian Technologies earlier this year. During the meeting, Costa revealed that Pirelli will invest in modernising the facility with a view to producing Pirelli-branded tyres there from 2014.
SD International reports that it is showcasing its full product portfolio and introducing several new tyres (including the firm’s latest winter ranges in both the Pace and Zeta brands) at CITExpo 2012. The company will also be launching its all-new Briland range for which it holds global distribution rights.
The Reifen show is a meeting point for both long-established and new companies; Shamrock Marketing Inc. belongs – at least in Europe – to the second of these groups. The US-based trading company, which was founded in Louisville, Kentucky twenty years ago by Douglas Conley, now seeks to enter the European market. The firm began life as a distributor of vulcanisation envelopes, and although this remains a core element of the company’s business activities in the US and other markets, Douglas Conley Jr. told Tyres & Accessories that Shamrock has added many additional products to its portfolio during the last 20 years. Shamrock Marketing’s current range covers accessories, tools and equipment such as autoclaves, monorails, buffers and envelope spreaders, plus tyre mounting equipment – everything needed in a cost-efficient retreading facility.
Pirelli Motorsport director Paul Hembery has told Spanish newspaper El Confidencial that rumours suggesting the company is supplying tyres of inconsistent quality to Formula One teams have not led to any official complaints being made. Hembery was responding to a suggestion that there are “serious differences” between tyres of the same compound made by Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko. Grands Prix have been surprisingly open to competition in the 2012 season, with seven different winners in eight races, and while Hembery takes credit for the tyres adding to the excitement of the racing, it is also clear that some of the top teams’ feathers have been ruffled by the more competitive championship.
Dunlop has released its latest van tyre, the EconoDrive. The company says it designed the new tyre specifically to lower the cost of ownership for van owners and drivers, and claims to have employed 12 engineering upgrades and new technologies to achieve this goal.
Off-road tyre manufacturer Mitas has appointed Vladimir Rada its new chief financial officer. Rada is a Czech national who has worked at AcelorMittal Distribution Solutions since 2007 in various finance and controlling related positions. In addition, interim CFO Marek Beran has been appointed head of central logistics, while Mitas’ US investment director Vladimir Dusanek has moved to Prague to oversee central controlling.
Hangzhou ZhongCe Rubber has reported the tragic death of Werner Portugal, founder and managing director of Qingdao Diamond Tire Ltd. Details are still unclear, however it appears that Mr. Portugal was killed in an accident in China on 22 June. The tyre maker expresses its sympathies at the painful loss experienced by Mr. Portugal’s family, friends and colleagues.
Hubert Plouchart has joined the French subsidiary of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe. Holding a BTS in Management and a Masters in Business and Marketing from ESSEC, Plouchart was formerly head of National Sales of the glass repair department at Speedy France.
Shares in Transense Technologies rose on Friday 15 June after the sensor systems maker announced its trading division secured a strategic distribution deal with a Saudi group. The group told investors that its IntelliSAW business, a provider of wireless sensor systems for smart grid applications, has entered into a strategic distribution agreement with the energy projects and services division of Saudi Arabia’s Al Mashariq Trading and Contracting Co. The company also makes systems and tools for use in tyre TPMS and RFID applications.
Domestic and European freight haulier Eurovision Logistics has appointed ATS Euromaster to supply, fit and service Pirelli tyres on its fleet. The Hull-based business trialled the policy from September 2011, when ATS-E fitted a single tractor unit and trailer in the Eurovision Logistics fleet with a mix of Pirelli new and remould tyres to demonstrate the lower tyre wear it could achieve. Dominic Yeardley, managing director of Eurovision Logistics, was convinced: “From early on in the trial we saw a marked improvement in tyre efficiency on the trial vehicle. Quality of service is critical to getting the most from your rubber; ATS Euromaster looked after these tyres as if they were its own. They promised to make our tyres more efficient and they haven’t disappointed.”
"It is encouraging that new truck and van sales increased in May with the overall market up 10 per cent in comparison to the same month last year” said Sue Robinson, Director of the RMI National Franchised Dealers Association which represents commercial vehicle and franchised car retailers across the UK, commenting on the SMMT’s van and truck registration figures. Robinson continued "Van sales improved in May, for the first time in 2012, up 6.7 per cent.
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