Burning Rubber in Jamaica
It is not turning out to be a good year for the Jamaican employees of America’s largest tyremaker. Late on the evening of January 10 a blaze began in the Goodyear Tyre Distribution Centre in St Andrew.
It is not turning out to be a good year for the Jamaican employees of America’s largest tyremaker. Late on the evening of January 10 a blaze began in the Goodyear Tyre Distribution Centre in St Andrew.
Goodyear has launched a new steer tyre for 7.5 tonne vehicles which is said to give significant operator benefits thanks to its size. According to the manufacturer, the Regional RHS 225/70R17.5, which fits standard rims, increases front axle weight capacity whilst providing enhanced handling and better wear characteristics.
(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin Aircraft Tire Co. has been awarded a 10-year, $700 million-plus contract to supply tires to the U.S. military. Michelin officials said it was the company’s single largest contract ever.
Under the Defense Department Tire Privatization Initiative, Michelin will handle the wholesale supply, storage and distribution for all aircraft tires used by the U.S. military.
Major Indian tyremaker Apollo Tyres has made the decision to diversify into the transportation and logistics industry. Sister company Apollo International is in the process of establishing a cargo container freight depot near Mumbai, and is eager to acquire an established third party logistics firm to facilitate the development of the new business.
International distribution facilities provider ProLogis has agreed to acquire a 32-hectare piece of land from Michelin. On this 32-hectare site in Poitiers, France, ProLogis will build a 32,000 square metre (344,000 square foot) facility for Michelin, which will then lease the property as a distribution centre under a long-term agreement. Michelin’s facility will be part of a new 139,000 square metre industrial park owned by ProLogis and said to be valued at approximately US$132 million (£67 million).
TireWare Inc, a US based provider of business management software for tyre and vehicle service centres, has introduced what it claims to be the industry’s first subscription based online point of sale and distribution software. TireWare’s new pay as you go ‘software as a service’ system provides dealers with a whole new way of acquiring and managing their business software.
Gelu Tofan, one of Romania’s most prominent businessmen during the last decade, and the tyre manufacturer he controls, Danubiana, are facing significant financial problems. The tyremaker’s lack of funds has reached such a serious level that it has had to cease all activity, endangering the company’s distribution activity and the security of its employees.
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.
The distribution and retail subsidiary of Amtel-Vredestein, AV-TO, has announced the opening of its new showpiece, a tyre and automotive service centre in Moscow. The openings signals the final step in the company’s 14 month re-branding of its retail network.
Members of the United Steelworkers Union have scheduled a National Day of Action on December 16 with the aim of bringing the core issues behind its ongoing Goodyear strike into greater public awareness. While the planned action appears to be restricted to an orderly leaflet distribution campaign at 127 American stores that sell Goodyear tyres, the union hopes to prick the nation’s conscience with details of employee grievances.
Verso is the new passenger car tyre from Marangoni, which the company says is the result of a long process of product development and improvement. The target market for this T, H, V and W-rated tyre is broad; the sizes in the Verso line cover more than 45 per cent of the European market for replacement summer car tyres.
The Marangoni Research Centre focused on the progressive fine-tuning of ideas, materials and technologies. The key characteristic of Verso’s design is the progressive elimination of every superfluous element, concentrating on refining only the essential characteristics. This evolutionary process begins with the tyre’s name: because in Italian Verso means “towards”. Below is a brief summary of how this search for basic elements has been incorporated into the Verso design.
The Automotive Distribution Federation (ADF) has urged the entire automotive aftermarket industry to support the Kitemark for Garage Services. In a stark message to the ADF’s membership of leading aftermarket suppliers and distributors at the organisation’s Annual Dinner, President Alan Seal warned against the possible threat of government legislation facing garages, favouring the BSI‘s Kitemark for Garage Services as the only route for effective self-regulation.
(Akron/Tire Review) Continental Tire North America’s Canadian operations opened a new 100,000-square-foot distribution center in Mississauga, Ontario, just outside of Toronto. Continental Tire Canada new centre will service customers across Canada, the company said.
“This centre is the result of our continued growth in the Canadian marketplace.” said Guy Hardiman, CTCI’s national manager of consumer tyre sales and marketing. “It represents the importance of our market hare within the original equipment segment. This venture is especially important to ensure product is readily available for the Canadian marketplace, particularly for fitments unique to the Canadian market such as the Smart car.”
The Continental Tyre Group announced their choice for the position of managing director. David Smith will step into the role at the end of December when current managing director Brian Smith leaves the company after thirteen years in the job.
KUMHO’s ECSTA KH11 tyre has been chosen by the Chrysler Group to be original equipment on the 2007 Chrysler Sebring. The ultra-high performance tyre, in size 215/55R18, will be a top-of-the-line plus-size option on the Chrysler Sebring in international markets, the company reports. The vehicle will be available in the UK from June 2007.
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