Dunlop Archives - Page 106 of 114 - Tyrepress

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Goodyear claims to achieve flexibility, cost goals with USWA Pact

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has stated that its new labour contract with the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) meets the operational flexibility and cost-savings goals established prior to the negotiations. “Our goal for these negotiations was to achieve what some thought was impossible: a fair agreement that contributed approximately 1 billion dollars in cost savings and cost avoidance over its three-year term without a work stoppage,” said Robert J. Keegan, Goodyear chairman and chief executive officer.

23rd September 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Wolverhampton car tyre production to cease

Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Limited has announced that it has initiated an information and consultation process with Union Representatives regarding possible redundancies as a result of the removal of car and radial light truck tyre production at its Plant in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. The company has advised the UK Department of Trade and Industry and our Unions today that we will be ceasing production of car and radial light truck tyres in Wolverhampton and that up to 420 associates could potentially be affected. The remaining production from Wolverhampton is unaffected by this decision, with tractor tyre manufacturing and other processes used in tyre production, such as mixing, calendering and retreading, continuing on the site.

23rd September 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

All round Dunlop for SUVs and Light Trucks

Dunlop has announced a new, multiple application tyre targeted at the multi-purpose usage engaged by sport-utility vehicles and light trucks. The new Dunlop Rover RVXT is an all-terrain performance tyre carries the Rubber Manufacturers Association’s standard that designates tyres designed for use in severe snow conditions. The Rover RVXT is labelled with the mountain-and-snowflake symbol on the sidewall to distinguish its capability as a winter tyre. A key benefit for Dunlop dealers is the consolidation of two existing product lines – the Dunlop Rover RV and Rover P-Metric – as the new Rover RVXT hits the market. The new line offers 31 sizes, ranging from 15-inch to 17-inch rim diameters. The Rover RVXT’s tread pattern features a rugged, four-rib design to provide excellent on- and off-road performance. The tread has deep lateral grooves that provide extra traction in tough conditions, and circumferential grooves that assist in channelling water away from the tyre’s contact point patch with the road surface.

19th September 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Dunlop UK Director

Goodyear Dunlop has appointed Paul Wilde (39) as Director, Consumer Strategic Business Unit, UK. The role gives him responsibility for the consumer business of Goodyear Dunlop, covering car, van and 4×4 tyres. He joins Goodyear Dunlop from Reckitt Benckiser, where his responsibilities included Sales Director for China, General Manager, Philippines and Regional Project Director, East Asia.

1st September 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

“Tentative Agreement” Reached Between Goodyear And Unions

The long-running saga of discussions between Goodyear and the United Steel Workers of America took another turn when it was announced that the two sides had reached “a tentative agreement” on a new, three-year labour contract. The next step is for USWA’s 19,000 workers to vote to approve the deal. No details were given, but one unconfirmed press report said that the factory at Huntsville, Alabama, which produces Dunlop tyres, would close as part of the agreement, resulting in the loss of 1,000 jobs.

21st August 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Crash Family Sues Dunlop

In the UK Scott Harvey (14) is suing Dunlop Tyres and a family member who was driving a car when a tyre burst at 60 mph. Harvey was not wearing a seat belt in the back of the car and was thrown clear, suffering head injuries and fractures and had to have two fingers removed from his right hand. Dunlop made no comment, saying that the case was in the hands of the company’s legal team.

10th July 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Fuel Shortage Causes Tyre Maker To Close

Tyre production at the Dunlop Zimbabwe factory at Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, stopped for a week recently, due to a chronic shortage of coal. The plant uses around 50 tonnes of coal a day, sourced from Zimbabwe’s Wankie Colliery Company, which is itself suffering from a shortage of diesel. Production resumed when Dunlop bought coal from middlemen, but its poor quality led to machinery breakdowns. Dunlop Zimbabwe closed for almost a month earlier this year because of problems arising from price controls on tyres, re-opening only after being allowed to increase prices by 20 per cent.

10th June 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Gibara Bows Out As Keegan Takes Over

Career Tracks, Company News, International News

Goodyear has announced that Samir Gibara (64) will resign as chairman at the end of June. He will be succeeded by Robert Keegan (55), who is currently president and CEO and who will retain responsibility for these two roles. Gibara joined Goodyear in 1964 and has been chairman since July 1996. He paid tribute to the speed with which Keegan “learned the industry and demonstrated his leadership abilities”. For his part, Keegan said that Gibara had provided “important and valued counsel” since Keegan joined Goodyear in October 2000 as president and COO.

8th May 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Dunlop UK Announces Intention To Restructure

Goodyear Dunlop UK Limited has begun a consultation process with the unions and public authorities regarding the restructuring of its UK Sales Operations at Tyrefort, Birmingham. Andreas Niegsch, General Manager, said the move was necessary “to become a more flexible, dynamic and responsive organisation in a highly competitive marketplace.” He added that the restructuring would mean job losses, with up to 116 associates affected at Tyrefort and 100 in field operations. The consultation process is scheduled to run for 90 days.

22nd April 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

The Car Fleet Tyre Market; T&A talks to the people who really understand the business

The car fleet tyre market has seen some changes recently. The forerunner of fleet tyre management was, we believe, FTM, first established in 1991. Cutting to the chase, two years ago as part of the Montinex Group, FTM almost went to the wall when Montinex collapsed. Its management included Kevin Parker, who was snapped up by National Fleet, then in the hands of Continental, and Dominic Bateson who in quick time arrived at the helm of General Motor’s backed Fit4Fleet. At the same time Kwik-Fit had been acquired by Ford and there was a drive to expand Kwik-Fit’s coverage of the fleet market. Sir Tom Farmer bought FTM from the receiver and brought in Mike Wise to operate FTM to cater for the independent sector alongside Kwik-Fit Fleet. This was an arrangement which despite Mike Wise’s team’s success in delivering the contracts, remained uneasy as many independents questioned FTM’s autonomy from Kwik-Fit. Some simply had a dislike, or fear, of the Kwik-Fit ogre. Now that FTM has gone and Kwik-Fit Fleet has turned its back on the independents the sector is in a state of flux. This, in depth feature airs the views of the top players in this important and growing sector.The two equity players, ATS and Hi-Q have leading positions in the sector though both freely admit to chasing Kwik-Fit. Central’s role is somewhat less, and anyway is masked in the figures of one of the larger fleet tyre management operation’s figures. ATS Euromaster is in the invidious position of having lost two of its top management, both appointed from outside the tyre trade to bring in fresh approaches. The past year has seen ATS putting a great deal of effort into the retail outlets, perhaps at the expense of the car fleet sector. “The coming year”, says Ian Thomas, strategic development and interim sales director, “will see a redirection of emphasis and a development of the fleet sector alongside the ongoing retail developments.”ATS Euromaster, which we will refer to from here as ATS, has been in the fleet sector for a long time, however it’s interests have historically been largely in the truck and agricultural sectors rather than the car and van fleets. In the truck fleet market ATS lays claim to 35 per cent of the tyre replacement market and 85 per cent of the truck breakdown market in the UK. The inroads into the car sector, though significant, are far less and Ian Thomas admits that in car fleet terms ATS is trailing market leader Kwik-Fit, though he stresses that the company’s second place in the sector is a long way ahead of the third largest player. Ian didn’t say which was the third largest player but at present we might estimate that the honour falls to either National Fleet or Hi-Q, though if AA Tyre Fit is as successful as Centrica hope that position may change within the year.Paul Harrell, retail director responsible for Hi-Q advises T&A that the Goodyear Dunlop equity has been under review and through 2003 will be taking on a new stronger Hi-Q branding, with a reorganisation which truly strengthens Hi-Q, putting them in leading positions in some sectors of the UK market.Mike Wise who proved himself as a contract winner at FTM has been retained as the sales director for Kwik-Fit Fleet. In a frank discussion with T&A Mike was quite open about his thoughts on the market … “Honestly, I don’t think there is a future for the independent tyre retailer in the fleet tyre market … Kwik-Fit wins on every count … there will always be some work for them [the independents], but in the long term I question their viability against the strengths of Kwik-Fit.”To find out how the competition responded to Mike’s outspoken views read the most in depth discussion on the fleet tyre sector ever written …

14th March 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Steelworkers Begin Talks With Goodyear

The United Steelworkers of America (USWA) has announced that it is beginning master contract negotiations with Goodyear in Cincinnati. The talks will address contracts covering 20,000 members and 22,000 retirees across the U.S.USWA International Vice President Andrew V. Palm will lead the USWA Goodyear/Kelly-Springfield/Dunlop bargaining team. “The security of our members’ jobs, wages, benefits and retirement earnings are our paramount concern,” he stated. “We are convinced that Goodyear can return to profitability while also ensuring these basic protections. We do not intend to allow the company to restructure itself on the backs of its workers. If they don’t see us as part of the solution, it will only compound problems.”

13th March 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Zimbabwe Crisis Impacts On Tyre Sector

The Zimbabwe government’s price controls have impacted on the tyre sector and forced vehicle operators to lay off vehicles. Tyres are now being sought after on the black market after local manufacturer, Dunlop downsized operations due to price controls. Firestone and Bridgestone are no longer imported. Only a small number of Goodyear tyres were escaping the price restrictions and supplies have all but dried up. Some transport operators have resorted to bulk buying and bypassing dealers and importing tyres for themselves.

6th March 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Australian Race Series On German Dunlop Tyres

Dunlop Tyres Australia has signed a two-year exclusive contract to supply vehicles in the ‘V8 BRutes’ racing series. Founded two years ago, the series – which features pick-ups like the Ford Falcon XR8 or Holden Commodore SS in racing trim – has become more and more popular in Australia. From now on, competitiors will use 245/40 ZR 17 sized Dunlop SP Super Sport Race tyres. Made at the German Dunlop plant in Hanau, the SP Super Sport, which is available in nine sizes in 17″ and 18″ can be used as a road tyre, but only under dry conditions and by extreme sport oriented drivers.

12th February 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

The UK Motorcycle Tyre Market: Who Does Wins

For many in the UK tyre trade the motorcycle sector is a bit of an enigma. Bikers need tyres, but they also need specialist attention. The car buyer generally will fit whatever the dealer has to offer, surprisingly often without question. The Motorcyclist though is another fish altogether. Not only does the motorcyclist generally talk a great deal more about tyres, he, or she, will know more about them and will be more brand aware than the car driver. That creates some difficulty for the fast fit outlet used to pushing the tyres they want to sell. The case is compounded by the fact that, unlike the auto sector where tyres may be specifically tuned for OE supply, and the aftermarket offered a best option as a replacement tyre across the complete size range; the motorcycle sector retains those finely tuned OE specifications for aftermarket fit (by and large). It is therefore important, for example, that the Honda and the Yamaha, which both use the same size and range of Bridgestone tyre as OE, say, 120/70ZR17 BT 020, are offered the correct suffix code tyre to suit their bike. There are ten variations of this tyre from Bridgestone alone in this particular size. It is important that the sales staff are aware of the effect of fitting the wrong “120/70ZR17 BT 020” tyre to a bike – especially higher performance road bikes. Harmonics can induce “shimmy” in the steering, or vibration in the frame, or just make the bike noisy and uncomfortable to ride. At Dunlop Steve Male takes the explanation a stage further. “Manufacturers specify the bike and tell us what they expect from the tyre. Together we specify a tyre and tune it exactly for the bike as an OE fit. That OE fit is a global option and represents what the manufacturer of the bike believes is the correct global tyre for that bike. We will supply that OE tyre to the manufacturer. However, our own R&D team will design further options, refining the OE specification for different markets. There will possibly still be an exact OE spec. available for the bike, but there may also be a European spec., an Asian spec., and a North American spec., each tuned to the bike and the prevailing conditions.”

10th February 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Bill Hall To Leave Goodyear GB

Bill Hall, MD of Goodyear Great Britain, is to leave the company later this year to work in a family-run business consultancy. He will spend the next six months working on a number of strategic initiatives to accelerate the integration of Goodyear Dunlop UK. He joined Goodyear 24 years ago and has held a number of senior positions in the UK and Europe, launching the pan-European Truck Force service network. The role of MD, Goodyear will disappear as the company develops a structure based around strategic business units, reporting to Andreas Niegsch, General Manager, UK.

17th January 2003/by Tyrepress Editors