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Illicit Tappers Attack Rubber Plantation in Liberia

(Akron/Tire Review – Voice of America News, Monrovia, Liberia) Criminal gangs are attacking Bridgestone Corp.’s Firestone rubber plantation in Liberia. Gangs have been illegally tapping the trees, resulting in a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of rubber. According to local authorities, some of the criminal gangs include as many as 50 people.

“Firestone has been one of the targeted victims of illicit tapping over the year,” said Firestone spokesman Rufus Karmoh. “There have been some fatalities and destruction. It’s been attributed to illicit tappers who are roaming the concession areas in search of rubber to the detriment of our dedicated employees and management.”

It’s not known how much the thieves have cost Firestone but it’s estimated to be in tens of thousands of US dollars. Karmoh says the activities of illicit rubber tappers are posing a serious threat to production.

2nd July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

James Nuttall Regrooves 77 per cent of Tyres

Rochdale-based James Nuttall (Transport) Ltd has recorded one of the highest regrooving rates of any haulier in the UK over the past 18 months, by regrooving 77 per cent of all worn tyres prior to sending them to the Michelin to be remoulded using the Remix process. This figure – nearly double the national average for customers which regroove Michelin tyres – has enabled the company to prolong the life of each new tyre by approximately 25 per cent.

Regrooves are carried out in-house by the company’s own team of fitters, who regroove the tyres in accordance with Michelin’s official regroove guide – a 48 page booklet which illustrates the regroove pattern for all Michelin truck tyres available in the UK. Each steer axle tyre takes approximately 10 minutes to regroove, or 15-20 minutes for an average drive axle tyre.

21st June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Banner Supplies BMW with AGM Batteries for Hybrid Project

From June 2007, Banner is to equip the BMW 1 and 3 series with AGM technology batteries, which have a lead-acid basis and employ glass fibre nonwoven mats. This product offers the special cyclical resistance, which is needed for use in BMW’s gentle hybrid concept. The recovery of brake energy and an automatic start-stop system reduce CO2 emissions without any loss of engine performance. Banner now offers the AGM batteries in OEM quality and wishes to further expand its co-operation with BMW.

From June 2007, Banner is to supply the BMW plant in Regensburg with a 90Ah AGM battery for standard inclusion in the BMW 1 (3/5 doors) and 3 Series (Coupé). During the remainder of 2007, around 50,000 of these batteries are to be supplied to BMW and subsequently, the delivery volume is to be systematically increased through the linkage of additional BMW plants.

11th June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Bush Directs EPA to Examine Regulating CO2

President Bush has ordered the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin evaluating stricter emissions standards in response to the recent Supreme Court decision that determined CO2 to be a pollutant. By labelling CO2 a pollutant the Supreme Court opened it to regulation by the EPA, potentially circumventing the requirement for Congress to pass stricter Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. The President indicated that he wants action prior to his departure from office in January 2009. The EPA will work with the Departments of Transportation and Agriculture in developing the standards which will have to consider factors such as vehicle safety and the cost of the mandates. Deutsche Bank analysts have reported that CO2 regulation will have a “materially positive intermediate-term impact” on some aftermarket companies.

15th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

JIA Sources to Show Key Innovations at Brityrex International ’07

Innovative new products for tyre pressure management, nitrogen inflation and ‘touchless’ wheel alignment will be the focus for visitors to the JIA Sources International stand at Brityrex’07. The company’s new Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) makes its UK debut, offering simple-to-use retrofit applications for car, truck and towed vehicles like caravans and trailers.

Nitro-Ride nitrogen inflation systems is another area of business that will benefit from the launch of a new product, with a fully automated system being presented to trade and end user buyers.

JIA Sources managing director, William Mitchell, says that in addition to being innovative and practical, the company’s products are very much in vogue with current focus on carbon emissions reduction: “Reducing the carbon footprint of motorists is a major talking point. Our products focus on setting and maintaining accurate inflation pressures and correct wheel balancing/alignment, which of course improve fuel economy and extend tyre life, both of which help reduce emissions.”

23rd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Volvo to Offer Goodyear Self-Repair Tyres

Volvo is set to become the first truck manufacturer in Europe to fit self-repairing tyres to its products after the company entered into a supply deal with Goodyear. The deal will see tyres using Goodyear’s Duraseal become an option on the Volvo range.

The innovative design feature behind Duraseal is an extra-soft layer of rubber – a sealing layer. This sealing layer is inserted between the tread and the belted layer, and in the event of a puncture, the elastic, jelly-like material immediately plugs and seals the hole and retains the tyre’s air pressure. The tyre can seal holes up to 6 mm in diameter. The repair is permanent and the truck does not need to be withdrawn from traffic. It can continue to be used until the next scheduled service, which is highly beneficial in terms of productivity. Furthermore, major repairs involving vulcanisation of the tread layer do not damage the sealing layer.

23rd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Supplies Brennan’s Bakery

Dublin-based Brennan’s Bakery is operating a 100 per cent Michelin new and replacement tyre policy across its fleet of commercial vehicles, which are used to deliver fresh bread throughout Ireland. Operating under the famous slogan “today’s bread today”, the Brennan’s Bakery fleet comprises 16 tractor units and trailers, together with two 18 tonne rigids, each fitted with E-segment regional tyres which are managed using Michelin’s Four Lives tyre policy.

Tom Brennan, Distribution Manager at Brennan’s Bakery, explains: “Vehicles in our fleet cover approximately 100,000 km a year, operating primarily during the night to ensure fresh bread is on the shelves of the major retail establishments each morning.

28th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Boosting Economy with a Software Tweak

A Dutch scientist claims that the fuel consumption in many of today’s cars could be reduced by 2.6 per cent through the addition of new software to the engine’s computer. John Kessels from the University of Eindhoven worked in conjunction with Ford to develop software that would improve engine performance, and the initial results of this collaboration look promising.

21st February 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Sibur-Russian Establishes Tyremakers’ Union

Sibur-Russian Tyres has instigated the formation of a subcommittee, subordinate to the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s committee on entrepreneurship in the automotive industry, to focus upon the development of Russia’s tyre and rubber industry. The aim of this subcommittee is to facilitate the consolidation of Russian tyremakers in order to protect their interests at the governmental level.

20th February 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

All Go For Barum Tom Tom Winners

Barum Tyres, the quality economy tyre range, is pleased to announce the winners of its most recent dealer promotion which saw the popular Tom Tom Go 510 up for grabs as a reward for all staff at the winning dealership. The promotion was launched in the final quarter of 2006. All Barum dealers were entered with the chance to win the fantastic satellite navigation system as a reward for tyre sales.

15th February 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Alcoa Introduces New Tyre Management System

Alcoa Wheel Products have introduced a new product providing fleet operators real time data on their vehicle’s tyre pressure and tread depth. Called the InTire™ Management System, Alcoa’s new offering is a web-based system the company reports can maximise tyre life, enhance fuel economy and increase productivity in maintenance procedures. The InTire software interfaces with the vehicle-based sensing equipment wirelessly.

Optional add on equipment allows users to monitor items requiring periodic maintenance, such as fluid levels and the condition of filters.

24th January 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Harpers Choose ATS Euromaster for Tyre Management

Harpers Waste Management Solutions has adopted a managed tyre policy with ATS Euromaster at its two largest depots in York and Billingham. The agreement will see Michelin tyres fitted across 45 commercial vehicles in its fleet, marking a distinct change from the company’s previous tyre procurement policy which saw a number of different brands fitted by a range of suppliers.

24th January 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Beijing Announces Plans to Recover 70 per cent of Tyres

Beijing yesterday released plans aimed at increasing the use of recycled materials and boosting the city’s solid waste-recovery capacity by 2010. The plans included recovery targets of 95 per cent of waste automobiles and 70 per cent of end of life tyres. In 2005 only 4 per cent of Beijing’s retreadable casings were retreaded, the China Daily newspaper reported.

14th December 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Fleet Extends Michelin Trial Following Promising Results

UK operator Elite Transport is set to carry out an extensive trial of two types of Michelin tyres on its newly delivered fleet of fifteen Volvo FH480 6×2 tractor units. This decision has been made in light of findings after a single tractor unit was fitted with Michelin Energy tyres for a period of fourteen months.

7th December 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Peugeot’s 207 to Sport Latest Goodyear GT3

Maximising fuel economy is one of the highest priorities for drivers in the ultra-competitive super-mini racing category. With this in mind, Peugeot has given the go ahead for fitting the environmentally friendly Goodyear GT3 tyre as original equipment on their new 207.

4th December 2006/by Tyrepress Editors