Nankang has been named official tyre partner of Japfest – billed as ‘Europe’s biggest Japanese car show – and the Trax. modified and performance car event. Nankang Tyre UK will entertain the crowds at both shows with displays from Nankang-shod drift cars, and will also display the latest Nankang product range at its stand.
At the end of April, Yutaka Yamaguchi will end his tenure as managing director of the Bridgestone Technical Center Europe. The tyre maker has not yet named his successor in this Italy-based role.
Disc-Lock Europe, European distributor of the Disc-Lock Safety Wheel Nut, is urging transport operators to act before, not after a wheel loss event. The company is exhibiting at the forthcoming Commercial Vehicle Show 2014 and Disc-Lock chairman and wheel security expert, Bob Hope, will be on hand to discuss, with transport operators and transport engineers, the common causes of wheel detachment from commercial vehicles and how they can be avoided.
As of the start of this month, Arthur de Bok is no longer with Goodyear. De Bok stepped down as senior vice-president – Sales and Marketing Excellence at Goodyear Tire & Rubber on 28 February. He took on this role on 1 December 2013. Prior to this most recent role, de Bok was president of the tyre maker’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) business unit, a position he held since February 2008, and before that was president of the company’s European Union business. De Bok joined Goodyear in January 2002, taking on the role of vice-president of Goodyear-Dunlop Europe.
Yesterday, Apollo Vredestein introduced an addition to its Enschede factory that will save energy and costs and at the same time enable the company to manufacture the products it plans to introduce in coming years. The new ‘Mixer 8’ tandem mixer was officially brought into operation by Apollo Tyres’ chairman Onkar Kanwar together with Drs Theo W. Rietkerk, who is responsible for economy, energy and innovation within the government of Overijssel Province in The Netherlands.
As part of contract tyre Manufacturer Enjoy Tyre’s development in the UK and Europe, the firm has introduced a new range of Rotalla 4×4/SUV patterns. In practice this means the initial Rotalla RF07 tyre in size 205/80R has now been joined by the Rotalla RF10 HT and RF11 AT patterns.
Tyre, rubber, plastics and composites specialist Smithers Rapra has announced that its operation in Suzhou, China has been certified to test to the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) R117 standard by TÜV NORD. The company says adding the ECE R117 standard test capabilities for rolling resistance and road noise will support international tyre makers with testing systems that ensure the highest product integrity.
Together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Continental has gained a nomination at the GreenTec Awards 2014 for the joint “Rubin” project. The project, which focuses on the industrialisation of rubber sourced from dandelions, is one of three nominees in the ‘Automobility’ category, one of 14 awards categories. On 25 February, the awards jury will decide on the podium positions for the three finalists in each category, and the awards will be given out on 4 May at the start of IFAT, the world’s leading trade fair for water, sewage, waste, and raw materials management.
The fact that Shanghai-based SD-International has three brands making up its 4×4 offering is really helping the business compete. According to the company, SD International continues to increase its profile in the 4×4/SUV market sector in the UK and Europe with Zeta, Pace and Maxtrek which cover all applications.
Pirelli is providing a total of 30 sets of tyres for each Formula One team this week, as the second of three pre-season tests gets underway in Bahrain on Wednesday. Warm ambient conditions of around 20 degrees centigrade will provide a marked contrast to the first test of the year in Jerez, which featured low temperatures and rain. Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s Motorsport director said that he expected the test to “allow ourselves and the teams to assimilate more data and knowledge of the tyres.”
The latest annual results from Bridgestone Corporation show a rise in sales, operating income and net income, although the latter was pared back by fines linked to antitrust cases and the cost of product recalls during the year, including the 1.2 million tyre recall announced in Japan in November 2013. The company also anticipates that sales and operating income will further increase in 2014.
Come November, every new car and light commercial vehicle sold in the European Union will need to have a tyre pressure monitoring system, making the region the second behind the US to make TPMS fitment mandatory. The question vehicle manufacturers must answer is which type of TPMS is best for them. While direct TPMS systems have enjoyed a lot of attention since the first phase of the ECE R64 legislation came into force in November 2012, one indirect TPMS manufacturer expresses confidence in a growing presence in the high-volume market.
Italian tyre wholesaler Univergomma and the company’s Momo Tires exclusive brand reported a 19.8 per cent increase in sales volumes. According to Alexandra Peccia, head of marketing and public relations at Univergomma the impressive growth came despite the tough socio-political climate that is going through Europe and especially through Italy. Sales (in terms of value) were up 14 per cent year-on-year, confirming an initial profit margin exceeding 22 per cent and an EBITDA margin of 5.47 per cent.
Football is Continental AG’s sponsorship medium of choice for its Continental tyre brand, and the German manufacturer has added to its existing agreements covering the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and UEFA EURO 2016 in France with a further UEFA deal. The agreement with European football’s governing body includes touchline advertising at European Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and a presence on www.UEFA.com, the official website for the European Qualifiers. Continental will also enjoy a significant rights package at the UEFA Under 21 Championship 2015 and 2017, UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 and UEFA Futsal EURO 2014 and 2016 tournaments.
Contract tyre manufacturer Enjoy Tyre was formed a decade ago this year, and the company is viewing 2014 as an important milestone in developing its profile in the UK and Europe. Central to this is the Enjoy’s Rotalla passenger tyre brand, with a range of four summer and three winter tyres. Enjoy says it has […]
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