As of 1 December 2013 Ferdinando Visconti di Modrone takes over responsibility for marketing in Central Europe within Pirelli’s Truck business unit. He succeeds Alain Versace, who will leave Pirelli on 30 November.
Platinum Batteries (Europe) Ltd, the UK’s largest independent battery distributor has acknowledged the contribution PACT – the joint connectivity initiative between TecCom and eParts – makes to its business, particularly during the busy winter period.
Hungary’s MOL Group and Japan’s JSR Corporation have reached an agreement to establish an S-SBR synthetic rubber plant in Tiszaújváros, Hungary. The plant is expected to begin operations in 2017 and JSR and MOL will hold 51 per cent and 49 per cent shares in the joint-venture respectively. Plant capacity will be 60,000 tonnes per annum, and in the long term the project should create more than 100 new jobs.
Brembo has been recognised as the first Fiat-Chrysler sustainable supplier of the year. In 2009 the car company from Turin launched specific certification procedures for its supply chain in EMEA area.
Birds Transport and Logistics, including its recently acquired depot in Heywood, has signed a new tyre supply and management agreement with BTC, the management arm of the Bandvulc Group of companies. Birds, themselves part of Ballyvesey Holdings, are a full load and groupage company with extensive operations in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.
Kumho Tyres Australia has renewed its support for the Australian Rally Championship. The company has been involved with the East Coast Bullbars Australian Rally Championship for the past four seasons and has now committed to being official tyre supplier up until at least 2016.
The MG marque returned last year as a brand owned by China’s SAIC, and now the second new MG model has arrived in the UK. Following its launch at Auto Shanghai 2013 in April the new MG3 is now available here – and Goodyear has been chosen to provide original equipment tyres for all versions.
The SMMT has released figures showing that in October domestic demand supported the biggest monthly increase in 2013 UK car manufacturing
Car output in October rose 17.4 per cent to 160,854 units, the largest monthly increase so far this year. 1,286,287 cars have been produced in the year-to-date; a rise of 5.4 per cent.
Kumho reports that in October it began delivering its Ecsta HM KH31 for original equipment fitment on the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. The compact Mercedes-Benz receives size 195/65R15 91H tyres produced at Kumho’s Tianjin factory in China.
Bridgestone Europe has introduced a new Bandag tread intended for urban applications such as city buses and waste collection vehicles. Called the BDU2, the tread will be available in various widths, allowing for retreading of the most common casing sizes used within this segment.
Carlisle City Council has approved Pirelli Tyres Limited’s plans to enlarge its plant in the city’s southeast. At the meeting of the council’s Development Control Committee on 15 November, the plan for the extensions to the Daltson Road production facility and storage area was “approved with conditions”.
Adventure bike rider and travel writer Sam Manicom has completed his latest trip across Europe to Sarajevo, Bosnia on Avon’s Gripster tyres. The author of four books on motorcycle adventures is a long-term user of the Gripster, which he says has allowed him “to ride in some of the most remote parts of our planet”.
October volumes in mature markets have risen by three per cent, according to Michelin. While North American passenger car tyre volumes increased a little more than in Europe to reach an aggregate rise of two per cent, Europe led truck tyre increases at nine per cent versus North America’s six per cent.
Current low prices for butadiene rubber have been singled out as a key reason why sales within Lanxess’ Performance Polymers business declined eight per cent year-on-year to €1.1 billion in the third quarter of 2013 despite a 14 per cent rise in volumes. Lanxess says lower raw material prices, especially butadiene, led to selling prices dropping 19 per cent. Sales were also hampered by negative currency effects.
The joint venture agreement Pirelli subsidiary Pirelli & C. Ambiente SpA signed with Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc. (CDTi) in February has been dissolved. Eco Emission Enterprise Srl (E-Cube) was established to market and sell emissions control products for both petrol and diesel applications in Europe and the CIS countries, however the operation hasn’t performed according to expectations.
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