The burghers of 37 European cities are the target audience for Vredestein’s largest ever billboard campaign. To coincide with the opening of the Geneva Autosalon, the Dutch brand has taken a total of 10,156 square metres of advertising space in prime locations.
Sailun has stated its satisfaction after receiving plaudits for its new Sailun Atrezzo Z4+AS high performance tyre in a recent independent tyre testing event in Toronto, Canada. Canadian automotive journalist John Mahler of the Toronto Star put three BMW 3-series through a number of tests on the Mosport facility, utilising the skid pad, an adjacent giant exercise area and a short public road loop. Tyre longevity was not part of the test. The Atrezzo Z4+AS performed particularly well in the ride quality (where it was placed first of six) and noise tests, where it was the equal quietest. The drivers also said they were impressed with the sporty, aggressive-looking tread pattern.
Netherlands tyre wholesaler S&H Tyres was founded in 2002 by Simon Klapwijk and Henk van Dijk, who opened the tyre wholesale company in “a little village under the smoke of Rotterdam,” in S and H’s own words. Rotterdam’s status as one of the biggest container ports in the world is not insignificant; S&H has a logistics centre 20 minutes away from the port. It is this kind of proximity that gives S&H an advantage in moving with international tyre-buying trends, the company believes.
Titan International returned to the black last year after recording a year-end net income of US$0.4 million, boosted by a final quarter that was, as described by company chairman and CEO Maurice M. Taylor Jr., “better than what we thought it was going to be.” In 2009 the United States based off-road tyre maker experienced a net loss of $24.6 million. Net income in this ‘better than expected’ fourth quarter amounted to $0.7 million; a year earlier Titan International made a loss of $30.7 million in the final quarter. Titan reached its annual net result on the back of sales of $881.6 million, a year-on-year increase of 21.1 per cent, and operational income of $40.9 million. Fourth quarter 2010 sales were $232.7 million, up 58.8 per cent year-on-year, while the quarter’s gross margin was up from a loss of $0.8 in 2009 to $26.0 million last year.
Bridgestone has appointed Andy Dingley, previously Bridgestone UK’s advertising and promotions manager, as communications manager. Dingley will reportedly use his 16 years experience in the tyre industry to build the strategic communications campaigns, focusing on public relations, brand, corporate and crisis communications, online activity and consumer shows. The move brings all product groups together for the first time and follows a recent restructuring of the senior sales and marketing team at Bridgestone North Europe. Dingley will focus on boosting the company’s visibility in the UK whilst helping to promote the business’ success across the whole North region.
Bridgestone Europe’s Franco Annunziato holds the distinction of going boldly where no European has gone before; the Italian national, who is chief quality officer and senior vice president of Technology at Bridgestone Europe, has taken on the additional role of vice president and senior officer at Bridgestone Corporation. In announcing his appointment, effective March 29, Bridgestone points out that Annunziato is the first ever European to be appointed to such a senior position within the Japanese corporation.
A new passenger car tyre range released by Hankook Tire in Europe is one the manufacturer says heralds a “new era in the tyre segment.” The range is called Kinergy Eco and takes its name from kinetic energy, or energy of motion – a clear nod to the tyre’s focus on reducing rolling resistance. Hankook states the Kinergy Eco “combines state-of-the-art Hankook tyre technology in the areas of safety, handling, and comfort with the environmental consciousness that is becoming an increasingly important criterion for today’s vehicles.”
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Goodyear has announced the election of Werner Geissler, vice chairman of global operations for The Procter & Gamble Company, to the company’s Board of Directors as an independent director. “Werner brings to our Board of Directors more than three decades of valuable experience in brand and business leadership,” said Richard J. Kramer, chairman and chief executive officer. “His consumer marketing expertise, along with his international insights, will be an asset as we continue to carry out our global strategy in 2011 and beyond.”
Hyundai Mobis Co., (the South Korean carmaker’s mobile, system, parts and service arm) reports that it has developed the first locally made tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and plans to supply it to foreign auto firms as well as its local affiliates. The company said the new device demonstrates equal performance with overseas-made rival products and is easier to install due to its use of rubber valves.
The new device reportedly weighs 10 per cent less than rival products due to its smaller battery size, uses 30 per cent less electricity and shows a stronger performance in securing wheel balancing, Hyundai Mobis said.
A new chairman of the Board of Directors at Bridgestone Americas has been announced as part of a raft of senior management changes within Bridgestone Corporation. Taking on this role is Koki Takahashi, currently vice chairman and chief financial officer at Bridgestone Americas. He steps into this new position on March 18 and he replaces Masaaki Tsuya, who has served in the role in an interim basis in addition to his regular offices since January 1. Takahashi’s successor in the position of CFO will be announced at a later date, Bridgestone notes.
According to Nokian Tyres, around 50 million winter passenger car tyres were sold in Central Europe in 2010 – 16 per cent more than the previous year. The Finnish tyre maker’s latest product – the third generation of its ‘WR’ series – is targeted directly at this growing market. This time round two versions of the Nokian WR, each with its own tread pattern, are available: the economy focused WR D3 is intended for medium-sized and small family cars, while the WR A3 is optimised for larger and more powerful vehicles and places a stronger emphasis on driving response at higher speeds.
In order to controlling the costs of waste management OTR has introduced a Tyre Hire programme designed to “remove the complexity of tyre management.” As OTR’s waste industry manager Steve Clipperton said “Our Tyre Hire service is both affordable and convenient. Budgeting is precise, giving the customer fixed monthly costs”.
Two new mixed service treads have been added to the European Bandag range, and Bridgestone Europe says both products deliver up to 15 per cent higher mileage, along with a lower cost per kilometre, than their predecessor treads, the BDY3 and BZY2. The treads are the Bandag Drive Mixed Service (BDM1) and the Bandag Rib Mixed Service (BRM1), an all-position tyre for on/off road use.
Details of the comprehensive Starco range of tyres and related products have long been available in catalogue form, and the company has now taken the first step in transferring this information online. Customers in Germany are the first to experience the company’s new “STARCOshop” and Starco intends to roll out online catalogues for its aftermarket customers throughout the whole of Europe within two years.
In December 2010 Bridgestone Europe have achieved the distinction of being the first tyre maker to gain EN 16001 certification for one of its facilities. The EN 16001 standard, currently held by fewer than 100 companies in Europe, was obtain by the Bridgestone Technical Center Europe (TCE) and certifies that the centre has successfully implemented an energy management system and developed and implemented an energy policy. To achieve this, Bridgestone says the TCE identified all areas of significant energy consumption, targeting energy savings, while also introducing projects to produce energy from renewable sources. These activities are now fully integrated within the centre’s daily working procedures.
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