In addition to reporting its 2012 results, US-based aluminium wheel manufacturer Superior Industries International, Inc. has announced plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Mexico to expand capacity and meet anticipated growth in product demand.
Along with displaying its range at the Geneva motor show for the fifth consecutive year, Turkish tyre brand Lassa has outlined its recent activities. Halit Şensoy, international sales and marketing director of Lassa manufacturer Brisa, shared that last year the tyre maker benefitted from the largest investment in production capacity in the company’s entire history. Brisa’s factory in Izmit, Turkey now has the capacity to produce ten million tyres per annum. The investment, Şensoy added, was made in order to meet growing demand in both local and export markets.
Blackcircles.com managing director Michael Welch has hinted that company may employ a closer relationship with leading supermarket Tesco as one way of moving towards its goal of £100 million (around 10 per cent of the UK market) in the next five year. Welch revealed the plans in an interview with The Telegraph published on 26 February, which also gave details of the guidance the company has received from a number of ex-Tesco executives and particularly former CEO Sir Terry Leahy.
Motor Wheel Service Distribution (MWSD) has announced an expansion to the xlite forged aluminium wheel range, manufactured by Wheels India, launching two of the lightest super single wheels on the market. The 11.75×22.5 wheel, with a 0mm inset and 10x26mm mounting holes, boasts a weight reduced by 1.6kg to 22.1kg. The new 120mm inset wheel weighs 3.7kg less than its predecessor at 24.3kg. Both wheels have an increased load index from 4,500kg to 5,000kg.
At Hankook Tire America’s annual ‘Partners Day’, the tyre maker gave an overview of its recent successes and shared it plans to build upon these accomplishments. US industry publication Tire Review was there and shares news of the event held in Cancun, Mexico.
Solvay is investing 75 million euros in building an 85,000 ton a year Highly Dispersible Silica (HDS) plant in Włocławek, Poland. Combined with further capacity expansion at its site in Qingdao (China), these two investments are designed to increase Solvay’s global highly dispersible silica production capacity by 30 per cent.
A number of new Firestone branded tyres will be displayed at the upcoming SIMA International Agri-Business Show in Paris. Bridgestone Europe says show visitors will have the opportunity to see no less than three new products up close:
Venture capital firm MMC Ventures Ltd reports that it and UK-based fund manager Enterprise Ventures have invested £640,000 in Tyres on the Drive, a business MMC describes as a “fast-growing and innovative online mobile tyre fitting service.” The funds are intended to support the expansion of Tyres on the Drive from its current area of operation in the North West and parts of the West Midlands into Yorkshire and fully into the Midlands. The mobile tyre fitting service intends to open new depots in Wakefield and Birmingham as part of this expansion."
Hankook says its market share in Britain is on the rise, and this has led to the need for an additional local stock holding facility. The company has established a new warehouse in Daventry to meet its requirements, and recently celebrated the opening of the new facility. Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, patron of charity Transaid – a charity also supported by the tyre maker – joined staff at Hankook’s new Daventry warehouse on 7 February, where she officially opened the new stock holding facility.
A formal opening ceremony has been held for Bridgestone’s new factory in India. The Pune plant, located 100 miles southwest of Mumbai and operated by subsidiary Bridgestone India Private Ltd., is the tyre maker’s second in India. Production of passenger car radials began in January and capacity is expected to reach 10,000 units per day by the end of 2014. Truck and bus radial production will begin in Pune in October and daily capacity will reach 3,000 units by the second half of 2017. Bridgestone says approximately 50 billion yen (£341 million) has been invested in the 760,000 square metre plant, which as of January employed 500 workers.
Infinity Tyres and Westlake Tyres will exhibit at Madrid’s aftermarket automotive parts, equipment and services trade show Motortec Automechanika Ibérica. Infinity’s range will be displayed in conjunction with its authorised distributors in the region, Euro Tyre, while Eskay Tyres – Westlake distributor in the UK and certain other European markets – will take a stand to show the Hangzhou Zhongce brand’s passenger and truck and bus ranges.
A CDN$73 million (£46.3 million) investment for Michelin’s Waterville truck tyre factory in Canada will increase capacity over the coming four to five years. Michelin North America says the Waterville plant will make capital investments in equipment improvements and increased production capacity; the project will include the installation of new technologies in all aspects of the manufacturing process, supporting the success and continued growth of wide commercial vehicle tyres such as the X One. The project will include a 3,000 square metre assembly building expansion and Michelin anticipates the investment will create approximately 50 new local jobs.
"Up to one thousand independent forecourt sites will be wiped out by new supermarket forecourts by 2017 unless the Government takes action" said Brian Madderson Petrol Retailers' Association (PRA) Chairman.
The PRA report commissioned from Christie & Co looked at the planning applications for new petrol filling stations between 2009 and the third quarter of 2012. It found that an average of 40 supermarket forecourts were being granted permission each year, and Steve Rodell, director and head of Retail at Christie & Co said: "If applications continue at the same rate, and there is no reason to believe that will not be the case, there will be another 160 supermarket sites by the end of 2016.
Building on a pre-existing relationship with series organiser Motorsport Vision Racing (MSVR), tyre manufacturer Yokohama has announced a deal that sees it become the first tyre supplier to the new Formula 4 series. Both car and tyres were unveiled in parallel with the official announcement of the news at this year's Autosport Show.
According to US media reports, Bridgestone Americas intends to increase production of giant mining tyres. Bloomington, Illinois-based newspaper the Pantagraph writes that the Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations factory in the jauntily-named town of Normal will benefit from two expansion projects; these will increase production by around 30 per cent and increase the factory’s workforce by more than 80 employees.
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