Autodata, a leading provider of technical information to the motor trade recently doubled the size of its Maidenhead headquarters. The expansion plan included the relocation of the firm’s warehousing facilities and a complete refurbishing of its offices and reception area. The expansion represents an investment of some £2 million.
To fulfil plans to increase tyre making capacity, Yokohama Rubber has signed a contract to lease a 300,000 square metre section of land adjacent to the Yokohama Tire Philippines plant, some sixty kilometres northwest of Manila. The leasing contract for the land at the former US Air Force base was signed between Yokohama and Clark Development Corporation on February 12. The capacity expansion plans were first announced in late January and involve a total investment of 50 billion yen (£371.3 million) in order to increase capacity 143 per cent to 17 million units per annum.
Maxxis International thanked its top 18 performing retailers of 2010 – the winners of the top prize in the Maxxis Rewards programme – by taking them on a seven-day, all expenses paid trip to China. A mix of culture and business, the visit combined sightseeing visits to major attractions in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shuzhou with a tour of the Maxxis factory in Kunshan.
Preparations for Michel Rollier’s eventual departure from Michelin are to commence after the Group managing general partner expressed his intention not to complete his term of office. According to Michelin bylaws this would occur when Rollier turns 72, however in agreement with the company’s Supervisory Board the 67-year old intends to recommend shareholders elect Jean-Dominique Senard –one of the company’s two non-general managing partners elected in May 2007 – to replace him as managing general partner. Shareholders are expected to vote on this at the Extraordinary Meeting scheduled for May 13, 2011. At this meeting shareholders will also be invited to approve resolutions to adjust the Group’s corporate governance procedures, Michelin notes.
Trelleborg has announced that its acquisition of Lydney-based Watts Tyre Group was officially finalised on 4 February 2011. Watts has annual sales of approximately equivalent 300 million Swedish krone and about 210 employees. According to the company, the acquisition “strengthens Trelleborg’s world-leading position in industrial tyres, through geographic expansion and an increased presence in the aftermarket.” The operation will be integrated into Trelleborg Wheel Systems business area.
Walmart Canada plans to invest $500 million to add 40 new supercentres, expanding the company’s presence into Manitoba and Quebec, reports Tire Review. The new stores, which will carry groceries and general merchandise, including tyres and automotive service, will be the result of a combination of renovations of existing stores, relocations and the construction of new stores. Details about the stores’ specific locations have not been released.
Alongside its decision to build a tyre plant in Charles City, Iowa, CGS Tires US Inc., the US subsidiary of Czech-based CGS Tyres, has changed its corporate name to Mitas Tires North America Inc, reports Tire Review. When the new plant is ready, the renamed company will relocate its US headquarters from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Charles City, Iowa.
While Michelin North America officially says it has not committed to expanding its Woodburn, Indiana tyre plant, behind the scenes it has secured tax breaks to make that investment happen, reports Tire Review. The Allen County Council unanimously supported tax breaks, voting last week to provide incentives worth between $50 million to $75 million to the tyre-maker.
A US$9 million upgrade at Cooper Tire & Rubber’s Tupelo, Mississippi passenger car and truck tyre plant will, according to plant manager Patrick Jodon, make the facility “stronger, more flexible and more competitive.” Jodon explained that the Tupelo plant will receive new equipment that will aid in improving its efficiency; this new equipment will be installed within the next 12 to 14 months. The upgrade is expected to add 35 new jobs to the plant’s 1,300 strong workforce.
Expansion work at JK Tyre & Industries’ facility in the city of Mysore and its new project near Chennai will be completed this year and are expected to help the company secure more than 20 per cent of India’s tyre market. Speaking to the Hindu Business Line newspaper, company marketing director A.S. Mehta said the two projects would help the company attain a higher market share through raising the Mysore plant’s capacity from 800,000 to a million tyres a year and from the 400,000 tyres a year expected to be coming out of the new Chennai plant by the end of 2011.
Recent restructuring at Heuver Tyrewholesale has given the company’s agricultural division a more prominent role, and Heuver reports its intention to strengthen agricultural tyre export activities, in particular the export of its brands to Germany, Belgium and France. The Dutch wholesaler says it “expects a great deal” from this.
During the month of January Michelin is bringing two new motorcycle tyres designed for road use to market. Spearheading this portfolio expansion is the eagerly awaited Pilot Road 3 for sport touring bikes. Michelin states this new product has been designed to deliver superior grip in all conditions of use – whether on wet or damp – as well as offer outstanding total mileage. The tyre, the manufacturer adds, reflects Michelin’s across-the-board R&D strategy of improving individual tyre performance characteristics without sacrificing others. In this instance, engineers at the Michelin Technology Center “developed X Sipe Technology” (XST), which integrates dual-action sipes into the tread. How this works, Michelin explains, is that the sipe ribs first cut through the surface of the water, which is then evacuated faster and more effectively toward the outside of the tyre through wide grooves.
India’s Apollo Tyres has begun commercial vehicle tyre exports to neighbouring Bangladesh. Initial sales will focus on cross-ply tyres for heavy and light commercial vehicles and these products will be distributed through the Rahimafrooz Group, Bangladesh’s largest manufacturer and distributor of automotive and industrial batteries.
Dunlop Aircraft Tyres is the world’s only specialist aircraft tyre company, and in 2010 the firm celebrated a century in the business. After a hundred years the Birmingham-based manufacturer is still going strong and recently announced further additions to its research, quality and production teams.
Half a year after opening his HiQ outlet in Dorking, former British Touring Car Championship driver Jeff Allam has signed on the dotted line to open a second franchise centre. The fast fit network reports Allam is opening a centre in Leatherhead following a “productive six months” in partnership with HiQ. The ex-BTCC driver was the first UK dealer to secure a partnership with HiQ and his expansion is seen as a big show of strength for the network.
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