Today Michelin North America will present the first earthmover tyre produced at its new Starr OTR tyre factory in South Carolina, USA. The tyre maker is holding an invitation-only event to unveil the 13 foot (4 metre) tall, 5.5 ton tyre at the new factory, which is located adjacent to Michelin’s existing rubber processing plant.
It is now two years since Starco’s solid tyre factory in Sri Lanka entered operation. The first product line manufactured there was the premium Tusker range, and this was joined by the Unicorn standard line-up this year. Starco reports that the complete Unicorn range is now in stock within its Central Warehouse in Germany and available for next-day delivery to many locations.
Speaking at the close of this year’s MotoGP season, Bridgestone’s motorsport manager Hiroshi Yamada shared that in 2014 the tyre maker’s race experience will be brought to market in a pair of new products. “We will be releasing two production Battlax motorcycle road tyres next year that will draw on recent MotoGP technological developments,” commented Yamada. “Both these tyres will probably be the purest example to date of our ‘racetrack to road’ concept and will offer exceptionally high levels of safety, performance and control to consumers.” The motorsport manager added that 2014 will be a “big year for Bridgestone both on and off-track.”
Continental Tyres South Africa will reportedly invest more than ZAR100 million (£6.0 million) to expand capacity at its plant in Port Elizabeth. Independent Newspapers’ iol.co.za website reports that these funds will in part be used to establish the facility as a hub for the manufacture of specialty tyres, particularly those used in underground mining applications.
Litchfield has released its latest ‘cloning’ Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) sensors, designed for GT-R owners needing to run multiple wheel-sets. Aimed at solving a problem for its GT-R driving clients, Litchfield says the sensors will be a useful addition to extra winter or track wheels, as drivers will not have to recode the sensors each time they are change.
The Facebook page set up by Continental Tire the Americas’ Sumter facility has announced the plant’s early production start. Production was originally scheduled to commence in the beginning of 2014, however plant manager Craig Baartman wrote on 24 November that production was underway at the new South Carolina plant. Baartman thanked employees and Sumter economic leaders “for their help in getting us to where we are today.”
During the Agritechnica show, Mitas reported that its new factory in the Czech Republic town of Otrokovice has commenced full capacity tyre production. The company built the 24,000 square metre plant within one year and invested approximately CZK 1 billion (£30.9 million) in the project. The new Otrokovice plant produces Mitas and Continental-branded agricultural radials and has a 42,000 tonne per annum capacity.
Northampton power train supplier Cosworth has announced the completion of the first part of its multi-stage power package for Subaru’s FA20 powertrain. The Stage 1 upgrade brings together a fully tuned stainless steel exhaust system, a bespoke four into two into one exhaust manifold, a high-flow sports CAT, a high performance panel air filter and a specially mapped ECU program to ensure all these components work together in perfect harmony while conservatively improving power by approximately 24hp over the original equipment. The FA20 features in the Scion FR-S (Toyota GT86) and the Subaru BRZ. Cosworth is currently exhibiting the Stage 1 Power Package at Booth #23324 at Las Vegas’ SEMA Show.
One hopes Maurice Taylor knows what he may be getting himself involved with. Goodyear’s Amiens Nord plant in France, scheduled to be closed and the subject of a potential acquisition by Titan International, is once again making the news – complete with photos of flaming tyres. Workers protesting the final meeting in the consultation process with employee representatives made their feeling known today when they blocked entry to the plant and set fire to piles of tyres.
Jorge Lorenzo’s victory at the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi means the Yamaha Factory Racing rider has set up an intriguing final round in Valencia, where the championship leader, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez will seek to fend off Lorenzo’s challenge. Marquez finished second in Japan, limiting the extent to which Lorenzo could close the gap at the top; a similar finish in the last of three rounds held in both riders’ home nation would present Marquez with the title. Shinichi Yamashita, general manager of MotoGP supplier Bridgestone’s Motorsport Tyre Development Department, said he was happy with the performance of the manufacturer’s softer allocation this year, despite the lack of time to practice due to rain.
A new report published by Research and Markets suggests that the global “green” or eco-tyre market is expected to grow at a 9.82 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2012 and 2016.
It invested 20 million euros there in 2012, and Michelin will continue investing in its Bad Kreuznach plant in Germany to improve its responsiveness to market demands. Plant manager Cyrille Beau told local newspaper the Rhein-Zeitung that the continued investment would cover several projects, including the conversion of a production line to 18-inch tyres. As of next year it will solely produce tyres in this rim diameter.
Hankook plans to situate its first US-based manufacturing facility in Tennessee, the manufacturer has stated. The new global manufacturing plant is expected to be backed by a total investment of US$800 million, and will provide additional capacity for its growing business in the country.
Suspension manufacturer Bilstein has released an extensive range of damper upgrades for the Honda NSX. Bilstein’s range of B6 Sport units are available to fit both 3.0 and 3.2 litre 24v variants in manual, automatic, coupe and convertible guises.
Hankook says it is rejuvenating its line-up for the refitting/tuning market and in spring 2014 will introduce a new high performance wide tyre, the Ventus V12 evo². In addition to considerable improvements in all performance parameters over the prior-generation Ventus V12 evo, the manufacturer reports that environmental characteristics were also a key element for the development team when creating the V12 evo².
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