Several Kama-branded tyres produced by the Tatneft-operated Nizhnekamsk Truck Tires Factory and Nizhnekamsk SSC Tire Factory have been voted the winners in the ‘industrial and technology products’ section of this year’s Republic of Tatarstan Best Goods and Services contest. The tyres in question are the Kama 430 in size 395/80R20, Kama NF701 in 11R22.5, Kama NR201 in size 275/70 R22.5 and Kama NF201 in size 275/70 R22.5.
Tarox has released a brake upgrade kit for Ford’s powerful Mk2 Focus RS. The kit consists of two precision-machined 300mm two-piece discs and uprated pads. Also available is a matching rear disc upgrade.
Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner claimed victory from behind as he rolled the dice on a softer rear tyre than his championship rivals at Laguna Seca. Approaching the race differently to his main championship rivals Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo and teammate Dani Pedrosa, Stoner trailed Lorenzo for most of the race, but having managed his tyres well he was able to exploit the extra rear grip on offer to pass Lorenzo down the main straight on the entry to turn one on lap twenty-two. While only six of the twenty-one riders on the grid selected the harder compound for the rear, the four riders between second and fifth all chose the medium compound Bridgestone tyre. Stoner remains in third position in the riders standings, though his fourth victory of the season means he narrows the gap to Lorenzo to thirty-two points and just nine to Pedrosa.
The China Rubber Industry Association reports that Hangzhou Zhongce began work on a new facility in China on June 15. The first phase of the project is expected to be complete by the end of next year, at which the plant will be capable of producing ten million high performance passenger car tyres and light truck tyres. An investment of RMB 2.4 billion (£240.8 million) is required for this initial phase; in total, the project will take six to eight years to complete and involve an investment of RMB 8 billion (£802.9 million). First phase annual sales are expected to reach RMB 4 billion (£401.5 million), growing to over RMB 20 billion when the project is complete.
On 16 July Sumitomo Rubber Industries officially opened its second tyre factory in China. The Sumitomo Rubber (Hunan) Co. Ltd plant, located in the city of Changsha, is set up for the manufacture of passenger car tyres. Production got underway in July and plant capacity will reach 15,000 units a day by the end of next year. Full stage one capacity of 30,000 units a day is expected to be attained by the end of 2015. A total of some US$297 million is being invested in the 550,000 square metre, 100 per cent Sumitomo-owned facility.
Yokohama Rubber has reported on its environment-related activities at several of the company’s Japanese plants. The various actions Yokohama is undertaking or plans to initiate focus on preserving the biodiversity in each plant’s surrounding area; the company commenced its biodiversity programme at the Mie car and truck tyre factory in the 2011 financial year and extended it to the Shinshiro and Mishima car and light truck tyre plants in the first half of this year. Programmes will get underway at the Ibaraki and Nagano rubber products plants in the second half of 2012.
Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo dominated the Italian Grand Prix ahead of Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso. Bridgestone’s special construction rear slick tyre, provided in order to give riders another option for dealing with Mugello’s abrasiveness and high track temperatures of around 49°C, was only used by Casey Stoner, who finished eighth; the rest of the top ten all used the hard slicks on both front and rear.
French catholic NGO CCFD-Terre Solidaire reports that it and two Indian partners, the Tamil Nadu Land Rights Federation and Thervoy Sangam, together with NGOs Sherpa and the CGT, have reported Michelin to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for alleged violation of the OECD Guidelines for multinational enterprises. In a press statement dated 10 July, CCFD-Terre Solidaire accuses the tyre maker of not taking the needs and heritage of the local Dalit people – better known to the world as the Untouchable caste – into adequate consideration while erecting its plant in India’s Tamil Nadu state.
According to the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, or BKPM, Pirelli intends to invest US$126 million in a new tyre factory within the company. Reuters reports Chatib Basri, who was appointed chairman of the Board in June, as saying “we gave approval a few days ago for Pirelli to invest in Indonesia. They want to build a tyre factory."
On 10 July, the general director of Pirelli Tyre Russia and Pirelli S.p.A. chief procurement officer, Carlo Costa, met with Voronezh Region governor Alexey Gordeyev to discuss plans for the Voronezh Tyre Plant, which the Italian tyre maker acquired together with Russian Technologies earlier this year. During the meeting, Costa revealed that Pirelli will invest in modernising the facility with a view to producing Pirelli-branded tyres there from 2014.
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa won the German Grand Prix to secure his third consecutive triumph at Sachsenring, having used Bridgestone’s hardest compound MotoGP tyres to combat the heavy abrasion of the circuit. Shinji Aoki – manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department said that the company had “advised some riders to use the harder rear slick” following analysis completed during the warm-up session, and while all but one rider fitted the extra hard front slicks for greater cornering stability and durability, the field was split on rear tyre choice, with all CRT riders using the softer medium compound.
A sit-in involving some three hundred workers from Pirelli’s factory in Alexandria, Egypt, ended after assurances were made that their grievances would be presented to Egypt’s newly sworn in President, Mohamed Morsi. The Egypt Independent shares that the workers staged the sit-in in front of the presidential palace in Cairo on 5 July to protest against alleged violations of labour laws.
Production capacity at Bridgestone’s Polish subsidiary, Bridgestone Stargard Sp. z o.o., is to be increased by more than 50 per cent. Bridgestone says the decision has been made to invest approximately 120 million euros in the Stargard truck and bus radial factory to give it an additional 1,350 tyres per day capacity, bringing total daily capacity to 3,750 tyres. The expansion is expected to be complete during the second half of 2014.
Indian manufacturer Metro Tyres aims to significantly increase its share of India’s motorcycle tyre market and is considering entering the passenger car tyre segment after 2015. Managing director Rummy Chhabra disclosed this information to news agency the Press Trust of India while outlining the company’s investment plan for the next few years. PTI has not given any specific information on Metro’s intended activities within the passenger car tyre business, such as the extent, if at all, technology partner Continental will be involved.
SKF has launched an innovative new integrated monotube seal, designed for use with motorcycles and all terrain vehicles (ATVs), including quad bikes and snowmobiles, where it can replace multi-component seal assemblies on rear wheel shock absorbers.
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