Russia’s Tatneft reports that two tyre factories operated by its Tatneft-Neftekhim management company, OAO "Nizhnekamskshina" and OOO "Nizhnekamsk truck tires", have been certified according to ISO 9001:2008 and ISO/TS 16949:2009. In announcing the plants’ ISO certification, Tatneft states this accomplishment is “evidence of the successful completion of [a] special audit conducted after the reorganization of the tyre factories.”
Team Falken driver Matt Carter has won the 2011 British Drift Championship Super Pro class after a sixth place finish in Sunderland. The Falken team took second place in the Constructors Standings, missing out on first place by two points.
The Malay Mail reports that four armed intruders forced their way into a used-tyre factory in the township of Bandar Bukit Puchong, Malaysia, overpowering a security guard, who was bound and gagged, before driving off with a trailer loaded with 319 tyres.
Production at Michelin’s new factory in Chennai, India should be underway by November 2012. B Kumar, national sales manager for Michelin India’s truck and bus division, confirmed this date to the Press Trust of India, adding the tyre maker has already employed some 500 plant workers and “plans to hire more soon.” According to PTI, a workforce of around 1,500 is planned for the facility’s initial phase.
Jorge Lorenzo resisted pressure from pole-sitter Casey Stoner in the early stages of to take a dominant victory and set a new lap record. Dani Pedrosa chased down Stoner and passed him on lap 23 to finish second, meaning that Stoner’s championship lead over Lorenzo is now down to 35 points leaving the title wide open for the remaining five races of the season.
Zircotec has launched a new ceramic coating to replicate the vitreous enamel finish of Jaguar manifolds. The product protects under-bonnet components and bodywork from the effects of heat and is suitable for all six cylinder Jaguars manufactured between 1948 and the mid-1980s. The coatings manufacturer says its “Liquid Black” ceramic coating “solves the long standing durability issues of the original enamel finish whilst also reducing under-bonnet temperatures, adding that the product had been tested to a simulated 100,000 miles of use.
Tyresure has launched a dedicated system created specifically for the leisure and towing market. EU legislation has dictated that all passenger cars must have TPMS fitted from the factory as a legal requirement from 2012. Although this hasn’t yet been rolled out as a mandatory fitment in the leisure market and doesn’t apply to vehicles produced before this model year many industry experts feel that it is only a matter of time before safety-conscious manufacturers start including this in the options list, at least.
Yokohama Rubber has continued its Forever Forest tree planting programme with a first-phase planting ceremony at its Y.T. Rubber natural rubber processing factory in Thailand’s Surat Thani Province. Some 400 people were present for the occasion on August 6, including Y. T. Rubber president Yoshio Amano, company employees plus local residents and school pupils. Around 1,900 trees of 27 varieties were planted.
The estimated cost of tackling the Swansea tyre fire that burned for 22 days in June and July has been estimated at more than £1.5 million, according to a local news report by the BBC today. The former Mettoys factory, which was illegally housing around 5,000 tonnes of shredded tyres, was completely destroyed by the blaze. It is likely that the local council will be forced to foot much of the bill, though a Swansea council spokesperson said there was an ongoing attempt to recover some of the costs from the operation.
To quote Tesco’s inescapable catchphrase, every little helps, and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations’ US$56.6 million expansion project at its Des Moines, Iowa agricultural tyre facility has gained a small boost from the Polk County Board of Supervisors. At a meeting on August 16, this administrative board for the Des Moines factory’s local area approved a $50,000 grant and a $50,000 interest free loan for the project.
Dunlop India Ltd has informed the Bombay Stock Exchange of Pawan Kumar Ruia’s resignation as company director, effective August 10. The chairman of parent company the Ruia Group now holds no official office at Dunlop India, having stepped down as chairman of the tyre maker’s Board of Directors on January 31, 2011.
Tanzanian newspaper The Guardian reports its country’s government plans to hand over General Tyre East Africa to Tanzania’s National Development Corporation (NDC) in response to what it calls the “hard conditions” imposed by shareholder Continental AG. The country’s Industry and Trade Minister, Dr. Cyril Chami, is reported as saying talks with Continental, who holds a 24 per cent share in General Tyre East Africa, failed to reach a suitable conclusion. He attributes this lack of success to conditions Continental wishes to impose, such as restricting General Tyre’s activities to its domestic market and just two export destinations – Uganda and Burundi – and that the Tanzanian tyre maker should pay back its outstanding US$3.321 debt to Conti. Continental’s alleged lack of investment plans for General Tyre is another given factor.
Indian off-road tyre specialist BKT reports progress on construction work at its new factory in Bhuj, Gurarat state is “perfectly in line with schedules.” Work began on the greenfield facility last December and the company anticipates its completion in the third quarter of 2012.
In order to meet growing medium to long-term demand for passenger car radials, Bridgestone intends to increase production capacity at two of its factories in China. The Japanese company will invest a total of around RMB 1,617 million (£153 million) to lift capacity at its Tianjin, Bridgestone (Tianjin) Tire Co., Ltd and Bridgestone (Wuxi) Tire Co., Ltd facilities. The part of this additional capacity is expected to be available in May 2012 when a further 4,100 tyres per day capacity will be added to capacity at the Wuxi plant; this increase will be funded through a RMB 563 million investment and give the facility a total daily capacity of 16,300 tyres. Extra capacity at the Tianjin plant is expected to be available as of July 2012; the RMB 1,054 investment there will lift the factory’s production capacity by 8,800 tyres a day to a total of 25,300 per day. Bridgestone says it intends to particularly focus upon increasing production capacity for ‘eco-friendly’ tyres, such as its Ecopia range, at both facilities. It will also begin winter tyre production at the Tianjin plant.
Italian tyre giant Pirelli could be considering an investment in the future of its Carlisle plant according to a report by regional newspaper The Cumberland News. The paper reports a conversation with Pirelli’s UK Industrial director Paolo Battistini, who suggested that the company has some “investment forecast for this factory.” Battistini also reiterated the company’s desire to stay in Carlisle, while engineering manager Allan Wilson told the paper that “We want to develop new products in Carlisle for the UK. We’re constantly putting forward our case for investment.”
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