In early August Continental’s tyre operations in Germany, Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH, entered into a strategic alliance with another German manufacturer of super elastic tyres, Gumasol-Werke Dr. Mayer GmbH. As part of the deal, in future Gumasol’s "Softy" range of products will be manufactured in Continental’s factory in Sri Lanka, where Conti already produces super elastic tyres for the Asian and American markets.
An extra US$39 million will go into Cooper Tire & Rubber’s pension plan to cover its obligations when the company’s Albany factory closes later this year. In an agreement made with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., announced on August 12, Cooper will fulfil its $62 million obligation by contributing $39 million to the pension plan and waiving its $23 million credit for past over funding.
A provincial court in Korea has found factory chiefs and senior researchers of Hankook Tire guilty failing to prevent a series of work related deaths. The Korea Times reports that on August 14 the Daejeon District Court sentenced a factory chief, identified as Lee, 52, to eight months imprisonment, which was suspended for two years, and fined him three million won (£1.46 million). Another factory manager, Jung, 47, was given six months in prison, suspended for two years, plus a fine of two million won. The two men worked at Hankook’s Daejeon and Geumsan factories, where 14 workers died within 17 months.
Pan Autos, part of the First Stop network of tyre dealerships, has raised over £1,900 for a local charity at its annual charity golf day.
Yokohama Rubber reports that the Yokohama Tire Corporation factory in Salem, Virginia (USA) has been formally recognised by the non-profit organisation "Clean Valley Council" for the tree planting carried out there as part of the "Yokohama Forever Forest" Project.
The supply of electricity to Dunlop India’s factory in Sahaganj is still disconnected, and company chairman Pawan Kumar Ruia has threatened to close the plant if the power is not restored during the first half of August. The chairman indicates that Dunlop India is ready to resolve the matter with the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company out of court.
The factory’s electricity supply was severed earlier in the year due to the non-payment of dues amounting to Rs 130 million (£1.66 million), and the company claims responsibility for this lies with the previous owner. “The electricity dues got accumulated much before we took over the company. We do not know why the electricity connection was not disconnected when the dues remained unpaid for five years before we took-over. We heard lot of people ran business taking illegal connection from Sahaganj unit,” Ruia stated.
Pirelli Tyre has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Romania’s Health Ministry, pledging to finance a training programme for staff at a hospital in Slatina, where the Italian company’s Romanian factory is located. Medical staff from the County Emergency Hospital’s Emergency Reception Unit will receive training at Milan’s Niguardia hospital, continuing a cooperation between the two units that began around a year and a half ago.
The document was signed in Slatina by Pirelli Tyre’s Romania director Enrico Malerba and Romanian health minister Ioan Bazac on July 23. Italy’s ambassador to Romania, Mario Cospito, also attended the signing ceremony.
US based tyre recycling solutions developer the Tirex Corporation announced on July 14 that Italian company Simpro S.p.A., who is licensed by Tirex to manufacture, install, commission and warrant turnkey its TCS tyre recycling facilities, recently signed a US$20.8 million Memorandum of Understanding with Enchantex Solutions of Malaysia for such a system.
“This is a major milestone for Tirex and our TCS technology as it begins the production of the first commercial tyre recycling system to freeze tyre rubber with cold air as opposed to using expensive liquid nitrogen,” stated Tirex CEO John L. Threshie Jr.
Factory bomb threats have reportedly taken over from so-called “bossnappings” (where factory managers are held hostage) on the part of French automotive worker faced with plant closures. According to news reports, workers at the New Fabris plant have voted to remove gas canisters they were using as explosives, union representatives are quoted as saying. In return for holding off their plans for what can perhaps be described as corporate terrorism (others may describe it as economic freedom fighting) the company’s union is demanding 30,000 euros (£25,870; $42,470) each from Renault and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen for all of its displaced employees. The combined figure of 60,000 is nearly ten times what Renault and Peugeot have committed to after buying New Fabris’ remaining shares, “subject to quality guarantees, on condition that the money goes to the company’s former workers.” The two car makers are New Fabris’ biggest customers.
Several hundred employees from Continental AG’s Clairoix facility in France assembled outside a courthouse on July 17 during the appearance of seven of their colleagues. The seven workers were answering charges related to property damage at a regional government office in April. If found guilty, the accused face up to five years imprisonment and a fine of up to 75,000 euros.
The seven are accused of stormed the office in April following the Clairoix factory’s announced closure. Furniture and computers were thrown from windows and files were removed from cabinets and strewn about. Authorities estimate that around 40,000 euros worth of damage occurred.
Those with a penchant for modifying their ‘motor’ have long cast a favourable eye upon the Ford Focus ST. Early examples of the hot hatch are now emerging from their warranty window – and Scorpion is ready and waiting with its Focus ST sports exhaust system.
The exhaust manufacturer reports it has created a 63mm diameter system that perfectly balances optimum gas flow with the required back-pressure to keep the turbo spinning ‘on song’ throughout the rev range.
Following a half-year pause, India’s Century Textiles & Industries Ltd has resumed the production of rayon tyre yarn at its factory in Kalyan, Maharashtra state. Production had been suspended in February due to market conditions, and the decision to resume production on July 1 means that overall annual production capacity will fall about 12 per cent, as opposed to the previously estimated 25 per cent. The company states, however, that ongoing market conditions may necessitate further decisions being taken.
M.I.G. is a major rubber industry company with headquarters located in Anagni some 50 kilometres south of Rome. During its 50 years in existence the company has gained extensive knowledge and experience in the tyre retreading field. Consequently, it says that it has been able to establish an outstanding reputation for product quality and service excellence. M.I.G. manufactures and exports curing tubes, bladders and envelopes throughout the world.
The company has recently completed the building of a new state-of-the-art factory covering an area of 30,000 square metres. From here M.I.G. says that it will be able to meet the demands of all retreaders, be it for hot cure process with tube or bladder presses or, for precure plants with double envelope, envelope/tube or a rimless envelope system.
Revolution Motorstore recently went the extra mile in terms of customer service when a discerning Subaru 22B owner gave them the chance to show off. According to the company, “the highly desirable homologation special demands a different offset from all other classic Subaru models, and for those with a real eye for detail, also used a different shade of gold on its wheels to any other Subaru model.” With the client looking to upgrade to an 18-inch rim that properly filled the arches, without having to resort to spacers, Revolution called on the company’s special relationship with the Braid factory in Spain and ordered a set of unique wheels, complete with the perfect bowl and offset for the car.
Earlier this week Ellerbrock Reifenrunderneuerungs-Technologie GmbH puts its new North Hamburg (Henstedt-Ulzburg) mixing facility into operation. As a result of the six million euro investment, the plant has also taken on a completely new role within the Marangoni Group.
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