Cooper Tire’s Albany factory is back in production and its 1,000 employees working again, the supply of raw materials having resumed several weeks after Hurricane Ike created havoc amongst the region’s industry. “This is a situation that a lot of companies are going through,” commented Cooper Tire vice president of Branding and Communications Pat Brown. “We are trying to make the impact as minimal as possible.”
Despite previous reports of factory closures due to raw material supply problems, Goodyear announced on October 3 that it has “no concerns” in this area as its synthetic rubber facilities have returned to operation. The company adds that a return to production was achieved quickly due to the effectiveness of the its Business Continuity efforts. The Goodyear synthetic rubber plants in Beaumont, and Houston, Texas had been closed in advance of Hurricane Ike making landfall on September 13.
Cooper Tire has reported the most successful ramp-up programme ever achieved by the company. In August, Cooper Kenda Tire reached the milestone of building and curing more than 10,000 tyres a day – a significant accomplishment, considering the CKT factory in Kunshan, west of Shanghai, has only been in production for 17 months. According to Hal Miller, president of Cooper International Tire Division, the team at CKT reached a monthly schedule that has never been seen before at the company’s other plants, a feat he attributes to the dedicated Cooper Kenda staff, and the leadership of CKT general manager John Ebert. Significant support from Cooper North American and European operations also contributed, added Miller.
Goodyear’s tyre factory in Gadsden, Alabama, has again been shut down of a week due to a shortage of raw materials and to reduce the company’s overall tyre production, company officials announced on September 29. This is the second such recent occurrence for the Gadsden plant; between August 16 and September 2 the facility was closed for an ‘inventory adjustment’.
On October 1 Michelin stated it remains on target to reach its “Horizon 2010” strategic plan of becoming more competitive. The cost saving programmes it has implemented have reduced costs by 500 million euros since 2006, approximately a third of its 2010 goal.
“The group is on target to meet the 2010 cost-reduction objectives it announced two years ago,” the company announced. Michelin intends to reach an overall savings target of between 1.5 and 1.7 billion euros.
When the new Jaguar XKR-S hit the streets of Europe, it will be a very rare beast indeed. Only 200 of this exclusive model are being built, 50 of which will be sold in the UK. The XKR-S is powered by Jaguar’s acclaimed 4.2 litre V8 supercharged engine – tuned to develop 416 Bhp and a peak torque of 560Nm – XKR-S has been developed for the true Jaguar enthusiast. An exhaust system for this formidable motor can be supplied by Quicksilver: The new catalyst-back ‘Sports’ exhaust system, designed to give this cat a roar – when desired.
In the US Nissan has issued a recall of up to 3.4 million Altima cars due to a potentially dangerous wheel problem. This issue affects the 2009 model – why wait until next year to own a defective vehicle when you can have one right now? – fitted with 16-inch alloy wheels, although the problem is reportedly restricted to those cars built at the company’s Canton, Mississippi factory between July 24 and August 14. The wheel nuts apparently become loose of their own volition, a ‘standard feature’ Nissan rightly believes is not very helpful.
Altima owners in the US can telephone Nissan on 800-647-7261 for further information.
Chinese tyre manufacturer Aufine Group Co., Ltd has announced that it is now developing new ranges of ultra high performance and standard passenger car radial tyres. The company’s passenger car radial manufacturing output volume is expected to total some 10 million units in 2009. According to the company, the new range will be amongst the best quality in the world due to the factory’s cooperation with a tyre company ranked “within the top seven in the world.” Aufine’s new UHP range is expected to initially include 14 sizes ranging 195/45 R15 to 225/40R18 XL. Dozen of standard passenger car sizes will be made available.
A total of 17 Vacu-Lug employees, accounting for approximately 12 per cent of the company’s staff, have gained qualifications related to the retread tyre business during 2008. Among these is Craig Caithness, Operations Technician at Vacu-Lug’s Grantham retread tyre factory, who has been awarded the UK’s highest mark in the 2008 City & Guilds Part 1 in Workshop Practice examination organised and operated by the Retread Manufacturers’ Association.
In total six Vacu-Lug employees sat and passed the City & Guilds examination, which is the fundamental qualification for the retread industry and covers every aspect of retreading from initial inspection to final quality control. Of the Vacu-Lug candidates, Craig Caithness was awarded a Distinction, while three of his colleagues gained Passes and two Credits.
Michelin XDR earthmover tyres are to be fitted as OE to the new Komatsu 860E-1K haul truck, introduced during September’s MINExpo show in Las Vegas, USA. The rigid dump truck is designed for the most demanding surface mine applications, and features a 280-ton capacity, 2,700-horsepower diesel electric-drive system designed by Komatsu. The truck is also designed with an optional factory-installed trolley option.
“The new Komatsu 860E will be expected to handle staggering workloads and requires a tyre that can not only stand up under tremendous weight but also perform under the harshest conditions for a long time,” said Luc Minguet, president of the South Carolina, US based Michelin Earthmover and Industrial Tires division. “Because of its durability and maximum wear life, the MICHELIN XDR tyre is the ideal fitment for the new Komatsu truck.”
Michelin is reportedly closing its Baldovie factory in Dundee for a week to counter a drop in demand, however the company stresses that workers will still be paid and the factory’s future remains secure. This shutdown will begin on October 13, and will be followed by further, shorter stoppages in November and December. The aim of these stoppages at the 23,000 unit per day plant is to reduce the number of stockpiled tyres the company is currently holding, and the first closure ties in with the school holidays. Staff training will occur during the subsequent stoppages.
On September 16 Firestone Industrial Products Company (FSIP) officially announced the upcoming closure of its air spring factory in Noblesville, Indiana. The final closure, expected to occur in the second half of 2009, will take place following a gradual phase-down of operations.
“The decision to close the Noblesville plant was especially difficult because we have been part of the Noblesville community for 72 years,” said Mike Cerio, president, FSIP. “But the reality is that the plant is no longer globally competitive.”
Earthmover tyre specialists OTR Tyres introduced their solid CushionTyre early last year and the performance of the product has been further enhanced by OTR’s ability to retread the tyre, following recent major manufacturing developments.
Waste Industry Manager Paul Tracey says that some CushionTyres have been returned to the factory for second and third life retreading, with no loss of performance, adding: “We have found that tyre life hours of a retreaded CushionTyre are very similar to that of the original tyre specification, but with significant cost per hour reductions.”
The fate of General Tyre Tazania is still hanging in the balance, having closed in April last year. Local newspapers are reports that the government is not likely to bail it out unless the last investor, Continental Tyres, accounts “for the $10 million it was advanced in 2002 to revive production.”
Indian tyre manufacturer Ceat has declared to the Bombay Stock Exchange that it has stopped production at its factory in Bhandup, near Mumbai, for Thursday and Friday this week. A company statement said that the decision had been taken due to a pile up of stock at the factory, thanks to a slump in the tyre sales market.
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