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Several Companies Show Interest in Ailing ATS Plant

A number of companies have cast a hungry eye upon the factory owned by ATS Light Alloy Wheels South Africa a month after the company was placed in provisional liquidation. One of the joint liquidators, Alan Pellow, said that about six companies had already inspected the plant and “some people in the US want to have a look.”

The liquidators say they are striving to find a buyer who we take on the factory as a going concern, however this happy outcome is by no means certain. “We are waiting for the final valuations for the plant and will then probably send out an information pack worldwide and see what we can bring in,” Pellow added.

ATS Light Alloy Wheels South Africa is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tiger Wheels’ 74 per cent owned German unit ATS Beteiligungs. In addition to the South African facility, ATS also operates alloy wheel manufacturing plants in Germany, Poland and the US. Directors and senior management at the South African plant applied for liquidation of the company due to ongoing cash flow problems, and the decision as to if or when liquidation is finalised is dependent on a high court decision.

28th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Moscow Tyre Plant Produces Millionth Amtel tyre

Approximately a year after its acquisition by Russia’s leading passenger car tyre producer, Amtel-Vredestein’s Moscow Tyre Plant has manufactured its millionth Amtel brand tyre. Production of Amtel branded products began a month after the facility was acquired by Amtel-Vredestein in August 2006, and since that time both monthly output and product range have gradually increased. Amtel-Vredestein reports that 18 types of tyre are now produced in the factory, including four popular Amtel NordMaster2 models.

24th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

TVS Tyres Planning to Expand Capacity

Indian manufacturer of tyres for two and three wheeled vehicles as well as agricultural and industrial tyres, TVS Tyres, will soon begin a Rs 350,000,000 (£4.3 million) expansion of its factory in the southern city of Madurai. This investment will boost tyre and inner tube production capacity by approximately 12 per cent, giving the company a greater ability to extend its focus upon exports to South East Asia.

TVS presently has the capacity to produce 11 million tyres per annum and a similar quantity of tubes. During the 2007/08 fiscal year the company is placing an emphasis on exports, and expects to see the value of its exports increase from Rs 750,000,000 (£9.1 million) in the 2006/07 year to Rs 1,000,000,000 (£12.2 million) in 2007/08. Exports account for some 16 per cent of the company’s revenues, and TVS enjoys sales to more than 60 countries, including the UK.

24th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Nokian Tyres Confirms Kazakhstan Negotiations

Company News, International News

Nokian Tyres has officially confirmed the rumours that it is negotiating a factory project in Kazakhstan. The company reports that negotiations are ongoing, and as of August 24 no agreements have been made. Nokian aims to finalise the negotiation project before the end of the year.

According to previous information supplied to Tyres & Accessories, Nokian tyres may be manufactured at the US$200 million factory being built in the national capital by Kazakhstan’s Ordabasy Corporation. This new plant will have an annual capacity of 4 million tyres when in full production.

24th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop India to Retain Factory Land – For Now

Dunlop India’s battle to retain a legitimate claim to a piece of land at its factory in Ambattur, Chennai has been given a boost by a decision made by a district court in Chennai. The court has ordered that, for the time being, the land seized by real estate company VGN Enterprises should remain in the hands of the tyremaker.

The court official, Ponneri executive magistrate and revenue district officer, M.S. Sangeeta, said in an interim order that “the impugned land should be placed in as-is-where-is condition without any change, construction, removal of machinery or apparatus and [the] status quo should be maintained.”

This interim order lends weight to the Ruia group’s argument that the sale of 60.86 acres of factory land to VGN Enterprises in 2004, a transaction made by Dunlop India’s previous owners, was illegal.

15th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Ceat to Cut Costs Through Plant Relocation

Ceat Ltd. intends to move its factory located in the Mumbai suburb of Bhandup to Patalganga, near the city of Thane and around 30km northeast of Mumbai. According to a report published in India’s Economic Times on August 8, the main motivation behind the proposed shift is to reduce costs and bring down the amount spent on local ‘octroi’ taxes.

The almost half-century old factory will be dismantled and relocated in phases, and CEAT has already decided upon the sale of 6.5 acres of surplus land at the plant site. At current real estate prices the site’s entire 31 acres may well fetch up to Rs 5 billion (£61 million) when disposed of.

“It is the reality of life. The company has to shift out tomorrow if not today,” said Ceat managing director Paras Chowdhary. Ceat, a company achieving a net profit of Rs 390 million (£4.7 million) in the year to March 2007, reportedly hand over about Rs130 million (£1.6 million) in local taxes on materials entering Mumbai city limits for use, consumption or sale.

9th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop India Employees Bribed to Seize Factory Land

All operations at the Dunlop India facility in Ambattur, Chennai have been suspended after real estate company VGN Enterprises reportedly used force to take possession of a section of the factory land on July 30. The tyremaker notified the Bombay Stock Exchange on August 7 that it has taken this decision following the recent activities, and in a press release claimed VGN’s “illegal” act made it impossible to carry out normal manufacturing activities.

It appears that after VGN Enterprises demolished part of the factory compound wall it drew upon the assistance of some of the plant’s workforce and occupied an eight acre piece of ground, erecting its own boundary walls around this land. VGN Enterprises allegedly paid Dunlop India workers Rs 15,000 (£180) each for their complicity in the land grab.

8th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop India Embroiled in Factory Land Dispute

Dunlop India’s fortunes continue to slide to a new low as the company, on top of the recent cessation of production at its Sahagunj plant, becomes entangled in a land dispute. The quarrel with real estate company VGN Enterprises surrounds a small portion of the 60.86 acre Chennai plant plot auctioned off by Dunlop India in 2004 in compliance with a Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) rehabilitation scheme.

The tyremaker claims the land in question could not be sold under the BIFR scheme, however the buyer, VGB Enterprises managing director V N Devadoss, is adamant that any right Dunlop India may have once had to the land has been relinquished. VGB Enterprises paid Rs 234.4 million (£2.96 million) for the parcel of land, and plans to develop the land into an integrated township. Mr. Devadoss has supported his ownership claim with the land’s title deed, court cases settled in his favour and an affidavit filed by Dunlop India in support of the sale of the land to him.

3rd August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Striking South African Workers Vent Anger at Tyre Plant Bosses

Striking workers at Continental Tyre South Africa’s Port Elizabeth factory have expressed their feelings towards deadlocked wage negotiations with what one local media source has described as a “rampage.” The Port Elizabeth Herald described the July 31 events as nearly becoming “out of control,” with “verbal abuse exchanged between the group and police.” Part of the road outside the plant was reportedly barricaded with burning tyres and a number of motor vehicles belonging to employees not participating in the strike were damaged.

Members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) were well represented amongst the demonstrative group outside the plant, and Continental is accusing them of not adhering to the accepted rules of picketing. “The company can‘t condone an act of this nature. Under the circumstances we will be forced to enforce the picketing order,” Continental Tyre spokesman Attie Higgs told media. In its defence Numsa said the display of anger was symbolic of the workers’ growing frustration and desperation, and the union accused the plant bosses of “not negotiating in good faith.”

1st August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

New Hankook Plant Under Fire from Unions, Locals

Within a month of opening the Hankook factory in the Hungarian town of Dunaújváros has become the subject of labour law breach allegations. These complaints from union representatives, including accusations that plant management has not adhered to conventions established by the International Labour Organisation and the EU, have resulted in employment inspectors visiting the facility.

Amongst the union’s list of grievances are accusations of illegal dismissal of workers, late payments, no extra pay for overtime, company discouragement of union activity and unsanitary working conditions. Following investigation by Hungary’s Employment and Work Safety Authority a report on the matter is due to be released and the end of July.

Hungarian government plans to provide Hankook with 92.6 million euros worth of subsidies in order to eventually increase the number of employees at Dunaújváros to 1,500 have been approved by the European Commission. However, senior union representative Tamás Székely has said he intends to meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány and insist the government withhold these subsidies until the union is satisfied all labour issues have been resolved.

24th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Sri Lankan Govt Tyre Factory Reaches End of Line

The bicycle tyre manufacturing facility in the Sri Lankan town of Mawanella operated by the Sri Lanka Rubber Manufacturing and Export Corporation, a body owned and controlled by the nation’s Ministry of Plantation Industries, has ended production and remains closed. Local media reports indicate that plant machinery is in a state of decline and the factory buildings have become ‘dilapidated.’

The plant was established in 1974 under a United Nations Development programme at a cost of £17 million. However the machinery in use was said to be sub-standard, resulting in the poor performance of the company’s tyres in the marketplace.

23rd July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Delphi to Build New Romanian Plant

On July 19, the same day that Pirelli announced its planned investment of around £17 million to set up a factory for the production of diesel engine filters, auto parts manufacturer Delphi gave details of plans to invest some £67 million over the next five years in a new factory in Romania. This facility. According to Romania’s national press agency Rompres, will produce injectors and other components for diesel engines.

The facility will be located in the northeast city of Iasi, close to the country’s border with Moldova. It is anticipated that more than a thousand workers will be employed there. The word from Delphi headquarters in Troy, Michigan is that the new plant is required in order to keep pace with rising demand.

23rd July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Damaged Riken Factory Not a Tyre Plant

The Riken factory in Japan knocked out of production by the July 16 earthquake is not, despite the name, in any way affiliated with tyres produced by the Michelin Group. The automotive parts plant, owned by the Riken Corporation and located in the Kashiwazaki region of Japan, suffered minor damage and a number of employees were injured. Due to the severance gas and water supplies and the necessity to check plant equipment, supply of auto parts to a number of major Japanese carmakers including Toyota, Mitsubishi and Suzuki has been severed, causing disruptions to their production schedule.

Part of Michelin’s Riken tyre line, sold in the UK through Kwik-Fit, is produced in Japan, however production at Michelin’s Japanese facilities was not affected by the earthquake. Riken tyres are also produced in Romania by Michelin Silvania.

20th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

TiWheel Directors Quit, Factory Remains Shut

Bidvest’s Alan Salomon tendered his resignation from the board of Tiger Wheel Limited on July 18, one day after the resignation of Brian Joffe was received. According to Tiger Wheel founder and chairman Eddie Keizan, the two men alternated as directors with each other, so once the first resignation was given it was logical that the second was imminent. Salomon’s was given a day later as he was travelling overseas.

The company’s factory in Babelegi, about 40km from Pretoria, has been closed and is not permitted to recommence operations until given the all clear by the liquidators. In the meantime, according to Keizan, customers have been left “shouting for wheels.”

20th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

By Royal Appointment

It has been reported that the woman who may – or may not – one day be queen can boast of an ancestor employed in the most noble of industries. According to reports printed in various UK publications, genealogist Robert Barrett has uncovered that some of Camilla Parker Bowles’ antecedents were working class folk from Essex, including her great grandfather. “He’d been working on a factory assembly line,” said Barrett. “On his death certificate it states his job as ‘rubber tyre maker’.”

18th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors