A mere two months after Dunlop India’s Ambattur factory restarted production, a cut in power supply has halted work yet again. The plant had recently reopened after eight years when the Ruia Group acquired the ailing tyre company. The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) cut supply to the plant at the end of October as current consumption charges for September were unpaid, thus halting production at the factory.
More than 300 tyres were destroyed and a building damaged when a fire swept through a County Durham factory. According to BBC reports, three fire crews spent Tuesday night (31 October) at C-Tyres on the Littleburn Industrial Estate at Langley Moor, County Durham tackling the blaze. Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said a metal container and a single storey factory building were also damaged. Officers are reportedly investigating the cause of the fire.
Following its recent 170-million euros investment in a tyre production factory in Romania, it seems that the Italian company may be on the verge of investing a further 70 million euros in a plant to produce filters for diesel engines, according to local media reports. The country manager of Pirelli Romania, Guglielmo Fiocchi, is quoted as saying: “Next year we could start the construction of a new plant for production of filters for diesel engines in Gorj, with the actual production most likely to begin early in 2008, if the project is approved.”
Many in the US tyre business were expecting Pirelli to come to SEMA 2006 with a 32″ Scorpion Zero tyre, following its success with the 30″ version first shown at the New York Auto Show this year. Not so, as Pirelli decided to think more laterally (in every sense of the word). What Pirelli has brought to this year’s SEMA show in a world “first” is a 405/25R24 Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico, a trend setting idea for a ‘Super Single’ tyre for light trucks.
The BFGoodrich factory at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is celebrating 60 years of operation. The tyre plant, which makes tyres from 14″ car to 20″ truck, was for some time the largest employer in the city and today still employs close to 1,400 workers.
Maywood Equipment Group has announced that it will now be the sole UK importer of Omer scissor lifts up to and including five tonnes. Miriam Rossato, marketing and sales manager for Omer commented: “Maywood is the perfect partner for us in The UK. They are prepared to invest in holding stock and have excellent delivery arrangements which often is a problem with large scissor lifts.”
Gavin Masterton, director of Maywood responded by saying “We could not have a better partner for scissor lifting than Omer. They respond very quickly to all our. They even sent an engineer to Dundee in Scotland to resolve a very complicated wheel alignment levelling system! Their range of lifts is the most comprehensive and we will be launching even more models early next year.”
(Akron/Tire Review) Portland-based Tire Factory has hired Anthony Showen as its new chief operations officer. Showen joins Tire Factory with more than 15 years of experience in operations and manufacturing. Tire Factory is a marketing group with some 180 retail locations in 11 western US states.
A study by JATO Dynamics of selected factory options taken by new car buyers in Germany and the UK shows the total value of options ordered fell by 13 per cent in 2005 compared with 2003. JATO estimates that the total value of all options bought by drivers in both countries last year was more than 7 billion euros. JATO’s study looked at 10 specific options, including audio and navigation systems, additional airbags, lights and wheels, which were ordered with new cars in Germany and the UK.
Marketing director Danny van Essche and HR director Ron Bloemperk officially left Bandag by mutual agreement on 15 September, Bandag’s vice president Mike Tirona has confirmed to Tyres & Accessories. Tirona said the company was interested in reinforcing its “back to basics” business model. Deploying this model is, from Bandag’s point-of-view, the right thing to do in today’s ever changing and hectic business environment.
Cooper has notified workers at the company’s Texarkana plant of its intention to cut 400 – 500 jobs, switching the factory to a “flex” facility. Local newspapers are reporting that the factory will go to a “five-day, three-crew schedule during the second quarter of 2007.” As a result production is expected to drop 30 per cent. Production will then be decreased a further 15 per cent in 2008.
Kings Lynn, Norfolk-based Tym International has renewed its relations with large scale Chinese tyre manufacturer, Triangle. Tym is the only UK company to sign a three-year agreement for 2007, 2008 and 2009, Tym International’s Steve Eke told Tyres and Accessories. “We at TYM International are continually impressed with the level of commitment Triangle has. With that and the depth of knowledge they have on their products, it is no surprise that the company, indeed the whole of the Chinese economy, is thriving the way it is,” he commented. Triangle recently invited Tym to view its new factory in China, which is set to increase supply to the UK.
Radik Ilyasov, CEO of Nizhnekamskshina, Russia’s largest tyre manufacturer, has announced plans to increase the supply of Kama Euro radial tyres to AvtoVAZ. According to a Centre Invest analyst report, Nizhnekamskshina has signed a contract with the automaker to supply all tyres for Chevrolet-Niva production, up from the 47 per cent agreed upon previously. “We believe this is good news for Nizhnekamskshina, which should now be able to gain a wider market share. Research has shown that Russian car owners tend to replace tyres with the factory-installed brand,” the report commented.
Tyres & Accessories has learnt that Michelin is planning to investment a double-digit million pound figure in its Baldovie, Dundee production facility. Yesterday the manufacturer announced the Dundee factory is to keep annual production at 6.5 million units, but plans to lay off almost 10 per cent of its workforce.
Michelin’s Baldovie production plant produces Michelin, BFGoodrich and Kleber passenger car tyres exclusively in the 13 – 15-inch range.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is asking US state official for millions of tax dollars to modernize its Fayetteville plant that is at risk of closing. State Rep. Rick Glazier, a Democrat from Fayetteville, confirmedt that local and company officials are discussing options to help upgrade the 37-year-old plant. With about 2,600 employees, the factory is the third-largest private employer in the county, the Fayetteville Observer reported. The move is widely seen as a hint that Goodyear is considering closing the factory.
Hofmann is promoting another first. The new ‘DynaPower Box’ is the first self-contained dynamometer on the market. Designed to overcome the environmental concerns of placing a performance ‘Dyno’ in or around a busy workshop, the ‘DynaPower Box’ is in essence a 4WD dyno built into a weather proof cabin with it’s own sound-proofing, exhaust extraction and cooling fans. All the customer needs to supply is an IP65 plug and a flat piece of tarmac. So no costly civil works or soundproofing and potentially no planning issues.
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