Kumho Tire is to voluntarily recall 78,321 light truck tyres sold in the North American market due to blisters on sidewalls. The tyres to be recalled are nine types of product under the Venture HT 824 and Venture AT KL78 series. They were manufactured in Kumho Tire’s factory in Nanjing, China, exclusively for the U.S. and Canadian markets.
Kim Jong Il has visited the newly built Pyongyang Taesong Tyre Factory, in Pyongyang, North Korea. The factory has a total floor space of more than 2,000 square metres and all its production processes are automated.
Over the past two years since the last Reifen show, B&J Rocket, the buffing blade inventor, has developed from a well-known but slightly old-fashioned company, to a young, modern and highly productive manufacturer and sales company, according to general manager Andreas Müller.
The last shift at Dunlop’s Washington UK plant clocked off ahead of schedule on 14 June. The Early April announcement that Dunlop would close the plant came as a “body blow,” to workers, the Sunderland Echo reported, as it followed a similar announcement at nearby Stag Furniture. Dunlop said it is continuing to work alongside Sunderland Council and One North East to help the workers find new employment through the JobCentre.
The Mozambican government may be preparing to sell off a derelict tyre factory on the outskirts of Maputo, according to the Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique news agency. The Mabor tyre factory was reportedly something of a national showpiece until it closed following a fire in December 2004. According to local news sources the state is now running what is left of Mabor through its Institute for the Management of State Holdings, IGEPE. The IGEPE is reported to have been looking for ways to reactivate the plant since it was “paralysed” and, of course, one solution is to sell the facility.
The reputation of Dunlop as a full road race tyre received a huge endorsement recently as Morecambe based John McGuinness, riding factory prepared HM Plant Honda machinery, moved into the list of TT Hall of Fame with eleven Isle of Man TT victories. First to congratulate McGuinness as he crossed the line was 10 times winner Giacomo Agostini.
Members of the Tanzanian Parliamentary Committee for Investment have called on the government to transfer ownership of the Muheza Rubber Plantation in Tanga Region to General Tyre factory in Arusha to raise rubber production and create more job opportunities.
The MPs made the recommendation after visiting the factory and discussing how best to increase the supply of raw materials from within the country (as opposed to Malaysian sources), particularly from the rubber plantation in Muheza, the local Sunday Observer reported.
Pirelli’s plans to construct a 393-foot tall wind turbine at its factory in Carlisle, have moved a step further. “If the wind speeds match data collected over the years at Carlisle Airport, then we can put forward a final working proposal to Milan,” a Pirelli spokesman said. The first phase is to erect a 45-metre tall mast to measure wind speeds and directions on 8 June. The factory has set a target of having the turbine fully operational in the second half of 2007.
Bridgestone Corp. is ready to build a 300 million euro factory in the north west of Poland, according to newspapers Puls Biznesu and Gazeta Wyborcza. The papers said construction will start in spring 2007. The factory will cover 100 hectares and will be located near Stargard Szczecinski. Puls Biznesu said the plant will be operational within three years and will eventually employ 700-800 people. When asked to comment on the reports, Bridgestone Poland said it had yet to make any definite decision. The company would only say it plans to invest in Eastern Europe and expects to make its mind up in two to three months.
MAHA moved into their new 12,000 sq ft purpose built factory and warehouse in June 2000 with a staff of 14. Extensions to the service stores started in March 2006 and which has increased the service stores area from 650 sq ft to almost 2,000 sq ft. Bob Smith joined MAHA UK in May 2006 as an experienced parts manager to maintain and expand MAHA’s service to all their customers throughout the UK.
International stunt driving ace Terry Grant drove himself into the records books yet again recently, by performing two car control records for the Guinness World Records TV show in Madrid, Spain. He used his new TVR Sagaris to break the 2005 Guinness World Record set by Dale Morrison for 69 consecutive and uninterrupted ‘donuts‘. (360° on the spot spins). Terry coaxed the standard road-going Sagaris and its Yokohama tyres to a total of 71 to snatch the record.
A fire at Cooper Tire’s Albany factory spread to the plant’s mixing machinery before firefighters were able to bring it under control, local news sources are reporting. According to WALB news, the fire broke out at 10:00am on Sunday 7 May. Cooper has its own in-house brigade to normally handle fires, but on this occasion the Albany Fire Department brought the fire under control. No injuries were reported and employees were able to return to work.
Murfitts Industries has resumed its expansion plans – installing new machinery – after suffering a fire. The fire broke out on the evening of 23 April in one of the tyre processing machines. The company said its built-in fire suppression system meant damage was extremely limited. Full operations at the plant resumed 48-hours later.
Summit Wheels and Tyres has a comprehensive range of wheels for the agricultural and industrial market sectors. Wheels for most off road applications, particularly for the construction and agriculture market, can be supplied individually or complete with tyres usually within 72 hours of ordering, unless there is a special requirement.
Federal Corporation shipped 1.7 million tyres in the first quarter of 2006 – the largest quarterly total in the company’s 52-year history. The figure reflects increased production at Federal’s Taiwanese and Chinese bases. In March alone the company delivered 670,000 tyres.
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