(Akron/Tire Review – Canadian Press) Transport Canada has said it needs more proof that Canadian drivers are at risk before it will consider following a U.S. recall of allegedly faulty Chinese-made tyres.
“We don’t need crashes or injuries or death, but we do need evidence,” said Lars Eif, chief of defect investigations and recalls at the federal ministry.
(Akron/Tire Review) On July 23 in Akron, Ohio, Myers Industries shareholders are expected to vote on the proposed $1.07 billion purchase of Myers Industries by GS Capital Partners, a private-equity unit of Goldman Sachs.
One of Myers Industries’ shareholders, Mario Gabelli, stated in a letter filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that he would vote against the merger proposal. Gabelli’s investment company holds more than 3.1 million shares (8.9% of outstanding shares) of Myers Industries.
In his letter, Gabelli stated that federal TPMS requirements present opportunities for the company’s automotive service business and that financial projections do not include benefits gained from a potential financial restructuring. However, Myers Industries’ board of directors reportedly supports the purchase.
(Akron/Tire Review) Even as Chinese tyremaker Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. continues to deny any wrong-doing, importer Foreign Tire Sales has reportedly submitted to NHTSA a plan for the recall of as many as 450,000 allegedly defective tyres. News reports say that FTS is setting up procedures to recall and replace the subject tyres – sold under the Westlake, Telluride, Compass and YKS brand names. NHTSA must approve the plan, and there remains some questions about FTS’ financial ability to conduct the recall.
Earlier, FTS said recalling all 450,000 tyres in question would force the company into bankruptcy. NHTSA has no provision to facilitate a complete recall should that happen, and reports state that Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. refuses to provide financial assistance. Last week, news reports said FTS suggested it may only be able to afford recalling perhaps 10 per cent of the subject tyres.
(Akron/Tire Review) Federal-Mogul Corp.’s Wagner brake brand has introduced its new Wagner Edge Brake Pad System. The new line is now available through auto parts distributors, the company said.
Wagner officials said the Edge Brake Pad System “is the first technology engineered specifically for lighter, leaner, more precisely tuned automotive braking systems and the ever-rising consumer demand for superior brake performance and reliability.” Edge brake pads are said to provide “outstanding braking power and virtually silent brake performance in every covered application.”
The company said Wagner Edge pads produced using “laser-shaped friction technology,” which enables engineers to optimize the interaction between the rotor, pad and caliper for each specific application.
A woman at the centre of a controversial pay discrimination case against Goodyear in the US said she plans to testify before the nation’s Congress in a bid to change a law that the Supreme Court used to deny her claim. Lilly Ledbetter, a former Goodyear supervisor from Jacksonville, Alabama, will travel to Washington in mid-June to testify before the House Education & Labor Committee.
As previously reported by T&A, the Supreme Court ruled Ledbetter lacked the grounds to sue the tyremaker for pay discrimination because she did not file her case within 180 days of the initial infraction taking place. In spite of this, since the court’s ruling House of Representatives member Artur Davis, a Democrat from Alabama, has championed Ledbetter’s cause, even appearing alongside her at a news conference in early June. Davis has also announced his intention to introduce a bill changing federal laws that govern discriminatory pay practices.
(Akron/Tire Review) Federal-Mogul Corp.’s Champion spark plug brand is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and plans a year-long global “Always a Champion” centennial celebration. The brand was established in 1907, and, according to Federal-Mogul, Champion is “celebrating its performance-driven heritage by looking forward to the next generation of innovative products.” Part of that will be an extensive marketing campaign, the company said.
“Champion has a rich heritage of innovation, quality and race-winning performance, yet it has always maintained a clear focus on developing breakthrough technology and powering the next racing championship,” said Garth Cole, Federal-Mogul’s director of aftermarket marketing. “That’s why we’re celebrating the Champion brand’s 100th anniversary by setting the stage for a new century of innovation on behalf of racing teams, professional technicians, and do-it-yourselfers.”
Quality Control Systems Corp. has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in federal District Court to obtain secret data about deaths and injuries held by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). R.A. Whitfield, the company’s director, said that the public needs access to the Early Warning Reports collected under the Transportation Recall Enhancement Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act to better understand why so many deaths and injuries related to tire failures in the Ford Explorer have continued long after the well-known tyre recalls that affected the vehicle.
The TREAD Act was passed in October 2000 in response to Ford Explorer- Firestone tyre-related rollover deaths in the U.S. and Ford’s overseas recalls. TREAD amended federal transportation law to require vehicle and equipment manufacturers to report safety recalls or campaigns on vehicles and components in a foreign country if they also sold substantially similar products in the U.S. It also mandated NHTSA to create regulations governing quarterly Early Warning Reports — information on property damage and warranty claims, consumer, dealer and field reports, production numbers and deaths and injuries collected by manufacturers — with the intent of using the data to spot defect trends.
(Akron/Tire Review) Electronic registration of tyres should be permitted, according to the RMA, which voiced its opinion to NHTSA. The agency is considering changes to voluntary tyre registration regulations.
Current Federal regulations require tyre retailers to provide paper registration cards to tyre buyers, who then may or may not mail them back in. Registering tyres makes it easier for tyre companies to contact tyre owners in the event of a product recall.
According to the RMA, “no more than 10% of tyre registration cards are currently returned to manufacturers and a significant number of these cards are inaccurate, incomplete or illegible.” The trade group believes the return rate would “substantially improve” if tyre buyers could use the Internet or “other electronic means” to register their tyres.
(Akron/Tyre Review – Ottawa Sun) Even a fresh set of tyres couldn’t help Steven Patzer steer clear of the taxman. The Ottawa-area engineer learned just how far the reach of federal tax collectors can extend recently when he bought a set of used tyres on eBay. The Houston, Tex., seller warned Patzer that shipping the tyres directly to Canada’s capital would run him $160 US on tyres that cost him only $225 US. Instead, Patzer had his Michelins sent to Watertown, N.Y., which is a 90-minute drive from his Kanata home, for almost half the cost.
Taiwan’s Federal Tyres have been named sponsor and official tyre supplier to the Australia 2007 X Challenge one make series for Lotus cars. Federal Corporation’s CEO, Jamie Ma, announced that the competition’s debut series would be also backed by Federal Tyres, and all competing vehicles will run on Federal’s new 595RS X Challenge Special Edition Tyres.
Goodyear workers from the Canadian Salaberry-de-Valleyfield tyre plant have taken their fight to save the factory onto the internet. The workers, with the support of the local community, have launched an online petition to muster support in convincing the American tyremaker to reverse its decision to close the facility.
Kumho Tire Co. has passed the safety standards set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US for tyres intended for use on civilian aircraft. This milestone paves the way for larger volume US exports for the South Korean tyremaker.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has agreed to pay out US$925,000 in compensation to women who were denied employment as tyre makers at the company’s factory in Virginia. Details of this payment were made by the US Labor Department on January 16, after an administrative law judge approved a consent decree to resolve a lawsuit filed by approximately 800 women denied jobs at the Danville, Virginia plant in the late 1990s.
(Akron/Tire Review) CBC has reported that union workers at Goodyear’s Valleyfield, Quebec, tire plant and government officials are working on a plan to maintain tire production at the plant. Earlier this month, Goodyear announced it would cease tire production there, converting the plant to rubber mixing and cutting some 800 jobs.
With the closure of tyre factories so frequently announced, it is easy to spare little thought for the workers who suddenly find themselves without a means of supporting themselves or their families. But what does a tyre worker do when the tyre factory closes? After all, they can hardly apply for a job at another tyre factory across the road.
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