Now that Maurice Taylor is making peace with France and workers in the country’s tyre sector, it appears Titan International’s French connection is not its only European interest. The Financial Times reported over the weekend that Titan is “weighing bids for three additional plants in Europe in deals that would take its sales in the region from US$750 million in 2012 to $1.3 billion.”
TRW Automotive Holdings was recently awarded the 2013 General Motors Supplier Quality Excellence Award for “achieving consistently high levels of quality performance” during the past year at then of its manufacturing facilities.
Reuters is reporting union leaders at a closed Goodyear plant in northern France have agreed to talks with Morry Taylor, Titan International chairman and CEO. Taylor infamously said earlier in 2013 that the plant wasn’t worth saving, but reports suggest he is reconsidering his abandoned takeover bid for the plant. The French union wants give their demands directly to Taylor in his US office, Tire Review reports.
Maurice Taylor may take some of those ‘so-called workers’ after all. A text published by Agence France Presse yesterday says Titan International has made an offer regarding Goodyear’s Amiens Nord site.
A deal with German chemical firm Lehmann & Voss & Co. and its Luvomaxx business unit offers further scope for China’s Jiangxi Blackcat Carbon Black inc. to penetrate European markets. Lehmann & Voss has signed a sales agreement with the state-owned carbon black manufacturer, securing exclusive distribution rights in 16 European countries. Luvomaxx will support existing direct contracts, mainly with the tyre industry, as part of the supply chain.
New car registration figures for September show the UK once again delivered above-average performance, with the market growing 12.1 per cent year-on-year to 403,136 new registrations during the month. Registrations across the EU27 region were up 5.4 per cent on September 2012, with 1,159,066 new registrations recorded. Upon reporting these results, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ […]
Battling some of the trickiest conditions experienced so far in this season’s FIA World Rally Championship, Dmack has hailed a “successful” Rallye de France after one of its runners achieved a WRC2 Production Cup podium finish. The brand’s DMT-RC asphalt tyre came through the tough rally after delivering the grip and traction needed for its runners to safely make it to the finish of the treacherous event.
Garage equipment specialist Trade Garage Equipment Limited has been appointed exclusive distributor for Europe’s leading extraction and de-polluting system manufacturers SACATEC.
Based in France, SACATEC has designed and manufactured a comprehensive range of systems for more than 50 years; Thomas Galtie of SACATEC explains how the association with ‘Trade’ developed.
A range of new Michelin apps are heading our way. Following their recent launch in France, Michelin Mobility Apps will be available in the UK at the end of this year.
Michelin’s new plant in Thiruvallur, India has been described as the world’s largest tyre factory. While we can’t confirm the veracity of this superlative, one thing that appears to be true is that the facility is preparing for an imminent production start.
Germany’s Tyre24Group has opened a new B2B online platform in Italy. The new tyre24.it site went live on 16 September and brings the company one step closer to gaining a presence in the major European tyre markets. Tyre24 is already active in Germany, Poland, France and Austria.
The results of a fleet survey carried out for Goodyear in June and July show that 81 per cent of all fleet operators are aware of the EU tyre label. According to the MV2 Conseil survey of approximately 500 fleet managers in France, Italy, Germany, Poland and Spain, 55 per cent know the details of the tyre label legislation and a further 26 per cent are aware of it but recognise a need to learn more. Only 19 per cent of fleet managers responded that they’d never heard of the EU tyre label.
The United Kingdom is Cooper Tire’s strongest European market. The company holds a 7 to 7.5 per cent of the consumer market here, thanks largely to healthy 4×4 tyre sales. Market share on the other side of the English Channel and in the PCR segment is more modest, however, and Jeff Schumacher would like to see this change. Schumacher, who took on the role of Cooper Tire Europe’s managing director and vice-president at the start of this year, aims to increase combined market share for all Cooper brands to five per cent across Europe. To achieve this, the company has opened a new branch office in Russia, is increasing market penetration in France and Germany and signing on new brand ambassadors. Furthermore, in September Cooper unveiled a new range-topping passenger car tyre, the Zeon CS Sport.
Michelin’s tyre supply and co-development relationship with Porsche dates back to 1961, and this long joint history continues with the French manufacturer’s selection as sole tyre supplier to Porsche’s new hybrid supercar, the 918 Spyder. The 918-specific Sport Cup 2 will be fitted in size 265/35-ZR20 at the front and size 325/30-ZR21 on the rear.
Sailun says the last three years have seen it establish a stronger truck tyre presence in Europe, from what it describes as “a relatively very low” base. The company states that its approach has been through research and development, epitomised by the creation and growth of a 400-strong Technical Quality and Research Centre at its company-owned manufacturing plant in Qingdao.
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