The awaited announcement regarding the closure Michelin’s Joué-lès-Tours truck tyre plant in France arrived on 10 June and was accompanied by news of the company’s intention to invest €800 million in its French facilities over the coming six years. The tyre maker has also announced the end of truck tyre production in Algeria and the sale of this operation.
According to Deutsche Bank Markets Research, Michelin is expected to announce the closure of its Tours, France truck tyre factory tomorrow. Research analyst Gaetan Toulemonde reports that closure of the 1.2 million tyre per annum capacity plant would be a product of weak volumes in Europe; while the European passenger car tyre market is now six per cent higher than 2007 pre-crisis levels, at 404 million tyres, over the same period the European truck tyre market has dropped eight per cent to 20 million tyres. Continental and Pirelli have already reduced a total of 2 million truck tyres from their European capacity in the last five years, and Michelin’s European truck tyre operations currently only operate at 60 per cent capacity.
At last Friday’s Michelin Annual Shareholders Meeting in Clermont-Ferrand, France, a dividend of €2.40 per share, with a reinvestment option, was approved. The dividend will be paid in cash or reinvested in shares on 24 June 2013.
In April, the EU market for new passenger cars grew for the first time (+1.7 per cent) since September 2011. The region counted on average two more working days compared to the same month last year, which would account for the increase. In absolute figures, it is the third lowest level of new registrations for a month of April, with the historic low for April reached in 2012 (1,021,358 units). A total of 1,038,343 units was recorded in the EU in April this year, or 1.7 per cent more compared to the low level of April last year.
Almost precisely seven years after Edouard Michelin’s fatal accident, his father and legendary head of the Michelin-clan, François Michelin (87), has granted French weekly magazine Paris Match a rare interview and divulged a glimpse into his emotional life. François Michelin, whose daughter-in-law, Edouard’s wife, Cecilia died of cancer in 2011, today lives in retirement home in Auvergne, free from every luxury.
A recently-issued report on the effect of winter on drivers says that a combination of more frequent and more extreme weather events will mean drivers having to change their habits and expectations.
A report for the RAC Foundation concludes that although councils and the Highways Agency responded well to the recent periods of snow and ice, changing weather patterns mean strategy will have to shift from one of trying to change the conditions to one of coping with them. One of the report's recommendations is for more advice for drivers on the benefits of fitting winter tyres.
Leading brake manufacturer Brembo has posted first quarter 2013 net consolidated revenues of 371.9 million euros, up 6.3 per cent compared to the first quarter of the previous year. Pre-tax profits grew even faster. EBITDA amounted to 47.3 million euros (12.7 per cent of revenues), up 10.2 per cent compared to first quarter of previous year. Meanwhile EBIT amounted to 26.1 million euros (7 per cent of revenues), up 9.3 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2012.
Roughly half of the 30 million-odd tyres sold to UK motorists each year are delivered through tyre specialists, a figure that is broadly comparable with figures across Europe. And while there are some noteworthy differences between the structure of the UK tyre market and mainland Europe in general, perhaps the most interesting details are to be found within this 50 per cent. That’s why in this month’s retail chains/buying groups feature Tyres & Accessories considers the state and make-up of the sell-out market and releases the details of latest top 20 tyre retail chains survey. As well as our own research we consider data compiled and analysed by four well-known third-party research firms, however for commercial and confidentiality reasons we aren’t citing the sources individually each time they are mentioned. Instead this year’s retail report analyses their input and presents our view of the consensus.
Although Goodyear Tire & Rubber shipped fewer tyres and generated lower sales in the first three months of 2013 than a year earlier, the bottom line for the quarter was much healthier. The only regional disappointment was, predictably, Europe – and Goodyear says it will address weakness in the European markets by implementing “additional productivity improvements”. Specific details regarding these measures have yet to be announced.
When listing off the major European alloy manufacturers, it isn’t hard to forget the “Française de roues” plant in Diors, smack in the middle of France. The company, along with Dial, is the only cast alloy wheel manufacturer remaining in France. The wheel maker has been established for a number of years and was known as Montupet before its parent company announced plans at the start of to divest its wheel business to Indian company Deltronix.
Ian Stuart is to retire at the end of May 2013 after seven years as group managing director of ATS Euromaster, the UK’s largest comprehensive tyre specialist. He will be replaced by Peter Allen, who is currently commercial director of Michelin Canada.
Less then five decades after starting out as a one-man tyre business in western Holland, Heuver Tyrewholesale has grown into a major commercial segment wholesaler. Today the company is headquartered in Hardenberg, near the Dutch border with Germany, and specialises in supplying truck, OTR and agricultural tyres to customers throughout Europe. Tyres and Accessories recently spoke with director Bertus Heuver about Heuver Tyrewholesale’s current activities and focus; he shared that during 2013 the wholesaler is introducing an entirely new brand and intends to grow in at least two key regions.
It seems being spoiled for choice may also spoil our chances of receiving the tyre service we want, when we want it. Michelin’s head of Fleet, Dave Crinson, opines that a wholesale shift in the way drivers view tyre appointments needs to occur due to the number of tyres now available on the market. This diversity means drivers who arrive unannounced at fast-fit suppliers may end up with a second or third choice tyre, or may be required to return at a later date.
When you think of Trelleborg you will probably think of industrial or agricultural tyres. You may think of rubber products in general. But would you associate the Swedish firm with the movies?
Trelleborg has launched a new 3D animated movie which is available on YouTube via its social media channel, TrelleborgAgri. The film, created using 3D animation techniques, tells the life story of a smart cartoon cricket that starts his own agricultural business and miniature farm. The story, which begins in 1955, follows the cricket ‘farmer’ through the ages, following his journey as he comes face-to-face with evolving tractor generations. From x-ply tires, through to upgraded tractors equipped with radial technology tires; the cricket must learn how to survive and work alongside these new technologies.
When Maurice Taylor visited Goodyear’s plant in Amiens, France, he claims to have observed workers talking for several hours a day instead of getting busy with the tasks they were paid to do, and when he challenged them about this they replied it was “the French way.” Now the Amiens plant workers are engaging in a behaviour more in line with the American way – they have sued Goodyear Tire & Rubber.
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