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Michelin Enters FIM World Endurance Championship

The FIM World Endurance Championship will this year, for the first time, be contested by a bike wearing Michelin colours. The French manufacturer states that the entry of the motorcycle, under the ‘Michelin Power Research Team’ name, breaks new ground in the company’s competition history.

The team’s blue Honda CBR 1000 RR will carry the number 63 – the number given to France’s Puy de Dôme region or ‘department’ (the home to Michelin’s headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand) – and will be shared by test drivers William Costes, Hugo Marchand and Josep Monge. The Michelin Power Research Team bike will be prepared and run by Honda dealer Jean-François Daffix and his team, which is based in Aubière near Clermont-Ferrand.

25th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Manfred Wennemer Nominated to Bekaert Board

Following Julien De Wilde’s decision not to seek re-election to the board of Bekaert, the steel wire manufacturer has nominated ex-Continental AG CEO, Manfred Wennemer as director. The appointment is subject to approval by the general meeting of shareholders, which will take place on 13 May 2009.

Manfred Wennemer was chief executive officer of Continental AG from 2001 until August 2008, when he stepped down at the point that Schaeffler Group’s hostile takeover offer appeared to have reached the point of no return. Wennemer, had previously fought hard for Continental to retain its independence. He holds a Masters degree in Mathematics from the University of Münster, Germany and an MBA from INSEAD Fontainebleau, France.

18th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Trelleborg to Distribute GPX Galaxy Tyres in Europe

Galaxy-branded farm, forestry, agri-industrial and and OTR will be distributed exclusively by Trelleborg Wheel Systems following an agreement between the companies to form a strategic alliance. The agreement will be effective from 1 April, and covers 25 European countries: Albania, Belgium, Belarus, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Germany, Georgia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and Ukraine.

The range of Galaxy-branded pneumatic products covered by the agreement includes tyres for diverse and demanding applications such as: agricultural radial and bias, skid steer, forestry, lawn and garden, OTR, backhoe and telescopic handlers, as well as other agricultural and industrial segments. GPX will continue to market its range of Forklift Industrial, Inter-Modal port and full range of solid tyres independently.

11th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Debuts in Le Mans Series

During the last few years Hankook has steadily increased its involvement in the European racing calendar, and the Korean manufacturer added the 2009 Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans to the list of events in which it participates. The company made its debut appearance in the Le Mans series on the weekend of March 8, at the Paul Ricard Circuit in Southern France.

9th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Chris Hufflett Appointed ATSE Group Operations Director

ATS Euromaster has appointed Chris Hufflett, 45, to the position of group operations director, completing an internal restructuring programme which has seen the country divided into four divisions, each with its own dedicated divisional operations director and divisional sales manager. He takes over from Vince McGurk, 48, who is joining parent company Euromaster Group to take on the new position of European operations progress director at Euromaster Group’s head office in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Hufflett brings extensive industry experience to the role, having been employed for the last three years as one of ATS Euromaster’s divisional operations directors, looking after South West England and Wales. Before joining the company in 2006, he spent more than 10 years at vehicle distribution and logistics specialist Walon, most recently as operations director.

6th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Butstraen appointed President of Rhodia Silcea

On March 4 Rhodia announced the appointment of Emmanuel Butstraen as president of the company’s SILCEA Enterprise and member of the Extended General Management Committee. Furthermore, Butstraen will take over the representation of the Group in France’s Rhône-Alpes region.

Emmanuel Butstraen is an Agricultural engineer and graduate of the Institute of Business Administration in Lille, France. He joined the BASF Group in 1992, where he held several sales & marketing positions, before being appointed as general manager of BASF Agro in Lyon. Since 2005, he has been group vice president, Global Strategic Marketing, of the company’s Plant Protection Division.

5th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Blackcircles.com Opens Dutch Web Shop

British e-Tailer Blackcircles.com has thrown its hat into the ring in The Netherlands, seeking to do battle with competitors who, managing director Mike Welch says, “are growing on the back of offering customers an inferior deal.” Autobandenshop.com will offer Dutch motorists access to all the major tyre brands carried by the British website.

Welch continues, “One of the core guiding principles of Blackcircles.com is that there should be no barriers to tyre safety and we are delighted to be helping Dutch motorists to stay safe on the road. Our aim in Holland is to set a new standard for low cost tyres combined with high quality service.”

5th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Wants to Close French PCR Tyre Facility – News Report

According to media reports in France, Continental Tyre intends to close one of the two facilities it operates in that country. Quoting union sources, radio station Europe 1 said that some 1,100 jobs will be eliminated if the manufacturer goes ahead with plans to close the Clairoix passenger car tyre factory, located northeast of Paris. Last year the facility produced some seven million tyres, and according to a Deutsche Bank report the plant is considered to be an extremely productive facility – annual production is approximately 6,500 tyres per employee.

2nd March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Renews Supply Commitment to Formula 3 Euro Series

Kumho Tires’ role as official tyre supplier to the Formula 3 Euro Series has been extended to 2011. The renewed contract was signed on February 18 at a meeting between the head of the series’ organising committee, Walter Mertes, and H.S. Lee, president of Kumho Tire Europe GmbH, at Kumho’s European headquarters in Offenbach, Germany.

The F3 Euro Series was founded in 2003 by the organisers of the French and German championships. A full grid of 32 cars, the largest number since the series began, will contest the 20-race 2009 series between May and October, with rounds in the UK, Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands.

25th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin, Valeo Partner on Hybrid Systems

Valeo and Groupe Michelin are combing efforts to develop electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicle systems. The pair will work on such systems as drive train, engine and battery cooling management, climate control, lighting, energy management and tyres.

“Michelin and Valeo are convinced that by joining forces they will help to accelerate the emergence of electric vehicles in France and worldwide,” the companies said in a statement. (Tire Review/Akron)

13th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Releases First Green Guide Japan

With its manga, animated films, video games and sushi, Japan is, after the US, the world’s second largest exporter of cultural goods and is increasingly present in day-to-day life, especially in youth culture. Since the launch in 2003 of the “Visit Japan Campaign,” which set a target of 10 million visitors to the country in 2010, Japan has seen a rise in tourism. In 2008, Japan hosted 8,351,600 visitors.

9th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin MBA Network Strength Outlined at Dealer Meeting

Business owners and senior managers from nearly 70 Michelin accredited independent truck tyre distributors across the UK and Republic of Ireland gathered in Paris on 30 January for the third annual Michelin Business Advantage (MBA) dealer conference. What the representatives from the MBA network heard during their time in France was music to the ears in these difficult times for the automotive sector.

“The latest figures from Europool highlight that whilst the replacement market for new truck tyres dropped by 10 per cent in the UK in 2008, Michelin continued to gain market share and is still the number one selling brand,” said Phil Baldock, MBA manager at Michelin. “We also bucked the trend in the market for retread tyres, with our penetration increasing in a marketplace which also fell by 10 per cent.

9th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Exports Now More than Half of Deestone Production

Initially established in 1978 by a group of Thai industrialists, Deestone Limited began life as a producer of tyres and tubes for the industrial and agricultural sectors. In 1994 the company diversified, and along with adding scooter and bicycle tyres to its product portfolio, at this time Deestone also initiated a stronger focus on the export of its specialty industrial tyres and inner tubes.

Currently, more than half of the Deestone Group’s products are exported, with markets including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Egypt, Israel and Jordan. The company’s total asset base exceeds 500 million baht (£10 million) and approximately 3,000 workers are on its payroll. Deestone currently operates three manufacturing facilities in Thailand, with a combined capacity of 100,000 tons.

6th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Installing Europe’s Largest Photovoltaic Roof

Michelin will soon be the proud owner of Europe’s largest photovoltaic roof panel installation – the company plans to fit more than 147,000 square metres of solar panels on the roof of its facility in Cuneo, Italy. With annual production of nearly 10 million kWh, the panels will provide electricity for 2,000 inhabitants while reducing the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere by 1,200 tonnes a year. The photovoltaic power plant is scheduled to be operational in early 2010. It will be developed and operated by Frey Nouvelles Energies, a company that produces electrical power from renewable energy sources.

29th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Reports ‘No Urgent Need’ For Funding

The French government has offered to pump up to six billion euros into the nation’s battered automotive industry, but Michelin says it doesn’t require state assistance. Despite being hard hit by declining global vehicle sales, the tyre maker said on January 20 that its debt financing needs were for the time being covered.

21st January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors