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Cooper Makes More Mexico JV Appointments

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has reshuffled its finance team following the recently announced formation of its joint venture company in Mexico. Cooper Tire & Rubber Company de Mexico, is responsible for the marketing, sales and distribution of Cooper and Pneustone brands. Currently, the Pneustone brand is the house brand of Llanti Systems, a division of Grupo Dexel, a Mexico company with entities involved in transportation, energy distribution, auto parts, specialty equipment and tyre production.

The headquarters for Cooper Tire & Rubber Company de Mexico is in Querétaro, Mexico, the site of the headquarters for Grupo Dexel. A management team has been put into place under the leadership of Jim Smith, the newly appointed general director. Smith was formerly Cooper’s plant controller at the Texarkana, Arkansas, tyre manufacturing plant. Chris Barbara, formerly Cooper’s manager of sales training, will assist Smith as director of marketing. These two individuals, along with Hugo Ybarra, director of sales, will lead the core team primarily responsible for all activities associated with the new trading company.

3rd January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

German Readers Vote Bridgestone Best Brand of 2007

A survey in German motor sport publication Motorsport aktuell has named Bridgestone brand of the year for car and motorcycle tyres. Motorsport aktuell belongs to the Motorpresse Stuttgart group and reaches over 60,000 car and motor sports enthusiasts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Readers were asked this autumn to compare and choose the “most convincing tyre” amongst 14 different car tyre brands and 6 motorcycle tyre brands. In the car tyre category, Bridgestone came out on top with 60.8 per cent; while 58.1 per cent of motorcycle tyre voters made Bridgestone their first choice.

3rd January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama and Advan to take Corner Positions at Nurburgring

Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. Has announced that its “Yokohama” and “Advan” brands have been adopted as corner names at Nurburgring, in Germany. The arrangement is for five years starting 1 January 2008, and running through 31 December 2012.

2nd January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Reifen China 2008

After a successful debut in 2007, Reifen China returns to Shanghai between December 4 and 6, 2008. Once again the exhibition will be held at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Center and organized by a partnership between the globally renowned Messe Essen GmbH, Germany, and the China United Rubber (Group) Corporation (CURC).

16th December 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Delticom Forecasts 21% Increase in Revenues

German based online tyre retailer Delticom AG has published its forecast for the current fiscal year 2007 as a reaction to industry figures published yesterday by the German Tyre and Vulcanisation Industry Association BRV, as well as in response to what the company calls irritations in the financial markets with regards to the course of Delticom’s business during the current fourth quarter. In this forecast, Delticom’s Managing Board forecasts revenues of 210 to 215 million euros, an increase of more than 21 per cent over the previous year (173 million euros).

14th December 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

‘New Era’ at Conti Following Siemens VDO Purchase

Continental has wasted no time getting down to business following the completion of the company’s acquisition of the Siemens VDO Automotive unit. Day one of the “new Continental” was December 5, and Continental Executive Board chairman Manfred Wennemer travelled to Regensburg in Germany’s south, where the unit has its headquarters, to meet with the company’s newest colleagues.

“We warmly welcome the employees from the former Siemens VDO Automotive AG. By consolidating forces, we will forge our Continental into one of the world’s foremost automotive suppliers,” said Mr. Wennemer in his address to the unit’s employees, just one day after the official conclusion of the 11.4 billion euro purchase. “Following exhaustive preparation we can now tackle the integration with a flying start.

“It will take us another two to three months, however, to make a series of key decisions,” he added. “This gives us enough time to thoroughly examine data that antitrust laws have so far barred us access to. This applies in particular to information concerning sales, earnings and the number of employees by product group and plant. In the final analysis, the plans required for the operative business and especially for production will form the basis for the generation of synergy effects, paving the way for the emergence of a better and more efficient corporation from two top-notch companies as well.”

On the basis of planning to date, Continental anticipates net synergy effects in the order of at least 170 million euros as of 2010. “From what we know at the moment, we would be disappointed if it remained at this conservatively estimated sum. The amount will presumably be higher. We will be able to provide more details in the next ten weeks,” stated Wennemer.

The number of divisions under the Continental AG umbrella has increased from four to six; three of the existing divisions, Passenger and Light Truck Tires, Commercial Vehicle Tires and ContiTech, remain unchanged by this reorganisation and remain the respective responsibilities of Dr. Hans-Joachim Nikolin, Manfred Wennemer and Gerhard Lerch. The company’s old Automotive division and the Siemens VDO Automotive unit together form three new divisions:

Chassis & Safety – headed by Dr. Ralf Cramer under the Board responsibility of Dr. Neumann, this division is positioned to provide technology solutions for brake and chassis systems, the networking of active and passive safety systems, and sensors. The division has more than 27,000 employees at over 65 locations worldwide and reports more than 5 billion euros in sales.

Powertrain – this division is headed by Dieter Rogge, also under Dr. Neumann’s Board responsibility, and offers products and system solutions for powertrain, engine management, injection technology, sensors, actuators and hybrid technology. According to Conti, the division lays claim to worldwide market and technology leadership in the area of economical and eco-friendly driving. More than 27,000 people are employed by the Powertrain division at approximately 70 locations worldwide, and the division generates more than 5 billion euros in sales.

Interior – the new Interior division, headed by Helmut Matschi under the Board responsibility of Manfred Wennemer, positions itself as a worldwide market and technology leader for information management with systems that provide a link between the vehicle and the driver and passengers, between different vehicles, and between the vehicle and the infrastructure in which it operates. The division generates more than 6 billion euros in sales and employs more than 33,000 people at approximately 70 global locations. “Viewing ourselves as information managers in vehicles, we intend to optimise the flow of information,” said Mr. Wennemer regarding the division. “We will develop new functions that establish a link with the vehicle surroundings and present information in a way that motorists can grasp intuitively.

Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Executive Board member in charge of corporate-wide technological development and the new Chassis & Safety and Powertrain divisions, stressed that with its expanded global operations and stronger product portfolio, the new Continental will be able to greater profit from future key auto industry trends: “Our innovative force and core competence cover precisely those automotive industry megatrends that will clearly dominate the upcoming years – safety, sustainability and Information”.

“In the Chassis & Safety division, we intend to integrate high-quality components in the area of brake systems, sensors and chassis to form a safety concept – called ContiGuard – that will make for zero crashes and injuries in the future. We are likewise well placed with respect to “zero emissions”, as envisioned for the future. We have, for instance, set standards with precise and highly efficient piezo injection systems for diesel and gas engines, as well as with hybrid drive solutions or roll-resistance-optimised tyres. In the Powertrain division we are determined to live up to our motto “Experience passion-driven mobility” by offering innovative products and system solutions that make diesel- and gas-engine vehicles more economical, reliable, powerful and eco-friendly,” said Dr. Neumann.

Continental now counts itself amongst the top five automotive suppliers worldwide and, based on 2006 figures, generates annual global sales in excess of 25 billion euros. The corporation currently employs approximately 150,000 people at nearly 200 locations in 36 countries.

6th December 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Kanwar Reiterates Apollo Plans

Comments made by Apollo Tyres joint managing director and COO during his attendance at the World Economic Forum’s India Economic Summit on December 3 reiterate the tyremaker’s goals for the coming years. “As stated, we are looking to touch the two billion dollar sales by 2010 and we are looking to enter strategic markets in Asia Pacific and Europe in the passengers tyre segment,” commented Kanwar to media covering the New Delhi summit. When asked whether the company, who in 2006 paid £35.4 million in cash for South Africa’s Dunlop International, intended to support its expansion through further acquisitions, Kanwar replied that “both organic and inorganic growth will play important part as we aim to achieve our 2010 target.”

5th December 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

ContiTech Subsidiary to Establish Mexico Facility

A subsidiary of Continental’s ContiTech Group is establishing a new facility in Mexico that will supply automotive manufacturers in North America. The subsidiary, Benecke-Kaliko AG, will build this new plant in the state of San Luis Potosí, and it will specialise in the production of vehicle interior trim components such as PVC foam laminate and PVC leatherette as well as TPO compact film and expanded vinyl (TEPEO and TEPEO2).

“We’re targeting significant growth in the NAFTA region”, explained Dr. Dirk Leiß, Executive Board chairman of Benecke-Kaliko AG. The new facility will be a wholly owned subsidiary of ContiTech, and an investment of approximately 8 million euros will go into its construction. When the plant becomes operational more than 250 new jobs will be created.

5th December 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Purchase of Siemens VDO Officially Concluded

The Continental Corporation concluded its purchase of Siemens VDO Automotive AG on December 3, four days after the EU Commission issued its unconditional approval. The company remitted 11.4 billion, euros, including tax benefits of around 1 billion euros, to Siemens AG as payment for the purchase, and Conti reports that it intends to commence the Siemens VDO unit’s integration into the corporation immediately.

“With conclusion of the transaction, we have, in principle, taken the final step in our comprehensive preparation and are delighted that we can now welcome the employees at Siemens VDO as colleagues,” said Continental’s Executive Board chairman Manfred Wennemer. On December 5, the official first day of what Conti has dubbed the “new Continental”, Mr. Wennemer will welcome the employees at an internal event to be held at the former headquarters of Siemens VDO in Regensburg, Germany.

4th December 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Analysts: German Winter Tyre Pricing Negative

With German winter tyre sales underperforming this year, Deutsche Bank analysts are reporting that prices are falling for the first time in “many years.” Up till the end of October, the German winter tyre market is reportedly down 6 per cent. Around 75 per cent of the winter tyres would normally have been sold by now. Winter tyres represent approx 17 per cent and 6 per cent respectively of Continental and Michelin’s passenger tyre unit sales. According to the analysts, winter tyres represent a high 20 per cent of European tyre replacements (55 million units, of which 50 per cent are sold in Germany).

3rd December 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Automechanika Shanghai Home to 1,200 Exhibitors

With only a week to go before Automechanika Shanghai gets under way, more than 1,200 exhibitors from 23 countries & regions are confirmed for the show being held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. National pavilions from Germany, Italy, Korea and Taiwan will also be a feature of this year’s exhibition. In line with the profile of the global Automechanika brand, products on display at Automechanika Shanghai will include vehicle components, accessories and equipment for automotive repair and maintenance. The full spectrum of the OE and aftermarket will be represented, from budget to high-end offerings.

Alongside the exhibition is a comprehensive programme of special events, including the Automechanika Academy on December 5 – a series of eight lectures by leading auto industry professionals and academics from Chinese universities. All sessions will be conducted in both English and Chinese, and are open free-of-charge to all fair attendees.

30th November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

German Winter Tyre Sales Down, Reports Association

Germany has long been presented to UK motorists as the ‘poster boy’ for winter tyre sales in Europe, but it appears that this year the market boasting a winter segment accounting for around half the total passenger car tyre sector is shaping up to be somewhat lacklustre. Hans-Jürgen Drechsler, head of Germany’s tyre dealer and retreader association, the Bundesverband Reifenhandel und Vulkaniseur-Handwerk e.V. (BRV), has commented on this year’s lower sales in an interview with the Handelsblatt business newspaper.

27th November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo also Considering Germany as Site for New European Factory

In mid-November the joint managing director and COO of Apollo Tyres, Neeraj Kanwar, reported that “we are looking at project feasibility in the Eastern Europe region in terms of cost of manufacturing and approach to market.” A local media report from northeast Germany, published a week later, indicates that Eastern Europe is not the only location under consideration.

News coming from the state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania reveals that the Indian tyremaker has engaged the services of high-profile German corporate consultancy Kienbaum to seek information from the regional authorities in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, requesting they send information on the province, information that will form the basis of a feasibility study about establishing a manufacturing facility there. It also appears likely that a delegation from Apollo Tyres will visit northern Germany some time in the “near future.”

27th November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Signs European Road Safety Charter

On November 26 Continental AG added its signature to the European Road Safety Charter, a document outlining the goal to halve the number of fatalities on roads within the European Union by the year 2010; in other words, a reduction to 25,000 from 50,000 EU road deaths recorded in 2004. With the signatures of Continental’s board executive Dr. Hans-Joachim Nikolin and the European Commission Vice President, Jacques Barrot, Continental AG commits itself to supporting this initiative.

“For years now Continental has been engaged in the development of intelligent automotive safety systems and in initiation of educational and research projects, including programs aimed at children and young people, all of which is intended to improve European road safety,” underscored Dr. Nikolin at the ceremony in Brussels. “Our signature under the European Road Safety Charter moves us closer to realisation of Vision Zero. For us that means making future road traffic even safer.”

27th November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Costly Carelessness

Efforts to educate on the benefits of correctly inflated tyres seem to be falling upon deaf ears – Michelin has found that almost 80 per cent of cars on British roads are running with incorrect tyre pressure and over half have levels considered dangerous. This mind-boggling news comes courtesy of a nationwide inspection survey conducted by the manufacturer, during which more than 2,300 cars were inspected at 13 venues in the UK. From this sample population, 36 per cent were found to have at least one tyre between 7 and 12 psi below the recommended pressure, and an additional 15 per cent had a tyre at least 14psi or more below the specified level – potentially only 50 per cent of the recommended safe level of inflation. Furthermore, 13 per cent of all vehicles had a tyre containing a puncture.

27th November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors