The UK's streets and car parks could see thousands more charging points for electric and plug-in hybrid cars thanks to £30 million of Government funding. Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis today invited cities and businesses to join together to bid for the money which will help fund the installation of charging points on streets, car parks and in commercial, retail and leisure facilities.
The solitary remaining tyre manufacturer in Zimbabwe marked its 50th Anniversary on November 18, and company management have taken the opportunity to express their optimism for the future. At an event held by Dunlop Zimbabwe and attended by numerous dignitaries, company chairman Dr Luis Cenevis stated that the tyre maker had managed to survive the previous years’ trials and was looking forward to production levels returning to full capacity.
Shougang Concord Century Holdings has celebrated the completion of the first construction phase for its new steel cord facility in China’s Shandong Province. This milestone in the Tengzhou Eastern Steel Cord (TESC) plant’s development was marked by a ceremony on November 11, which was attended by dignitaries including Shougang Corporation chairman Zhu Jimin, senior company management, government officials and industry professionals.
On November 16 a memorandum of understanding for a new manufacturing facility was signed between Michelin and the Tamil Nadu state government in India. The factory, to be established by Michelin India Tamil Nadu Tyres Ltd, will be built on a 290 acre site some 50 kilometres north of Chennai. The facility is to be erected in phases over a number of years, and the first truck and bus radials are expected to be produced there in 2012.
ATS Euromaster and Michelin have been jointly appointed by Redditch Borough Council as the supplier of tyres and associated services under a four year framework agreement. The contract covers the authority’s mixed fleet of 150 vehicles, which ranges from vans and agricultural equipment to refuse collection vehicles and road sweepers, as part of a pan-government tyre sourcing initiative established in 2007 via the Office of Government Commerce (OGC).
More than six million tyres are purchased in Pakistan each year, but even though local manufacturers are only capable of producing 2.5 million units annually, they are operating at under capacity. The reason for this, believes the head of one domestic producer, is the prevalence of smuggled and under-invoiced foreign brands.
Government has committed to create an Automotive Council to strengthen engagement with industry and set a long-term plan for its development. This follows its endorsements of the New Automotive Innovation and Growth Team's (NAIGT) recommendations on the development of the sector over the next 20 years. NAIGT, consisting of a cross-industry group of senior executives, produced the report earlier this year setting out a framework for industry development to ensure it maximises the opportunities presented by the transition to a low carbon agenda, and to promote the UK as a key player in a global industry.
The Chinese Ministry of Finance and Commerce (known as Mofcom) continued its ongoing campaign against what it describe as the Obama administration’s politically motivated implementation of anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese-produced passenger car tyres imported into the US. Speaking to Tyres & Accessories after Mofcom’s presentation during the Tire Tech seminar series at the Reifen China in Shanghai, Wang Xin (Mofcom Bureau of Fair Trade representative) said Chinese tyre companies along with industry associations should seek a review of the 35 per cent import tariff brought in September. This approach would be based on the US government’s own standard policy of reviewing trade sanctions after six months. Washington DC firm Squire Sanders Dempsey is providing legal representation in the matter.
Former Continental AG CEO Manfred Wennemer’s tenure as one of five Opel Trust board members ended on November 7 following his resignation in protest against political interference over the planned sale of vehicle manufacturer Opel. According to Reuters, while Wennemer’s act of protest against the “constant interference” from German politicians in potentially embarrassing to Berlin, his resignation is however “essentially symbolic” following General Motor’s recent change of mind regarding its European subsidiary.
Imports of truck and bus tyres into India have risen sharply since may in spite of government restrictions. The Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) reports 138,347 truck and bus tyres entered the country in August, up from 20,222 units in April. The majority of these were produced in China, the organisation adds – imports from China reached 100,772 units in August, a dramatic increase on the 9,594 tyres imported in April.
During a meeting of Australia’s Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) on November 5, Australia’s state environment ministers agreed upon a new national policy on waste and resource management. This National Waste Policy sets the agenda for waste and resource recovery in Australia over the next decade, and as part of it the tyre industry will develop a scheme to increase waste tyre recycling in Australia.
The Rubber Manufacturers Association projects an approximately 13 per cent decline in US tyre shipments will occur in 2009, principally as a result of a sharp decrease in demand for original equipment passenger car and commercial vehicle tyres. Total tyre shipments are anticipated to reduce by approximately 36 million units to 246 million. The RMA notes this decrease reflects the “difficult economic environment for automotive manufacturers over the past year, continued low consumer confidence and high unemployment.” This year’s projected total shipments represents a 23.4 per cent decrease on the peak of 321 million units reached in 2000.
(Tire Review) Bridgestone Americas is disputing Liberian government claims that its Firestone rubber plantation is causing pollution in nearby creeks. Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency closed out a lengthy investigation, finding high levels of orthophosphate being released into the water in creeks near the company’s natural rubber plantation and processing enter in Monrovia.
Citing lower raw material costs, continued manufacturing improvements and a better utilisation of capacity as the key driving factors, Cooper Tire & Rubber has reported a US$41 million net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2009, a $102 million improvement over the same period last year. The company’s net sales for the period were $803 million, a year-on-year increase of $9 million, while operating profit was $71 million for the quarter, a $118 million improvement from the corresponding months in 2008.
The New Zealand Government has prohibited the fitting of both winter and summer tyres to the same vehicle, yet for a man that has campaigned against the cold weather product for two years this ban does not go far enough. Don Graham’s fiancée was killed in 2007 when her car – fitted with winter tyres on the rear wheels – lost traction on a wet road, and he believes that cold weather tyres have no place in New Zealand.
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