Franchised car dealers across the UK have responded to the downturn in the economy by freezing pay scales, according to the rts Auto Retail Industry Salary Survey 2009. The survey reports that 25 per cent of franchised dealer respondents did not increase basic pay for their staff between 2007 and 2008. More than that, it seems that dealers have been taking advantage of the industry’s high staff turnover rates to actually reduce pay rates for new recruits.
Pawan Kumar Ruia claims he has no intention of closing down Dunlop operations in India. Before activities can resume at the company’s Sahaganj factory, however, he wants the West Bengal government to arrange sales tax exemption and an agreement with employees assuring an increase in productivity. Production stopped at the factory on November 17.
Vredestein has voiced support for the UK government’s campaign to reduce child road deaths and by introducing a simple yet practical road safety initiative targeted – to begin with – at four schools in the UK. The programme will provide seven and nine years olds with luminous arm straps to help enhance visibility on their way to and from school during winter months.
The situation at Dunlop India’s closed Sahagunj factory, reported this week on Tyrepress.com, looks to be at a standstill. India’s Financial Express is reporting that the two major trade unions at the factory – Citu and Intuc – have decided not to sign a bipartite agreement with the plant’s management. Both unions, it is reported, want the Indian government to be included in a three-party meeting.
The paper quotes Dipanker Roy, Dunlop Workers’ Union (Citu) general secretary, who said that he would be communicating with the country’s labour minister, adding that, “We have been to the [Dunlop factory] office to discuss the management’s proposal, but no one from the decision-making body was present.” Workers remain at home with the offer of a 2,000-rupee monthly grant from the company’s management, which followed the suspension of production.
Asian based tyre manufacturers and producers of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) believe regional prices for the commodity can fall even further beyond the 40 per cent experienced in November. While spot prices to China for non-oil grade 1502 dropped to around US$1,500 to $1,600 a tonne in mid November, market sources speculate the going price could reach as low as $1,100 to $1,200 a tonne by the year’s end.
Goodyear’s global headquarters project will receive US$2 million in funding from the state of Ohio, the state’s government revealed on November 13. The grant is part of a $46 million ”Job Ready Sites” programme funding available through the Ohio Department of Development. The funding is intended to help with utilities and transportation infrastructure at commercial sites throughout the state.
According to the Ohio state government, the grant will go towards the construction of a new headquarters building and research and development centre for Goodyear Tire & Rubber in Akron. The headquarters is part of a $900 million redevelopment plan.
Grouptyre’s Joanne Frowen is celebrating after scooping a prestigious award in recognition of her commitment to self-development. Frowen is an MOT tester with Grouptyre member King David Tyres and has won the Modern Apprenticeship Learner Award for Wales 2008. She received her award from Dennis Gunning, director of skills, higher education and lifelong learning group in the Welsh Assembly Government, at Cardiff City Hall on Thursday 23 October.
Although she originally trained to be an accountant, 22-year old Frowen gave up her course after a year to follow her dream of becoming a mechanic. She joined King David Tyres two and a half years ago and is currently working in Tredegar during the redevelopment of the company’s Neath facility, where she is usually based.
The number of rogue drivers on Britain’s roads has dropped significantly, the results of a joint police and Government operation, released by the Department for Transport, indicate. Compared with a similar operation in 2006, fewer motorists were found to be driving without a valid licence, insurance or MOT. Operation V79, carried out by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and its Scottish counterpart ACPOS in partnership with the Department for Transport, showed that:
* The level of unlicensed drivers stopped fell by half over two years – to 0.8 per cent from 1.6 per cent in 2006
* The level of uninsured drivers stopped fell to 1.2 per cent from 1.9 per cent in 2006
* The level of vehicles stopped which required but were without a current MOT fell to 1.5 per cent from 4.2 per cent in 2006
* The level of drivers stopped without valid vehicle tax fell to 1 per cent from 2 per cent in 2006
* The level of drivers committing a serious offence, such as no insurance, or driving whilst disqualified, fell to 3.4 per cent from 7.5 per cent in 2006 while the number committing any of the offences looked for – which included failing to notify change of vehicle ownership, illegal vehicle number plates – fell to 11.1 per cent from 21 per cent in 2006.
About 240 workers at the Michelin North America tyre factory in Ardmore, Oklahoma will be laid off for around two months, starting mid-November. According to Michelin public relations manager Lynn Mann, the work force reduction is a temporary measure, one brought about due to the country’s economic downturn and a weaker demand for passenger car and light truck tyres.
According to one US newspaper, Cooper Tire & Rubber is expected to announce by January 19 which of its four US factories faces closure. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports that the unionised Findlay and Texarkana, and the non-union Albany and Tupelo plants have been, or are to be, visited by Cooper officials, with information packages on each facility to be delivered to the company by December 1.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered the Virgin Islands government and other parties to clean up an illegal tyre dump on St. Thomas.
Some 870,000 tyres were illegally dumped near a landfill, the EPA said, determining that the Virgin Islands government, the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority, A-9 Trucking Enterprise, and a private landowner handled tires in a manner that left them vulnerable to catching fire or providing ideal breeding grounds disease-carrying mosquitoes. EPA ordered the dump cleaned up and that the tyres be either recycled or disposed of properly. (Tire Review/Akron)
West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service has taken advantage of the pan-government tyre framework agreement available to all public sector organisations (PSOs) across the UK by appointing Michelin and ATS Euromaster as its sole tyre and tyre service supplier. Set-up by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), this tyre sourcing initiative enables West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service to benefit from significant efficiencies as a result of combined volumes, additional leverage and collaborative working between central government departments and wider public bodies nationwide.
Mike Walker, Fleet Controller for West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, says: “We’ve always fitted Michelin tyres to the fleet, but appointed ATS Euromaster as part of a strategic move to further improve the service standards we receive and to deliver best value. Since ATS Euromaster took over responsibility for supporting our fleet we have seen our average monthly tyre expenditure drop by approximately 20 per cent.
Congress passed sweeping legislation to strengthen intellectual property protections for American businesses. The Pro-IP Act increases civil and criminal laws against counterfeiting and piracy, and establishes permanent programs in which the U.S. government works with industry and foreign governments to fight global piracy.
“Lawmakers have taken an important step in helping combat the scourge of counterfeiting,” said Chris Kersting, SEMA’s president and CEO. “Our industry is all about innovation, technology, and quality. Counterfeiters rob our companies of those valuable assets. This provides the U.S. government with new tools and resources to fight intellectual property thieves.” Automotive components, tyres and accessories have long been a target for illegal counterfeiting, SEMA pointed out.
The Korea Times reports that four Hankook Tire employees have been named victims of a chemical used at a company facility between 1999 and 2003. In an article titled ‘Hankook Tire Cornered’, the South Korean English-language daily says that the government’s acknowledgement, according to lawmakers, shows a “possible relation between the solvent HV-250, a non-benzene compound, and the workers’ health.”
One of the victims is said to have contracted peripheral neuropathy after he was exposed to the solvent, stated the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency on October 13. The agency said another 48 year-old worker’s acute leukemia seems to have also been caused by his 20 years of being exposed to a solvent the company previously used. This particular substance formerly contained benzene.
Advanced ID Corporation, the parent company of tyre management RFID specialists Pneu-Logic, is predicting it will record a 400 per cent increase in fourth quarter revenues following the acquisition of Shenzhen DDCT Technology Co. The company earlier announced that DDCT has developed RFID readers and modules that are capturing major tenders and orders in their respective RFID sectors. Several contracts have already been negotiated and are seen as the key reason for the predicted growth.
Dan Finch, president and CEO, said: “We are more than pleased with DDCT as our new acquisition. Working with Cherry Lim, our country manager and Mr. Siyou Su, chairman of DDCT, we have received confirmation of projects that will start before the end of 2008. We have funded the infrastructure for our new location in Shenzhen and are completing production and manufacturing on those projects as we speak.” Mr. Su commented in an earlier press release on his projections for 2009 of US$12 Million and is very confident that this will be not only achieved but surpassed for the China market alone.”
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