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Ruia Group to Build 4 Billion Rupee Assam Plant

The Ruia Group of Kolkata, India has revealed plans to local news sources that they are to build a new tyre plant on a Greenfield site near the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport in Guwahati. The site is currently being prepared for industrial development by local government and Ruia looks set to invest heavily, with four billion rupees earmarked for the project in the next year and a half.

The company expects the facility to open with a production capacity of 50 tonnes per day initially. Ruia hopes to double that figure over time.

17th July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Wal-Mart Program Gets TRIB Support

TRIB said it will be an exhibitor at Wal-Mart’s first Sustainable Solutions Showcase, to be held in conjunction with the retailer’s annual Sustainability Milestone Meeting in Bentonville, Ark., on Oct. 7.

The Sustainability Milestone Meeting is expected to attract some 1,500 Wal-Mart buyers, construction managers, environmental sustainability associates, suppliers and government officials.

“Based on the increased interest in environmentally friendly products we consider this an outstanding opportunity to showcase retreads and distribute information about the environmental benefits offered by the retread industry to Wal-Mart and other trucking fleets in both the private and public sectors,” said Harvey Brodsky, TRIB’s managing director. (Tire Review/Akron)

15th July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Firestone Delivers Notice of Planned Factory Closure

Notification of the planned closure of a US Firestone factory producing automotive and industrial air springs was given to union representatives in June 27. The Firestone Industrial Products Company (FSIP) delivered a “Notice of Potential Plant Closure” for its Noblesville, Indiana facility to representatives of the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW). In the notice, the company stated that the air springs market is increasingly global, making it difficult for FSIP to compete. Although no final decision has been made, the company advised the USW of the possible closure of the facility due to the losses being incurred at the Noblesville plant.

30th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Triangle to go Public

Shandong Triangle Tire Co. Ltd is to hold an initial public share offering, marking the final step in its move away from Chinese government (specifically the government of Weihai, Shandong province) ownership. This could potentially result in new funds to hire staff and build the Triangle brand. However, it also means ending its state-owned ties with Weihai town hall, and therefore the benefits that came with that.

Triangle holds roughly 1 per cent global market share, but it also has five serious domestic competitors, 20 medium-sized rivals and another 300 or so small ones. Despite this, Triangle’s passenger car tyre sales are said to be growing by more than 20 per cent a year, compared with a global market average of 6 per cent annually. In addition, Triangle’s construction, farming and mining vehicle division is reportedly doubling production this year.

27th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

RPG Investing in CEAT, Philips Carbon Black

India’s RPG group recently outlined plans to invest Rs 30 billion (£357 million) in its tyre and carbon black subsidiaries over the next two years. In late May company chairman Rama Prasad Goenka told media that this investment was part of the group’s expansion programme, and that from the disclosed total, Rs 20 billion would be directed towards the Ceat Tyres operation and Rs 10 billion to Philips Carbon Black.

The investment was necessary if the company was to remain competitive following the government’s liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation policies, he said. The group was, he added, aiming to increase productivity, quality and facilities to workers by the expansion.

12th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

US Military Acknowledges Michelin Quality & Delivery Performance

The United States military, through its Defense Supply Center Richmond (DSCR) operation, awarded Michelin Aircraft Tire Co. a Best Value Medal Award at an honours dinner held on June 3. The bestowal of this award, says Michelin, is acknowledgement of the company as one of the US government’s best suppliers. Brett Carnes, director of North American military sales for Michelin Aircraft Tires, accepted the silver medal on behalf of Michelin from the commander of the supply centre, U.S Air Force Brigadier General Andrew E. Busch.

The U.S. military’s Best Value Medal, explains Michelin, is awarded to vendors that have demonstrated exceptional quality and delivery performance as measured by what is called the ‘Automated Best Value System’ (ABVS). The ABVS is a computerised system that collects a vendor’s past performance data and translates it into a numeric score ranging from zero to a perfect 100. Michelin scored 99.4 on this 100 point scale.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

ATMA Issues Anti-Dumping Plea

Indian news sources have reported that the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) have requested a government-implemented anti-dumping duty on radial truck and bus tyre imports. The request follows concerns over the 1,300 per cent increase in Indian tyre imports from China in the last five years.

According to business commentary in India, the increasing cost of raw materials in India has left domestic tyre manufacturers exposed to the challenge from cheaper Chinese imports.

4th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli to Start Russian Tyre Plant Negotiations

Pirelli & C. SpA and has signed a letter of intent to begin negotiations for the construction of a car, light truck and heavy truck tyre plant in Russia. The letter was sent to the Russian State Corporation for Assistance to Development, Production and Export of Advanced Technology Industrial Product (also known as Russian Technologies). The new facility will also produce steel cord tyre reinforcements and automotive filters.

Russian Technologies and Pirelli have agreed on an exclusivity period for the negotiation of the final agreements, until 30 September 2008. Upon its establishment, the two partners would jointly control the Joint Venture, while Pirelli would be responsible for the development of the business strategy and running operations of the Joint Venture, which would be carried out under the Pirelli brand name.

4th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Right to Repair Group Calls for Sector Specific Regulations to Remain

The UK Right to Repair Campaign (UK R2RC) has welcomed a statement from the European Commission that its evaluation of the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation’ of 2002 does not prejudge any decision on the future of that legislation. However, UK R2RC also said that parts of the Commission’s proposals would add uncertainty, and penalise the independent aftermarket by making it harder to remedy incidences of market abuse. The independent aftermarket, the organisation added, needs simple and sector-specific legislation.

Jim Mazza, Chairman of UK R2RC, said “though the tone of the report is softer than expected, it still understates the benefits to consumers and the independent aftermarket alike of having a single piece of legislation regulating the availability of service and repair information and the supply of replacement parts.

2nd June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Chinese CV Tyre Imports Continue Unabated in India

The Indian government’s July 2007 anti-dumping legislation is having little effect on the numbers of Chinese truck and bus tyres being brought into the subcontinent. Instead increased numbers of Chinese-produced radials are being imported into India. According to a Hindu Business Line report, there has been no reduction in the share of Chinese tyres in this part of the domestic replacement market; and the price differential between Indian products remains in the range of 10-30 per cent. Imports of commercial vehicles tyres have reportedly skyrocketed in the last five years, with the Chinese tyres making up 91 per cent of the overall tyres tyre imports, according to ATMA figures tracking the market between September 2007 and March 2008.

27th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

MRF Initials Greenfield Memorandum

Confirming news first reported in December 2007, on May 2 India’s MRF Ltd initialled a memorandum of understanding with the government of the state of Tamil Nadu for establishing a greenfield facility. This new factory, at Perambulur, will be the tyremaker’s third in the state. The memorandum was signed by company chairman and managing director K.M. Mammen and M.F. Farooqui, Tamil Nadu secretary to government for the Industries Department.

6th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Kwik-Fit Fleet Encourages Participation in Road Risk Survey

Britain’s largest independent fast-fit operator, Kwik-Fit Fleet, is participating in a major occupational road risk management survey in conjunction with RoadSafe, the organisation responsible for managing the Government’s ‘Driving for Better Business’ programme. The survey was officially launched at the Fleet Business Show at the Business Design Centre, London on April 29. The survey’s aim is to gain information on what actions senior managers with responsibility for fleet operations and the use of privately-owned cars on business have taken to reduce their organisations’ risk exposure in the light of the implementation of the month’s Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act in early April.

Mike Wise, head of Kwik-Fit Fleet, said: “The importance of companies managing occupational road risk has continued to increase in recent years. As a business we undertake hundreds of thousands of safety checks on vehicles and often find that cars and vans are not in tip-top condition. A failure by companies and their employees to ensure a vehicle’s safety-related equipment is in a first-class condition could be the difference between life and death.

30th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Canada Fined for Worker Injury

Goodyear Canada was fined CA$55,000 on April 11 after pleading guilty in connection with a workplace injury that occurred in 2006. Justice Katrina Mulligan heard in the Ontario Court of Justice that the injured employee was working at Goodyear’s Bowmanville facility on November 8, 2006, when the incident occurred. The employee was working on a machine making conveyor belts when he walked into the path of an electronic beam guard that stops the machine’s operation. However, the electronic beam guard failed to prevent the machine from being restarted by an automatic start button. The worker pressed the button and the worker’s arm was drawn into the machine at a pinch point and broken.

17th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Workers Strike at Kiyan Tire, Iran

Workers have been on strike at Kiyan Tire Factory, Iran, since Thursday 10 April. As workers ended their third day of strike, on Saturday 12 April, they burned tyres on highway between Tehran and Islamshahr. According to anti-government news reports, striking workers have not been paid “in the last few months” and some since last autumn.

14th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Final Approval for Goodyear Retirement Fund Not Reached

Goodyear employees, union representatives and the tyre major will have to wait longer for a final settlement to issues relating to their 2006 strike action. US District Court Judge John R. Adams stated on April 11 that he needed more and better information on the long-term viability of the Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association (VEBA), which was set up by the United Steelworkers and Goodyear as part of negotiations regarding the 85-day strike.

The US$1 billion plus independent healthcare trust is intended to pay benefits to approximately 30,000 USW member retired Goodyear employees, and Adams gave preliminary approval to the trust in December. Goodyear said it will pay $1 billion into the trust, after which it will no longer be responsible for retiree healthcare benefits. The tyre major expects to save $110 million a year and remove $1.2 billion in liabilities from its books through the VEBA’s creation.

14th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors