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NZ Government to Test Safety of Winter Tyres

Winter tyres are to be subjected to official testing in New Zealand following numerous allegations that they have contributed to fatal accidents. The tyres will be jointly tested by the New Zealand Police serious crash unit and Land Transport New Zealand (LTNZ), the government body responsible for vehicle and driver standards.

Coroners’ reports into several fatal accidents have called into question the suitability of winter tyres, known as snow tyres in New Zealand, for highway driving conditions. Various reports have referred to the tyres as a “matter which required urgent consideration” and products that “did not appear to be suitable for routine highway driving.”

19th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Studded Tyre Ban to be Extended in Iceland

The Reykjavík City Environmental Health and Protection Committee has suggested that studded tyres should be banned for a longer period in winter. Studded tyres are used for driving in snow and, according to an Iceland Review report, are “known to cause air pollution.” Currently, studded tyre usage is permitted in winter from 31 October to 15 April across Iceland. The suggestion is that two weeks could be added to the off season in Autumn and Spring. Despite the fact that there is usually snow in Reykjavík that other areas, there are now plans to regionalise the legislation. Iceland Review quoted government sources as saying that studded tyres are hardly needed in Reykjavík thanks to regularly salting and gritting.

12th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Telecom Italia chairman quits in row with Pirelli shareholder

Telecom Italia SpA chairman Guido Rossi has resigned from his post following a prolonged falling out Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera. Vice chairman Carlo Buora will take on Rossi’s operational responsibilities.

On April 6 Rossi told Italian media that Tronchetti Provera asked him to take over as chairman last September as he wanted Rossi to get him out of an awkward position. Italy’s government was questioning Tronchetti Provera’s decisions regarding alliances and selling parts of the company, and according to Rossi, Tronchetti’s position “seemed unrecoverable.” However, Rossi claims that when he tried to clear up the conflicts of interest that existed between Tronchetti and Telecom Italia, the two men entered on a collision course.

10th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Power Anywhere, Anytime

As sole UK and European suppliers of 12/24v dc air compressors, Absolute Air Solutions are proud to be associated with the XD3000 compressor, which they intend to exhibit at Brityrex for the first time.

Featuring Presolite motors and state of the art control electronics, the XD3000 is capable of delivering shop performance on the road and is designed for extended duty cycles. With a compact design it can be easily mounted in a wide range of locations, providing power where it’s needed most. The XD3000 is competitively priced, and as it has no petrol engine, filters, spark plugs or carburettors to maintain the costs are greatly reduced.

As the XD3000 emits no harmful exhaust emissions and creates low levels of noise pollutions, it is fully compliant with new government legislation. The compressor’s lubrication system virtually eliminates outside contaminants and oil emissions.

3rd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin to Increase China Investment – Update

As previously reported, a government official in China has released information indicating Michelin intends to spend US$300 million expanding its tyre production facilities in China. The company has signed a memorandum with officials from the Liaonong (northeast China) provincial government related to new truck and passenger car tyre projects.

When the two projects are implemented, the company’s existing base in Shenyang, the capital city of Liaoning, will become the world’s largest tyre production base, producing 12 billion tyres per year.

Michelin has already invested US$150 in its Shenyang plant, and the additional $300 million will be used to fund two new projects, which will cover a floor area of 300,000 square metres.

2nd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin to Spend US$300 million in China

Michelin is reportedly preparing to spend US$300 million expanding its tyre production facilities in China. The French tyremaker has signed agreements with officials from the Liaonong (northeast China) provincial government related to new truck and passenger car tyre projects.

When the two projects are implemented, the company’s existing base in Shenyang, the capital city of Liaoning, will become the world’s largest tyre production base.

30th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Company Takes Legal Action to Release TREAD Act Data

Quality Control Systems Corp. has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in federal District Court to obtain secret data about deaths and injuries held by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). R.A. Whitfield, the company’s director, said that the public needs access to the Early Warning Reports collected under the Transportation Recall Enhancement Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act to better understand why so many deaths and injuries related to tire failures in the Ford Explorer have continued long after the well-known tyre recalls that affected the vehicle.

The TREAD Act was passed in October 2000 in response to Ford Explorer- Firestone tyre-related rollover deaths in the U.S. and Ford’s overseas recalls. TREAD amended federal transportation law to require vehicle and equipment manufacturers to report safety recalls or campaigns on vehicles and components in a foreign country if they also sold substantially similar products in the U.S. It also mandated NHTSA to create regulations governing quarterly Early Warning Reports — information on property damage and warranty claims, consumer, dealer and field reports, production numbers and deaths and injuries collected by manufacturers — with the intent of using the data to spot defect trends.

28th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Chinese Rubber Association Seeks Lower Import Tax

On 22 March the China Rubber Industry Association proposed a cut in import taxes for natural rubber and a build-up in strategic reserves as a way of protecting the sector from price swings. Chairman Ju Hongzhen told Reuters it wanted import tariffs below 12 per cent as higher rubber prices were squeezing margins at tyre makers. Importers of natural rubber now have to pay either a 20 per cent import tax or a flat tax of 2,600 yuan a tonne.

23rd March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

New Proposed Tyre Waste Laws for Ireland

Manufacturers, wholesalers and any other business that supplies tyres to the market in the Republic of Ireland will become responsible for the ultimate fate of the tyres they sell at the end of their working life if new regulations currently under review are approved. On March 14 Ireland’s Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government released a draft paper outlining an initiative intended to track the flow of waste tyres back to their source.

The draft regulations are the result of discussions the Department has held with the tyre industry via the Irish Tyre Industry Association (ITIA). The proposed new system of tracing tyres is to be known as TRACS, and it will follow the movement of waste tyres from the time they are discarded until they either reused or processed for recycling or other uses.

22nd March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Russian Tyre Committee to Convene in April

The first sitting of a Russian government subcommittee focusing upon the development of the nation’s tyre sector will be held April 6. The deputy director general of Sibur-Russian Tyres, Igor Karavaev will be acting in the capacity of subcommittee chairman.

As previously reported in Tyres & Accessories, the subcommittee’s emphasis will be centred consolidating the efforts of Russian based tyremakers in order for them to participate effectively in the development of legislation and to provide equal competitive opportunities for tyremakers operating in Russia’s automotive market.

21st March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

CTO Investigates Tyres

Botwana’s Central Transport Organisation (CTO) is investigating suggestions that some governmental departments bought retreads from Spain thinking they were new tyres. The CTO says it has information to confirm that the tyres in question are not retreads.

However, Botswana’s national press agency (BOPA) has released a confusing report on the subject. “The word retread was used to conform to the European Environmental Standards meaning that the tyre is recyclable,” CTO general manager, Lt. Colonel Moakofhi Modisanyane is quoted as saying in response to a BOPA enquiry.

16th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

NTDA Supports Drive Smarter Campaign

The NTDA has pledged its support to the government’s most recent effort to reduce CO2 emissions. The Drive Smarter campaign will encourage motorists to check their tyre pressures, amongst other things.

Commenting on the Drive Smarter Campaign NTDA Chairman John Tarbox said today: “We are fully supportive of any initiative to reduce CO2 emissions and especially drawing motorists attention to their tyres – all our research shows that motorists do not check their tyres as often as they should.

16th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Govt Urges Motorists to Check Tyre Pressure

The UK government has introduced a campaign encouraging motorists to reduce CO2 emissions through adhering to a number of simple principles, including regularly checking tyre pressure. The ‘Drive Smarter’ campaign, promoted by the Department for Transport, began on March 11 and states that CO2 emissions could be reduced by 8 per cent if all drivers in the UK followed the campaign’s smarter driving tips – this equals 5.5 million tonnes of CO2 a year, or more than £2billion in fuel costs.

12th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

BFS Renegotiating Plantation Agreement in Liberia

The Liberian government is currently in discussions with Bridgestone Firestone to renegotiate the concession contract for the tyremaker’s operation of the world’s largest natural rubber plantation.

7th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

A Taxing Issue

(Akron/Tyre Review – Ottawa Sun) Even a fresh set of tyres couldn’t help Steven Patzer steer clear of the taxman. The Ottawa-area engineer learned just how far the reach of federal tax collectors can extend recently when he bought a set of used tyres on eBay. The Houston, Tex., seller warned Patzer that shipping the tyres directly to Canada’s capital would run him $160 US on tyres that cost him only $225 US. Instead, Patzer had his Michelins sent to Watertown, N.Y., which is a 90-minute drive from his Kanata home, for almost half the cost.

6th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors