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S.D. International Made New ITMA Member

S.D. International, the company behind the Pace and Zeta brands, has been accepted into membership of the Imported Tyre Manufacturers’ Association. The manufacturer’s membership means that the association now comprises twelve members: Alliance, Alfred Graham Ltd., GiTi, Hankook, Kumho, Lassa, Maxxis, S.D.International, Toyo, Westlake and Yokohama.

Peter Nicholls, S.D. International’s Sales & Marketing Director explained his company’s decision to join ITMA: “We are rapidly becoming a significant player in the UK and European markets, so have been considering this move for some time. We want to play our part in the industry as well as better protect our interests in the face of the current legislative and regulatory onslaught. ITMA membership fulfils that need.”

17th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Announces US “Tames the Road” Rebate

Hankook Tire America has launched a $50 consumer rebate programme. Its latest “Tame the Road” promotion provides a $50 mail-in rebate for the purchase of four Ventus V12 evo radials. The rebate programme runs until 31 August, Hankook said, and will be promoted in enthusiast magazines, online search adverts and dealer-level POS and TV/radio spots.

“Hankook is listening to the needs of our dealers and consumers alike,” said Bill Bainbridge, director of brand communications for Hankook. “We understand that in today’s challenging economic environment Hankook dealers are looking for a competitive edge and consumers are looking for the most value with their purchase. With this rebate offer we believe we’re accomplishing both.” (Tire Review/Akron)

17th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Tire Continues University Robotics Project

This year Hankook Tire is again supporting the Technical University of Kaiserlautern’s Robotics Research Lab. The lab, under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Karsten Berns, has devoted itself to the development of working, autonomous un-manned robots that can be implemented, for example, by emergency services in crisis situations. In 2009 the German university’s ‘RAVON’ robot – fitted with Hankook tyres – is taking part in the ELROB (European Land-Robot Trial – Civil Version), held between June 15 and 18 in Oulu, Finnland. The purpose of the event, held every two years, is to demonstrate the current European state of the art in unmanned vehicles and the possibilities this offers.

16th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Extends Audi OE into Europe

Hankook sends word that in future the Audi A3, A3 Sportback and A3 Cabrio will roll off the assembly line fitted with Hankook tyres. The South Korean manufacturer’s Ventus S1 evo range have been selected as original equipment, and will be supplied for the A3 models is size 225/45 ZR 17.

This newly finalised original equipment agreement extends the partnership between Audi and Hankook Tire to the European market. Hankook has been equipping various Audi models for the Chinese market since 2008, however this is the first time Hankook’s tyres have been directly to the vehicle manufacturer’s main plant in Germany, the Audi works in the Bavarian city of Ingolstadt.

4th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook to Race in 5 IRC Rounds

Hankook is stepping up its rally activities with plans to contest five rounds of the IRC this year ahead of a full championship assault in 2010. Hankook has joined forces with MSD to run the Opel Corsa OPC Super 2000 on five rounds of the IRC starting with Belgium Ypres Rally in June before tackling rounds in the Czech Republic, Spain, San Remo and Scotland.

Driving the Opel Corsa will be 33 year old Alex Bengue who has already tested the car with Hankook tyres. Bengue will also be supported this year by French oil company Yacco which has been a long term supporter of Bengue in France and at WRC level.

29th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Volkswagen 1st European OEM Supplied by Hankook Hungary

Volkswagen has become the recipient of Hankook’s first-ever OE delivery to a European vehicle manufacturer from its Dunaujvaros factory. The supply of Hungarian produced tyres to Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge in Hanover, Germany is taking place under an agreement to fit the Hankook product as original equipment on Volkswagen’s Transporter, Caravelle, Multivan and California van models.

Europe’s largest automobile manufacturer is kitting out the fifth generation of its “T5” van family with the size 215/65 R16C version of Hankook’s new Radial RA 28. Hankook describes the tyre to be fitted as a “specially balanced tyre perfectly suited to the variety of uses of such vehicles”, and notes it is exclusively supplied to Volkswagen in Germany.

8th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook CEO ‘Looking Forward’ to What Lies Ahead

Hankook Tire reports that effective cost management and initial signs of a reviving market have helped it recover from negative territory in the previous financial quarter to post sales of KRW 1.1346 trillion (£599.7 million) in the first quarter of 2009. This result, 13.8 per cent up on a year earlier, is supplemented by operating profits of KRT 35.3 billion (£18.6 million), despite the market remaining, in Hankook’s words, a “challenging” one.

During the first quarter exports from Korea rose 7.3 per cent year-on-year, with export demand showing a 19.9 per cent increase to North America and 8.9 per cent to Europe from a year earlier. The company also states that its Hungarian plant, the main production facility for the European market, has seen a “significant” 24.7 per cent growth in sales from the final quarter of 2008 and an 87.0 per cent increase from a year earlier.

5th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Canada Has New Home

Hankook Tire Canada has a new home. The company moved into a new headquarters building and primary warehouse in January, shifting from its former home in Mississauga, Ontario, to a 120,000-square-foot facility in nearby Brampton, Ontario.

The new facility will continue to service tyre dealers in Ontario, using independent distributors to handle dealers in other parts of the country. (Tire Review/Akron)

23rd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Covers Europe With the BBC

Hankook Tire is set to arrive in millions of homes across Europe courtesy of a new advertisement to be screened by BBC World News. The 20-second commercial, produced by the BBC Worldwide Client Solutions, focuses on Hankook’s enfren and Optimo 4S tyres, the first of which is due for its European launch next year.

The new campaign will run on BBC World News’ European feed from April to December 2009 in conjunction with Hankook’s global TV clip. “It’s great to welcome Hankook Tire as a first-time advertiser on BBC World News, and we hope that it will be the first of many campaigns they choose to broadcast on the channel,” commented John Williams, regional director Global Advertising Sales, BBC World News.

21st April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

GfK to Analyse Key Asian Tyre Markets

International News

GfK Asia is planning to expand its market research coverage to include tyre reports in China, Korea and Malaysia, followed by Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand at a later stage. The Korean market information is scheduled to be processed first with Malaysia following after that. In the first instance the reports will specifically focus on the tyre market with a view to exploring engine oil and other spare parts markets in the future.

GfK Korea, a subsidiary of GfK Asia, is to record data from 4400 shops across five regions (Seoul, Inchon, Kyunggi, Kyungbuk, Kyungnam). Meanwhile GfK Malaysia’s survey analyses the sales of the 17,800 spare parts shops, garages and tyre specialists that serve the pool of more than 12 million motorcycles, passenger and commercial vehicles. GfK Malaysia will launch its first passenger car tyre retail tracking report in June 2009 and the company hopes to expand both studies as the reports gain momentum.

16th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Tire Gets Volkswagen OE in North America

This month Hankook Tire began supplying Volkswagen’ Jetta, Jetta SportWagen and New Beetle cars manufactured at Volkswagen’s Puebla, Mexico plant and destined for North America with Optimo H725A tyres. Hankook already has fitments on Volkswagen cars in other global markets, but this development represents a significant increase in VW fitments on Volkswagens to be sold in Canada and the US, where the Jetta is the highest selling VW model vehicle.

“We are extremely excited to supply the Optimo for Volkswagen Jetta, Jetta SportWagen and New Beetle exports to the U.S. and Canadian markets. By leveraging our Kontrol Technology in the development of UHP products, Hankook Tire is able to tailor its products to current environmental sustainability standards, and this in turn allows Hankook Tire to deliver quality products to our consumers,” said Seung Hwa Suh, CEO, Hankook Tire, adding: “After working closely with Volkswagen as an OE supplier in other world markets, we have created excellent relationships, and we look forward to earning even more fitments on VW vehicles to be sold in the US and Canada.”

16th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Scottish Rally Championship 2009 Gets off to ‘Gripping Start’

Organisers of the Hankook Scottish Rally Championship are celebrating a successful start to the season with registrations reportedly running well ahead of 2008. Despite the tough economic conditions and falling registrations elsewhere in the UK, the series continues to attract some of the country’s top rally teams. With two rounds now complete, the championship has already attracted over 200 registrations, almost 10 per cent up on the same time last year and calls to the organisers suggest this number could climb still higher as the series heads to Aberdeen for the Granite City Rally in April.

The series, which is sponsored by Hankook, is proving increasingly popular with junior drivers, and competitors outside Scotland who have been attracted by the package being offered by the SRC as well as to Scottish crews. Launched in Glasgow last year by Scottish rally legend Jimmy McRae, the series includes eight classic rallies from February to October, throughout the length and breadth of Scotland.

15th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Becomes Elite Northampton Saints Sponsor

Hankook has strengthened its links Northampton Saints Rugby Club by joining its group of elite sponsors. Hankook has had a visible presence at the team’s Franklin’s Gardens ground since January, when it became one of the stadium’s biggest advertisers. However, the tyre manufacturer has since decided to increase its commitment to the club and this new deal will see Hankook’s logo appear on all the Saints’ playing shirts for the next three years.

Hankook’s UK headquarters are in Daventry, Northamptonshire where the company now employs more than 50 people on these premises. It also has more than 1,000 retail locations throughout the UK.

9th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hungarian Manufacturers Scale Back Production

Tyre manufacturers in Hungary are reducing production due to a drop in demand, reports the business daily Világgazdaság. Hankook Tyre’s facility in Dunaújváros is operating at about 90 per cent capacity in the first half of the year, managing director Lee Sang Il informed the paper. The plant’s 1,200 workers will turn out about 5 million tyres in 2009. In 2008, the plant produced 4 million tyres, though it did not reach capacity until October. Hankook is also delaying the completion of an expansion at the facility until 2011. The first phase of the project, which will cost a total of 500 million euros, is already more than 60 per cent completed. When the capacity expansion is completed, the plant will raise staff numbers to over 1,500.

23rd March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook MLB Campaign Debuts at World Baseball Classic

Hankook will kick off its 2009 consumer broadcast advertising campaign, scoring brand impressions during the 2009 World Baseball Classic, which is expected to reach more than 11.4 million viewers in the United States alone. Hankook’s virtual home plate signage will appear in half inning rotations during 33 televised games during the international competition as broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2, MLB Network, ESPN Deportes and internationally on ESPN Star Network. Hankook TV commercials will be broadcast during the 16 tournament games on the new MLB Network as well as on all 39 ESPN Star broadcasts in Asia. Hankook will also have unique 3D signage at L.A. Dodger stadium during the WBC Finals games airing on ESPN and ESPN Deportes March 21-23.

“With the upcoming start of the 2009 Major League Baseball season, we saw a natural fit with the WBC broadcasts as the interest in this unique international competition continues to grow.” said Bill Bainbridge, director of brand communications for Hankook Tire America Corp. “Through our virtual signage and commercials during the WBC games, we are able to utilize a unique global platform to effectively present the Hankook brand to millions of baseball enthusiasts.” (Tire Review/Akron)

10th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors