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CITEXPO Filling Fast

The 6th CITEXPO will be again held at Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition Center September 17-19, with nearly 300 exhibitors showcasing their latest products and technology including radial tyres, bias tyres, wheels/rims, tyre maintenance equipments, retread materials and equipments, tyre production material and equipment and other related products.

According to the organiser of CITEXPO, Reliable International Exhibition Services Co., the two original exhibition halls have already been fully occupied by new and rebooking exhibitors at this early stage. In order to fulfill the overwhelming demand by the exhibitors, a new hall has been opened for accommodating more exhibitors and their products.

30th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Heuver Continues Spectacular Growth

Established in 1966 by Mans Heuver, Heuver Bandengroothandel has expanded from a small business (for which Mr. Heuver personally made tyre deliveries on his motorcycle) into a global organisation with a wholesale business for industry clients and a number of outlets – the Profile Tyrecenters – for both business and retail customers. Today the Netherlands based business is run by Mr. Heuver senior’s two sons, Bertus and Jan, and the growth continues.

To facilitate an expanding business base, two years ago the company opened a new 12,000 square metre facility in its hometown of Hardenberg. Now, reports Bertus Heuver, the company is looking at the need to build another 12,000 square metre premises. “Since we completed the new buildings in 2006, we’ve seen that the choices we make today enable us to accelerate our expansion plans,” he said. “In other words, we’re ahead of our goals. At the end of this year, we’ll be taking the next step in our development strategy and doubling our warehouse inventory.”

27th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Advanced ID Opens Asian Office

RFID-maker Advanced ID Corporation has gained approval for the incorporation of a subsidiary in Hong Kong, Advanced ID Asia Pacific Company Limited. The decision took effect on 20 June 2008, meaning Advanced ID has already opened its offices in Hong Kong led by its newly appointed managing director Cherry Lim.

Lim, 42, has spent her entire career working with companies that have innovative technology applications. With positions as chief executive officer and other executive management roles, she has concentrated in the fields of information technology, wireless technologies and integrated circuits. A Hong Kong native fluent in three dialects of Chinese and English, Lim was educated in the United States and received a Bachelors of Science from the University of South Florida, which was followed by an Executive MBA received from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

27th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Travelling the Road to Off-Road Success

In the last decade or so the off-road tyre market has seen a name appear, seemingly out of nowhere, and grow to become a significant player in many markets, particularly in Europe. That name is BKT, or Balkrishna Tyres. The Indian company, flagship business of the large Siyaram Poddar Group, has only been producing tyres for two decades and exporting them for little more than one decade. Yet in a short span of time – between the 2000/01 and 2007/08 financial years, BKT’s annual sales have rocketed from US$8 million to more than $250 million. These are results many competitors can only dream of, but the company still holds even greater ambitions.

“Our vision is to obtain global leadership in off highway tyre solutions,” stated Arvind Poddar – vice chairman and managing director, Siyaram Poddar Group, at the Reifen Essen Exhibition. “I’m sure we will make it possible in the shortest possible time.” To achieve this, explains Mr. Poddar, the company has set itself the goal of maintaining its current growth rate of 30 to 35 per cent. This means sales of $325 million in financial year 2008/09.

25th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Prices Continue to Rise in Developing Economies

Next month will see the rapid upward trend of tyre prices in eastern nations continue, as manufacturers and dealers in the United Arab Emirates have agreed to a uniform rise of six per cent across the board.

Head of the Bridgestone Tyre Centre in Dubai, Abdul Hayee, told journalists that the price increase – to be implemented on 1 July – has been necessitated by raw material costs spiralling upwards, a statement confirmed by Babu Karunanandan of Abu Dhabi Tyres. He added that “the UAE is a place where automobiles are an integral part of life and motorists have no other option but to accept the revised prices.

Meanwhile, in India tyre companies are plumping for another hike only two months after the last increase in May. JK Tyre has told domestic journalists that it plans a growth in prices of around six per cent in August, further to the two increases of 2.5 per cent each in January and June. In addition Apollo Tyres have already raised prices by five per cent in the current month.

24th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Gori: Pirelli Must Expand in China, Russia & Brazil

Pirelli Tyre must consolidate its presence in mature markets and expand in high-growth areas such as China, Russia and Brazil, stated CEO Francesco Gori in an interview with Italian newspaper Milanzo Finanza. When asked why he did not include India as a focus country, Gori said sales in this market are impacted by the absence of a modern highway network: “India is not yet at the level of Brazil, China, and Russia.”

Mr. Gori said raw material prices have risen more than expected and that in such difficult market conditions, meeting targets is a challenge. He added that a listing of Pirelli Tyre is not on the agenda, and will not be considered in the near future.

20th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

PCL Inflating Its Market Presence in 2008

Sheffield based PCL Air Technology brought a wide range of its products to Reifen 2008, including its latest nitrogen inflation unit, the Accura Mobile. “It was introduced into the US last year,” commented company director and divisional general manager Simon Shorter. “Nitrogen inflation has become a big market there and the Accura Mobile is proving successful. Now it is also available in the UK.”

The Accura Mobile is a compact and robustly designed nitrogen inflation cart that can be operated either with a standard bottle or direct from a nitrogen generator. It permits operators to present the pressure for a standard inflation top up, or an N2 function for a purge and fill cycle. The unit can inflate up to six tyres simultaneously, and four hoses are supplied as standard. Power for the Accura Mobile comes via a rechargeable NiMH battery, and the unit can also operate directly from mains power.

18th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Second Round of Indian Price Hikes Proposed

Another hike in India’s tyre prices looks likely, in hot pursuit of last week’s initial 2-5 per cent increase (as reported on 6 June). News Sources report that the hike will be at the increased rate of 5-7 per cent, and will apply to all ranges, with rubber and crude oil prices maintaining record highs.

Speaking to journalists, AS Mehta, the marketing director for JK Tyres and Industries, commented on the export of India’s rubber, suggesting that the 20 per cent duty on imported rubber be cut to compensate for the lack of available domestic product.

16th 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

India’s Tyre Output Growth Falls Short of Forecasts

Growth in India’s tyre production is likely to fall short of forecast results, with output levels hampered by dumped Chinese tyres and high manufacturing costs. According to Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA) director general Rajiv Budhraja, in an interview with Reuters, these factors mean domestic manufacturers will remain under pressure in the short term.

The ATMA previously forecasted growth in 2008 to increase by 2 to 3 percentage points to about 12 or 13 per cent. According to Budhraja, however, “a steady, subdued growth” is now expected in place of this. “Fuel price is going to be a major dampener,” he added, referring to a recent state-ordained 10 per cent increase in the cost of fuel, the greatest price rise in more than a decade. He added that a drop in mileage covered by private vehicles would lead to a fall in demand for tyres in both the OE and replacement markets.

11th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Tyres Appoints Chief of Research & Technology

Peter Becker, former senior manager at Goodyear Dunlop Germany, has been appointed Chief, Research and Technology at Apollo Tyres Ltd. He has formally joined the company this month and will be leading Apollo Tyres’ initiatives in tyre technology, research and new product development, especially with regard to European market needs. Mr Becker will be based in Germany, where he will be responsible for establishing an R&D facility for Apollo Tyres. He will be working with Apollo’s research, technology and design teams across geographical locations in India, South Africa and Europe. The company has previously announced plans for a 200 million euro passenger car radial tyre manufacturing facility in Hungary.

According to a company statement, the appointment forms part of Apollo Tyres Ltd’s ongoing plans for the European market. Peter Becker commented: “I am excited by this opportunity and impressed by the possibilities the future holds with Apollo Tyres. I am positive that we will be able to bring out competitive products which address customer needs.”

11th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Sino-Indian Trade Increase Leads to Tyre Plant Possibility

Spurred on by the sharp increase in trade between China and India, Chinese Consul General in Kolkata Mao Siwei has told news sources about the attractiveness of a joint venture to set up a tyre plant in West Bengal.

Trade between the countries has reached $38.7 billion in 2007, representing a rapid increase from the 1999 figure of $2 billion, leaving Siwei keen to continue the development with collaborative manufacturing ventures.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, the Consul General suggested that the Bengalese tyre unit would be a joint venture between a China-based and a Dubai-based company.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

India Facility to Boost Alliance Tire Agri, OTR Capacity

Alliance Tire, the Israel based company purchased in July 2007 by former BKT CEO Yogesh Mahansaria and global private equity company Warburg Pincus, has plans to construct a £50 million greenfield facility in India. The factory will focus on the production of agricultural and smaller size OTR tyres, and is tipped to double the company’s total production capacity. Manufacture at the plant is anticipated to commence in the first quarter of 2009.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

India Now 3rd Largest Market for Budget Chinese Tyres

Data released by India’s Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) adds weight to complaints from Indian tyre manufacturers about the quantities of budget tyres arriving from China. According to the ATMA, since 2002-03 India has jumped from being the 39th largest market for Chinese tyres to being the third, and the organisation predicts it will slip into top place in the near future.

India’s Business Standard newspaper reports that during April-February 2008 Indian imports from China, at 1.2 million units, had almost doubled compared with the same period a year earlier. Chinese tyres hold a 15 per cent of the RS 78 billion (£927 million) replacement tyre market for trucks.

9th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Indian Tyremakers Raise Prices with Rubber Soaring

Tyre manufacturers in India are responding to the sustained, near-record input cost of rubber by raising product prices.

Having already raised prices on truck tyres by 2 per cent on 1 June, Ceat Ltd plans to raise prices on other tyres by between 2 and 5 per cent on 10 June. Natural rubber costs are blamed for the hikes, having risen 31 per cent this year. Other companies to have raised prices in recent months include MRF Ltd and Apollo Tyres. In addition, AS Mehta, Marketing Director for JK Tyre told news agencies that the company is considering a further increase in June, following a cross-segment hike in April.

6th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors