In Bahrain, Abdulla Yousif Fakhro & Sons (AYF) has invested $1 million in a newly built warehouse and storage centre for Dunlop tyres. The facility, in Ma’ameer, has been operational since the start of the month, and the modern design of the building assists ventilation to help in keeping the tyres cool, which is crucial as high temperatures have a negative impact on the life of tyres.
In the UK, two Unions are today balloting Pirelli workers at plants in Carlisle and Burton-on-Trent about possible industrial action, following the rejection of a 2.2 per cent pay offer. The largest Union is the Transport and General Workers, which has 900 members at Pirelli, while the second Union is Amicus, with 200 members. A T&G spokesman described the plants as “highly profitable for Pirelli”, adding: “The plants need support and investment, not a squeeze on pay.”
(Akron/Tire Review) Continental AG is working with German air-freight specialists Dietrich-Honold Logistik and Honold Logistik Group has started the construction of a tyre distribution centre near Timisoara, Romania. The centre is planned to service Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Amtel-Vredestein N.V. has won the 2006 “Rus Prix Award” in the category “Best investment project in The Netherlands by a Russian Company.” The Award ceremony was staged in The Hague, 10 June.
The floatation of Pirelli & C. SpA’s tyre unit could raise as much as 1 billion euros two inside sources told Bloomberg. According to the report Pirelli is seeking to take advantage of increasing profit at Pirelli Tyre SpA and plans to sell as much as 40 per cent of the division in the IPO. The shares are scheduled to go on sale during the week beginning 12 June said the sources.
Michelin and Barrington Wind Energy Ltd. of Halifax, Nova Scotia are set to announce a contract for the supply of power, produced by wind turbines, for the tyre manufacturer’s three tyre plants in Nova Scotia. Michelin will be Barrington’s main customer for the proposed $25 million project, with eight to 10 turbines to be built on public and private land near Canso and operating in 2008.
The May issue T&A features a preview of Europe’s leading tyre exhibition, Reifen Essen. Whether you are an exhibitor or are simply interesting in attending make sure you make the most of the opportunity that this feature provides. For exhibitors this section provides a unique opportunity to maximise the value of your investment, while visitors will value the opportunity to see what is ahead and plan their visit to the show accordingly.
Goodyear Dunlop has announced the appointment of two new Regional Managers to further strengthen their service provider TruckForce.
A major investment has been made in Goodyear Dunlop’s new truck tyre service provider network for the road transport industry. TruckForce focuses on the commercial vehicle and bus market with planned, preventative tyre maintenance and on-site service with each region having a central TruckForce hub with a network of satellite service points and stock holding locations supporting these.
It seems that the announcement by Kumho that it is to spend US$155 million on building a factory at Binh Duong in Vietnam (30th April) is only part of the whole story.
This week sees the return of Goodyear on TV for the second successive year in the UK. Once again the campaign focuses on Goodyear’s firsts in innovation – from the first tyre on the moon, up to the present day RunOnFlat concept – the TV campaign allows Goodyear to reach millions of UK households with a clear brand message, focused on a clearly defined target consumer.
(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin North America (MNA) plans to spend some $26 million on improvements to its Greenville, South Carolina, passenger and light truck/SUV tyre plant. The capital program will boost capacity there by 20 per cent, said MNA.
Viking International recently appointed Claire Deane as divisional call centre manager covering the South. Deane will be working alongside Don McIntyre, divisional call centre manager for the North, both based at a central call centre in Liverpool. Claire Deane’s experience in customer service began after university when she initially worked in the hospitality industry before going onto work for Sitel, an international provider of outsourced customer interaction services, in January 2002.
Employees at Kwik-Fit Fleet’s St Albans headquarters raised more than £2,000 for BEN, the Motor and Allied Trades Benevolent Fund.
Kwik-Fit Group is currently in the process of refurbishing and modernising its 669 UK centres and the redeveloping its Fleet Service Call Centre. As a result, all of Kwik-Fit Fleet’s sales managers have new laptop computers, while office-based staff have new desktop computers. The computers had seen out their useful life in the business and rather than scrap them, staff agreed to make a donation to BEN.
Troika Dialog, the oldest investment bank in Russia, has rated Amtel-Vredestein stock as “hold,” with a fair value of $11.06. According to the bank, the company “appears to have the means to deliver significant income growth in 2006.” However, Troika analysts also state their concern that “corporate governance practices, a tendency to grow debt and sudden swings in capital expenditure are holding back its valuation.”
Amtel-Vredestein NV (AV), a pan-European tyre manufacturer with operating facilities in Russia and the Netherlands, today announced that its chief financial officer, Victor Nekrasov, will leave the company to join a leading international investment bank.
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