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Bridgestone Reports Steadily Increasing Motorcycle Tyre Sales

For many years, Bridgestone has dedicated a major research and development programme to the production of motorcycle tyres. Today, the company’s range meets the needs of very different customer sectors, from top-class professional racers to sports enthusiasts, long-distance tourists and everyday commuters. And this R&D is paying dividends; Bridgestone reports a steady increase in the sale of its motorcycle and scooter tyres. In particular, significant gains have been made in the sport/touring radial segment, where Bridgestone Europe (BSEU) has a current market share of more than 30 per cent.

12th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Alcoa Closing its Final Cast Aluminium Wheel Factory

Alcoa has announced it will completely withdraw from the passenger car cast aluminium wheel business, instead focusing its efforts in this segment upon forged aluminium wheels. This completes a trend begun some four years ago; of the four cast aluminium wheel factories operated by Alcoa, three have already been taken out of service.

7th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Angels and Dragons

At last October’s Intermot show in Cologne, Germany, Pirelli displayed a prototype of a new tyre that was, to say the least, eye-catching. Called the Angel ST, the resplendent tyre at the exhibition was shown off complete with a unique tread design featuring angel or devil patterns. At the time, Pirelli product manager Federico Bodini explained that the tyre maker had utilised angels and demons in the tread pattern as “it translates how the consumer wants to use their motorcycle.”

7th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

TRIB Welcomes Nine New Members

A number of companies from around the globe have joined the ranks of the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB). The newest members are Akar Makina Sanayi Ltd (Turkey), Marangoni Tread (Italy), Salvadori S.R.L. (Italy), Tire Lyna (Canada), Consolidated Tires, Inc, (USA), Sun Rubber Industry Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), Tony Pneus S.R.L. (Italy), Phoenix Tire (USA) and Santarosa Holdings (USA).

5th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Outlines Cost of Italy Restructuring Plans

Michelin has disclosed that the cost attached to the restructuring plans for its Italian operations, which it announced on October 28, will amount to approximately 80 million euros. The company states this sum includes project severance and plant and equipment depreciation costs as well as those in connection with the ending of tyre production at its Stura facility at the end of 2009 and an employment revitalisation programme for the surrounding Turin region.

These non-recurring charges, adds Michelin, will be fully allocated to Michelin Group accounts for the 2008 fiscal year.

16th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Tronchetti Provera – Car Market Not Yet Rock Bottom

According to Marco Tronchetti Provera, the car market has yet to reach rock bottom. The Pirelli chairman was quoted by Reuters has saying that consumers would most likely wait several months to see if government measures to revive slowing economies proved successful before they considered making a larger purchases, such as a new car.

28th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Innovations and Motorsports

Correggio, Italy-based Corghi are no strangers to innovation and adaptability. From building the world’s first fully-automated tyre changer – 2001’s Artiglio Master – the company has also specialised in a “Blue Light” vision system, which allows the engineer to interact with the wheel, balancing it from a touch screen monitor. The company also specialises in motorsport, supplying exclusively Ferrari workshops and the official tyre changer for the World Rally Championship (Artiglio 50).

Founded in 1954 by brothers Remo and Erminio, Corghi has strived to be at the forefront of its sector, especially from 1960 – the year in which the two Corghi brothers invented and patented the world’s first tyre changer. Corghi continued its development in this field, arriving at a position of leadership in the market for specialised tyre equipment. Now the firm boasts a wide range of products including automatic tyre changers, wheel balancers, wheel aligners, lifts, testing lines and applications for diagnostics, as well as many other products in the sphere of workshop equipment.

26th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Launches 2009 Calendar

On the evening of November 20 the 2009 edition of the Pirelli Calendar – one of only a few objects in this world that can be described as iconic without fear of a visit from the ‘cliché police’ – was unveiled at its world premiere in Berlin. The ‘Cal’ has been a cult object for more than forty years among connoisseurs of photography, beauty and cultural evolution, and the setting for the 2009 edition is the landscape of Botswana, where famed photographer Peter Beard spent ten days immortalising seven internationally renowned models. Beard, who lived in Kenya for thirty years, has developed a reputation as one of the world’s greatest interpreters of the mystery and charm of Africa.

21st November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama HPT Continues MK Dons Sponsorship

The UK distributor for Yokohama and Advan high-performance tyres, Yokohama HPT Ltd (YHPT) has continued its relationship with local soccer team, MK Dons for the 2008/9 season. Last season was the first for the partnership between Yokohama and the MK Dons, which YHPT saw as a valuable opportunity to support its local community. And it turned out to be an inspired decision; the team was promoted to League 1 of the Football League and in addition, claimed the coveted Johnstone’s Paint Trophy by the end of the season.

In addition, Yokohama HPT was proud to see the Japanese company’s logos displayed around the 31,000-seat stadium throughout the season, as well as enjoying the opportunity to support the team in person, along with a selection of guests and VIPs.

17th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli – Russian Technologies JV Agreement Signed in Moscow

On November 6 Pirelli & C. SpA and Russian Technologies State Corporation signed an agreement formalising a joint venture between the two companies. Although details of the JV are still to be finalised, Pirelli reports that the production of tyres in Russia will begin before the end of 2010.

7th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin to Reorganise Italy Operations

On October 28 Michelin announced its plan to make operations in Italy more competitive. More than 200 million euros will be invested between now and 2013 to upgrade the company’s production facilities in the country, in order to make them more productive and specialised.

Production capacity will be significantly increased in Cuneo; following this expansion the Michelin plant will be the largest premium passenger car tyre production facility in Europe. Car tyre production will end at the company’s Stura workshop in Turin at the end of 2009. Semi-finished products will continue to be manufactured there, however, and the site’s logistics centre will operate following the transfer of the Vercelli warehouse.

28th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

European Pirelli Star Drivers Chosen

Following two demanding days of rally action, the European winners of the Pirelli Star Driver have been named. Challenges faced by the 18 candidates included a series of interviews with the judging panel and a demonstration of practical skills on six driving stages, and based on their performance Finland’s Jarkko Nikara and the Czech Republic’s Martin Semerad were selected to represent the region.

27th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pan-European Pirelli Star Driver Selection This Weekend

Pirelli reports that everything is now ready in Freistadt, close to the Austrian city of Linz, for the pan-European Pirelli Star Driver selection process. This will decide who gets two of the five Group N or Super 2000 cars available for six European rounds of the World Rally Championship next year (in the Portugal, Italy, Greece, Finland, Spain and Great Britain WRC events).

A panel of experts will have the responsibility of selecting the drivers who will go through. These people are Walter Rohrl and Michele Mouton (both former stars of the World Rally Championship), David Evans (journalist), Mario Isola (Pirelli’s rally manager), Joao Passos (rally organiser) and Kevin Morris (team manager, Tommi Makinen Racing).

24th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Star Driver for Asia-Pacific Region Selected

New Zealander Mark Tapper has been selected to represent the Asia-Pacific Region in the Pirelli Star Driver scheme. The 27 year-old from Auckland, along with co-driver Jeff Cress, beat nine other contenders in the selection process, which took place over two rallies in New Zealand and Malaysia.

Tapper is the second driver to be named from the five who will benefit from the initiative, organised jointly by Pirelli and the FIA, to give young drivers a foot in the door of the FIA World Rally Championship. The Pirelli Star Driver programme will give five young talents (one each from Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific regions, plus two from Europe) the chance to compete in six WRC events in a Group N or S2000 car prepared and run by a top team. The drivers who earn a place on the Pirelli Star Driver scheme next year will get a chance to show what they can do in Portugal, Italy, Greece, Finland, Spain and Great Britain.

17th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Strategic Partnership Beneficial to Both Marangoni & Fedi Gomme

Italy’s Fedi Gomme Srl, a provider of total tyre outsourcing for large transport fleets, has established a strategic partnership with the Marangoni Group. This partnership, says Marangoni, will allow Fedi Gomme to expand its business abroad and Marangoni to create a replicable model for the benefit of its customers.

The transport and logistics business is evolving, and an increasing number of companies are now finding it significantly more convenient to outsource the management of their tyres to specialist companies. Fedi Gomme, as one such service provider, has as customers some of the main players in the Italian logistics and road transport industry.

15th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors