Japan Archives - Page 26 of 57 - Tyrepress

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Diesel, fleet purchases support April car registrations figures

The April UK new car market fell by 7.4 per cent to 137,746 units, according to the latest figures issued by the SMMT. However, the market was 1.5 per cent ahead of forecast and said to be “on par with the 2010 market” if take the scrappage volumes out of consideration. Year-to-date, registrations over the first four months of 2011 were down 8.5 per cent to 696,082 units, leaving the SMMT’s full-year forecast unchanged at 1.93 million units.

Despite the tough market conditions, fleet demand reportedly remains robust, up 6.5 per cent in April, while diesel volumes also recorded strong growth. Diesel cars represented 52.7 per cent of the total market in April and have shown year-on-year growth in every month of 2011. The VW Golf was the best selling diesel in April. Alternatively fuelled car registrations rose by 48.1 per cent in April.

6th May 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Bikers Club riding for Japan

Motorcyclists looking to combine a day out with helping a good cause may be interested in an event organised by the Bridgestone Biker’s Club. Scheduled for Sunday June 5, the biker meet will start from Wheelhouse Tyres in Birmingham; money raised will used to help victims of Japan’s recent earthquake and tsunami.

4th May 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama reports Japan disaster relief activities

Giving an update on its assistance to relief efforts following the Japan earthquake and tsunami, Yokohama Rubber reports that as of April 28 Yokohama group companies and their employees had donated a total of approximately 88,500,000 yen (US$1,100,000) to the relief effort. That total includes donations of 61,700,000 yen ($760,000) by Yokohama group companies and their employees in Japan, including a 50,000,000 yen ($610,000) corporate donation by the parent company, and 26,800,000 yen ($330,000) by group companies and their employees in other nations. The companies and employees made their contributions mainly through the Red Cross societies in their nations.

2nd May 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Nankang employees contribute to Japan disaster aid

Taiwan based tyre maker Nankang Rubber Tire Corp. reports its management and employees raised two million yen (£15,000) for the Japan Red Cross in order to aid victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami. “After the March 11 earthquake hit, our eyes, hearts and browser windows have been trained on Japan,” Nankang commented in a press statement. “As one of global citizens, we just do our responsibility to express our deepest condolences to the suffered people.”

27th April 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone to provide asymmetric rear slicks at Portugal MotoGP

The Portuguese Grand Prix represents the third round of the MotoGP season this year, with the event moved to 1 May from its usual October slot following heavy rain in 2010’s GP. With clear skies, Bridgetsone will be able to make use of its asymmetric rear slick tyres, which have been selected because of the imbalanced demands of the circuit. There are nine right-handed corners and only four lefts, and generally the right-handers are faster and generate higher loads, resulting in markedly higher tyre temperatures in the right shoulders of the tyres, especially the rears, as director of Motorsport Tyre Development Hirohide Hamashima explained.

26th April 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama to share China strategy during Auto Shanghai

At the upcoming Auto Shanghai 2011, which runs from April 19 to 28, Yokohama Rubber will hold a press conference outlining its business strategy for China. One part of its plans for the growing market there is the release of the BluEarth eco tyre range; following its recent launch in Japan and Europe, Yokohama Rubber intends to release the line-up in China this autumn. Yokohama says it will use the show to improve recognition of BluEarth within China. During Auto Shanghai the Japanese tyre maker will also publicly announce its activities in collaboration with the China Environmental Protection Foundation.

13th April 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone summarises earthquake relief efforts

In addition to the 300 million yen in donations and aid Bridgestone Corporation pledged on March 14 to help victims of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami, the company reports that its subsidiaries have donated a further 77 million yen (£563,000). Specifically, Bridgestone Europe and Bridgestone Americas have each donated 250,000 euros. On top of this, the tyre maker has donated more than 11 million yen (£80,000) to assist relief efforts following the earthquake in the New Zealand city of Christchurch on February 22. From this, the parent company donated 5 million yen to the New Zealand Red Cross, while Bridgestone Australia and Bridgestone New Zealand donated NZ$100,000 (£47,500) to the same organisation.

6th April 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

NR Evans extend Bridgestone tyre supply agreement

Bridgestone UK Ltd has announced that it has extended its tyre supply agreement with NR Evans, based at Cross Hands. NR Evans Distribution is one of the biggest temperature controlled distribution companies in the UK, operating over 300 commercial vehicles and trailers from eight depots across the UK. They deliver over £500 million of chilled products every year.

4th April 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone readies MotoGP compounds for “technical” Jerez circuit

The Jerez circuit is the next to grace the MotoGP calendar, as Bridgestone moves to Spain after the season-opener in Qatar. Located near the southern Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera, the Grand Prix is a classic event on the MotoGP calendar with huge crowds making the most of the Spanish sun to support their national heroes. It is also, in the words of Hirohide Hamashima – director, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development – “a technical circuit with a mix of fast and slow corners. It is a good test circuit because of the diversity of the corner layout and this means that we require a tyre with a very balanced character to provide good handling from low speed to high and from flat corners to changes in elevation.”

29th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo president visits earthquake affected factories

During a visit to Japan’s Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures, Toyo Tire & Rubber’s president and CEO Kenji Nakakura personally presented an aid donation from the company to Yoshihiro Murai, governor of Miyagi Prefecture, and to the Prefectural Government Office in Fukushima. In total, Toyo has donated 150 million yen (£1.1 million) to assist with relief efforts.

29th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Trelleborg raises prices 9%

Trelleborg Wheel Systems has announced a further price hike on agricultural, forestry tyres and wheels effective April 2011. The latest price increase of 9 per cent covers both the European and North American market places. “Booming raw material prices, especially for natural rubber,” were cited as the reasons for the price increase.

28th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Production resumed at all Japanese Bridgestone plants

Tyre production at Bridgestone’s Nasu factory in Tochigi Prefecture got underway on March 25, two weeks after the earthquake in Japan. Output at the plant, which holds the capacity to product 2,600 tons of passenger car, motorcycle tyres and other tyres per month, will increase gradually as electricity restrictions are lifted and “other issues” resolved. The Nasu plant’s return to production means that all Bridgestone factories in Japan affected by the earthquake are now back in production.

28th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Two more Yokohama plants obtain ISO 14001 certification

Certification according to ISO 14001 has been granted to two Yokohama Rubber group companies; Suzhou Yokohama Tire Co., Ltd., a tyre production and sales company in China; and Yokohama Tyre Vietnam Inc., a tyre production and sales company in Vietnam. This certification is in line with Yokohama Rubber’s ‘Grand Design 100’ medium-term management plan: With ISO 14001 at the heart of business operations, domestic and overseas group companies endeavour to maintain uniform-quality, high-level environmental management, and all production sites have been working to acquire ISO 14001 certification,” the company reported in a statement. At present a total of 15 production bases – ten factories and five Yokohama Rubber Group companies – have achieved ISO 14001 status in Japan, while the two abovementioned companies bring the total number of Yokohama production sites to reach this level to 13.

28th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre shipments restart at Toyo’s Sendai plant

A further step towards normality was achieved at Toyo Tire & Rubber’s Sendai factory in Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture yesterday with the resumption of limited shipments of tyres from the plant a day after production was restarted. Toyo reiterates that production and deliveries will continue to be “on a restricted basis” for the time being due to the limited availability of electricity, fuel and raw materials, and the disruptions from the still-recovering transportation system. Production at Sendai will continue to rise, Toyo assures its customers, and will return to the correct level “at the earliest possible date.”

25th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Delticom announces “exceptionally strong” 2010 results

On March 23, Delticom reported another “extremely successful year.” The online tyre retailer says its fiscal revenues increased 34.8 per cent year-on-year in 2010 to 419.6 million euros, while EBIT rose 60.1 per cent to 47.1 million euros. Furthermore, the company’s 11.2 per cent EBIT margin reveals further growth in profitability. Whole year revenues for Delticom’s E-Commerce division increased 36.2 per cent year-on-year to 403.7 million euros, while Wholesale division revenues grew 7.6 per cent to 15.9 million euros. Other operating income increased 33.3 per cent in 2010 in line with revenues to 5.8 million euros.

23rd March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors