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Bridgestone Americas has unveiled its new Americas Technical Center in Akron, Ohio at a grand opening ceremony, Tire Review reports. The $100 million facility, located just down the street from the tyre-maker’s old tech center, houses 450 employees whose jobs are to develop innovative and advanced tyre technologies for the company.
Accuride Corporation has announced plans to expand aluminum wheel production capacity at its Camden, South Carolina plant, Tire Review reports. The company will invest at least $8.7 million to add two machine lines as part of the expansion, which will generate at least 25 new jobs.
Michelin North America has announced that it will construct a new radial OTR tyre plant in Anderson County, South Caroline, and expand its existing OTR plant in nearby Lexington, S.C. The company estimates that the two projects would result in 500 new jobs, and will take an investment of $750 million.
Michelin Group has announced plans to increase its production of economy tyres at the firm’s Tigar Tyres subsidiary in Pirot Serbia by 50 per cent. Currently the tyre manufacturing operation is set to produce 8 million tyres in 2012 but, according to a memorandum of understanding with Serbian authorities and the City of Pirot, the Tigar Tyres which is 300 km southeast of Belgrade, will be producing 12 million tyres annually by the end of 2016. Overall, the project will represent an investment of 170 million euros for the period 2012-2016. This reportedly equates to the creation of 700 jobs in Pirot.
According to Jürgen Gareis, plant manager at alloy wheel manufacturer Borbert’s Thuringia factory in Germany and managing director of Borbert Thüringen GmbH, the company’s cast aluminium wheel plants in Hallenberg-Hesborn and Medebach, both in Germany’s Sauerland region, combine to make up Europe’s largest wheel production complex. Company boss and (with a 76 per cent share) majority shareholder Peter Wilhelm Borbet points out the factories may not qualify for this distinction as they are not under the same roof. But whatever way you look at it, the figures are impressive: In 2012 the major OEM wheel supplier projects an output of four million units from these plants.
Continental Tire the Americas has broken ground on its new consumer tyre plant in Sumter County, South Carolina, reports Tire Review. Governor Nikki Haley and officials from CTA and Continental AG were present as ceremonies took place at the plant site. The plant will produce all lines and sizes of Continental and General brand passenger and light truck/SUV tyres for the North American market, and will primarily build replacement market tyres for at least the first three years of its existence, a Conti official said last October.
Brisa Bridgestone Sabanci Tyre Manufacturing and Trading Inc tyre brand Lassa is presenting its products on a 75m2 stand at the Geneva International Motor Show. Halit Şensoy, director of Lassa International Sales and Marketing says the show “provides an excellent opportunity for us in order to share the technology, design and philosophy behind our brand.” Visitors to Lassa’s stand can see the brand’s range of summer and winter tyres, its new range of ultra high performance and 4×4 tyres and its light truck and van products. Lassa said the main focuses of the stand are the Phenoma, Lassa’s sports tyre, and the Competus H/P, for passenger cars of all sizes.
In January, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed 16-month high figures in car manufacturing, and its February numbers support the view of KPMG automotive partner, John Leech that production will “strengthen in 2012”. Year on year figures show that manufacturing rose 23.5 per cent in February, making the year to date 19.6 per cent above the same two months in 2011. Commercial vehicle output meanwhile fell slightly by 2.7 per cent, down 2.0 per cent over the first two months of the year.
The US House of Representatives has joined the Senate in passing new legislation that would allow the government to impose higher tariffs on goods from state-controlled economies that subsidise exports to the US, reports Tire Review. The journal says the legislation targets the tyre industry in particular, and was drafted and presented in reaction to the December 2011 federal appeals court ruling that the Commerce Department did not have the power to levy so-called punitive countervailing duties, effectively tossing out a series of duties – some as high as 210 per cent – it placed on China-produced OTR and agricultural tyres imported into the US.
FleetMatics GPS has illustrated how its systems have been used to improve the cost efficiency of businesses’ fleets. Growing customer demand led Surrey boiler services company, B&K Boilers Services to employ FleetMatics’ fleet management solutions for commercial fleet vehicles. The company employs 10 registered ‘Gas Safe’ fitters and their management depended on phone calls and check-ins at the office: “As each fitter can complete up to 10 jobs every day, that’s a lot of calls to answer in a week,” said Mr Worthington, B&K Boiler Services Owner. Since fitting the FleetMatics GPS fleet tracking system, Worthington has made scheduling of jobs more efficient, and he can better manage his fitters.
Nissan’s decision to produce its new Invitation model at its Sunderland, UK plant is likely to create 2000 jobs at the company and its suppliers. Production of the Invitation, which is a project totalling around £125 million, is due to start in 2013. Nissan says it will produce 100,000 of the cars a year when manufacturing gets underway.
Parthenium argentatum, or guayule, is a flowering shrub native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, and can be used as an alternative source of latex. It is precisely this quality that has piqued the interest of Cooper Tire & Rubber. The tyre maker has looked into alternative latex sources for a couple of years now and on 29 February it announced having entered into an agreement with Yulex Corporation to jointly evaluate and develop guayule polymers and resins for tyre applications.
Abilene, Texas officials have approved a measure that will provide money to aid the planned expansion of a Bridgestone Americas retread plant in the city, reports Tire Review. The Development Corporation of Abilene approved $315,300 for the Bridgestone Bandag plant, which will be paid over three years to expand facilities, creating 11 new full-time jobs. The plant employs 130 full-time workers.
HiQ is aiming to “reassure customers that they are receiving the best technical and professional service,” according to fast fit manager, Stuart Carr, and to that end it is encouraging its technicians to complete Automotive Technician Accreditation training. Now two of its technicians at the Berwick upon Tweed and Blyth franchises have completed the Level 3 ATA Diagnostic assessment – the first in the network to achieve this level, regulated by the Institute of Motor Industry. Paul Dugid of HiQ Berwick upon Tweed and John Parker of HiQ Blyth are now registered as diagnostic technicians through the programme.
90 days after they were locked out of their jobs, workers at the Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Findlay, Ohio, have reached a second tentative contract with the tyre-maker, Tire Review reports. The agreement, which will be put to a ratification vote this weekend, was reached late on 23 February. The two sides had returned to the bargaining table on 20 February and have held lengthy sessions on each day since.
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