Continental Tire the Americas has announced a price increase on all of its replacement market commercial truck tyres, reports Tire Review. The increase of up to 9 per cent impacts Continental, General and AmeriSteel brand commercial truck tyres sold in the US, and will come into effect on 15 February.
A Stoke-on-Trent tyre retailer has been named a winner of Dragons’ Den investor, Deborah Meaden’s Local Business Accelerator competition. The proprietors of For Tyres, Anthony Rogers and Kevin Ecclestone said that the company will benefit from three months’ free advertising and business mentoring following its win in the North Staffordshire region, supported by local newspaper and Tyres & Accessories neighbour, The Sentinel. Nationally over 3,000 entries were received from businesses of more than one but less than three years old.
According to US news website Macon.com, Kumho Tire still intends to go ahead with its plant in Bibb County, Georgia. The site reported on 22 December that a Kumho delegation told local officials that the tyre maker remains committed to building the plant. “It is their expressed intent to build that plant and to build it here,” commented Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority attorney Kevin Brown at a recent meeting. “It’s costing them money not having that plant here. They need this in the United States.”
The Korea Times reported on 6 December that Kumho Asiana chairman Park Sam-koo is planning to relieve a number of company executives from the burden of going to work. The Seoul-based publication quoted an unnamed Kumho source as saying the company is undertaking executive job cuts as part of a restructuring drive that will primarily focus on Kumho Tire and Kumho Industrial.
Media reports in the US indicate it may be third time unlucky for Kumho Tire’s planned factory in Bibb County, Georgia. Macon-based newspaper The Telegraph states work on the US$225 million plant has been placed on hold for a third time, a move that allegedly has prompted local economic development officials to rethink the entire project’s future and mull over the prospect of putting the greenfield factory site back on the market.
Kumho Tyres has announced in increase in its NVQ training programme. Having started in 2009, the programme has created 22 graduates to date while a further 37 tyre technicians from 31 of the company’s nationwide network of ECSTA Performance Centres (EPCs) are currently progressing through the scheme. New expansion plans will encourage retailers from the wider EPC network to become involved, according to Kumho. The scheme is being run in conjunction with Kumho’s national distributor, Micheldever Tyre Services, while the training is being delivered by ReMIT – the UK’s largest motor industry specialist training provider.
Kumho Tire USA has issued the 99th individual tyre price hike in the US and Canada this year, planning to raise prices by up to 8 per cent on its passenger, light truck/SUV and medium truck radials tyres, reports Tire Review.
The F3 Euro Series will announce a new tyre supplier for 2012 as the existing deal with Korean manufacturer Kumho will not be renewed, Autosport.com reports. The website reports that the championship's managing director Walter Mertes says the amicable ending of the supply agreement meant the championship had lost “an always loyal partner”.
Midas stores across the US will soon have access to Kumho brand tyres thanks to a new deal between the service retailer and Kumho Tire USA, reports Tire Review. The new “partnership program” reportedly gives rebates to Midas stores purchasing Kumho tyres, and tyre distributors will get a 1 per cent credit for administering the program.
Kumho has furthered its long standing support for European F3 by extending its sponsorship of the annual Masters of F3 meeting by three years. The agreement was ratified during an official signing ceremony that followed this year’s event at Zandvoort on 13-14 August.
News that Kumho Tire would possibly need to relocate its factory out of Nanjing, in China’s Jiangsu Province, first broke some six weeks ago, and the Chinese officials have now confirmed their decision. Kumho received word from the Nanjing Environmental Protection Bureau on its decision that it, along with 172 other companies in Nanjing, must move elsewhere. Chinese media sources, such as those reported by gasgoo.com, state Kumho’s Nanjing factory has “long since” been marked by the municipal government as one of the city’s “most polluted factories,” although details of offences are not given. Orders to cease production at the plant have already been given.
Kumho Tire has received notification from the Nanjing Environmental Protection Bureau that it must relocate its Gaoxin plant, situated within the city, to a new site. The tyre maker is one of 173 companies to have received relocation instructions. Since the facility was first built in 1994 the surrounding land has become increasingly built up and in July 2011 the bureau identified the plant as a major source of pollution.
Kumho clearly believes the “wake-up calls” of the last two UK winters will drive demand for a wider range of winter tyres in the market, as it has announced it will supply six patterns for the 2011-2012 season through its distributor Micheldever Tyre Services. With another harsh winter on the horizon, Kumho expects demand for cold weather tyres to top the new heights seen in the past two years, listing tyres suitable for fitment on the smallest cars up to light commercial vehicles.
Kumho Tyre Australia has appointed a new motorsport tyre distributor in the state of New South Wales. North Parramatta, Sydney-based Peak Race Tyres is now responsible for handling sales of motorsport tyres to competitors in track-based events around the state. Despite this arrangement, F-SPORT will continue to service major motor sport events around the country.
Continental has announced its latest two original equipment contracts with Mercedes-Benz. The German tyre maker will supply tyres for the CLS saloon and high-end versions of the Mercedes Viano and Vito vans.
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