On July 24 Kumho announced that its three South Korean factories will remained closed until July 26 due to strike action. Unionised employees went on strike earlier that day after talks with management on pay increases and further incentives ended in failure. In a regulatory filing Kumho said that its Gwangju, Gooksung and Pyungtaek plants will resume production on Monday July 27.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced Kumho Tire USA’s recall of 36,292 Mohave A/T light truck all terrain tyres. The recall is restricted to the sizes LT225/75R16, LT245/75R16, and LT265/75R16 produces between December 7, 2008 and June 13, 2009. According to the NHTSA announcement, vehicles fitted with these tyres may experience “difficult” handling performance when operated under loaded conditions or when changing lanes. This condition, the announcement adds, may result in the vehicle swaying, resulting in the possibility of a crash occurring.
Kumho will notify owners and replace the tyres free of charge. A safety recall is anticipated to get under way during July.
Even though construction of the plant is on hold, Kumho Tire USA Inc. has received a multi-million dollar state grant for the project. The OneGeorgia Authority board awarded Kumho with a $3.8 million grant for its planned tire plant in the city of White, Georgia. The funds are for site preparation and infrastructure improvements.
Earlier this year, Kumho announced that it was postponing construction of the planned tyre plant due to concerns over the economy. The company has not stated when work on the facility will restart. The OneGeorgia Authority is funded by the state’s tobacco settlement. (Tire Review/Akron)
Victory in the 19th Masters of Formula 3 race, fought out over the weekend of June 13 and 14, went to Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas. But the race, which returned to its ‘ancestral home’ of Zandvoort in the Netherlands after two years at Zolder, was also a victory of sorts for Kumho Tyres: The manufacturer supplied each and every tyre utilised in the meeting – about one thousand in total – continuing a support of the series that dates back to 2002.
At its Annual General Meeting held in Northampton on 4 June, the Imported Tyre Manufacturers Association elected Steve Tidmarsh as its new President. Tidmarsh is sales director of the Kumho UK organization will serve a two year term of office effective immediately. The Association also re-elected its long-standing treasurer, Alfred Graham (Alfred Graham Ltd) for a further two-year period.
New president, Tidmarsh stated, “Just now all of us in the tyre business face very great challenges, both commercial and technical. Effective trade associations are essential in this environment, especially when faced as we are with a seeming endless raft of new legislation from Brussels. The recently-favoured ITMA European Technical Group is specifically designed to give all our members the edge they need to stay ahead of developments. One of my objectives over the next two years will be to persuade those brands who feel they can still survive without this kind of help that they too should join with us”.
Marshal has reported the introduction of its Matrac MH11 tyre, adding that the new line-up is already available nationwide. The directional tread MH11 is designed for top selling family saloons and hatchbacks such as the Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf and Vauxhall Astra, and is available in a range of sizes from 155/65R13 to 236/60R16 and speed ratings H to V
The MH11 features four wide channels and optimally curved outer tread blocks, which Marshal notes are intended to increase resistance to aquaplaning, and a solid circumferential rib for strong straight line performance. Tyre design was carried out by the company’s European Technical Centre, which is based in Birmingham, UK, a facility it shares with parent company Kumho. Given its local design, Marshal comments that customers can be particularly confident of the tyre’s suitability to Britain’s road surfaces and climate.
June 3 marks the date on which Kumho Tire is opening its first retail tyre centre in North America. The first of Kumho’s “Tires 4U” shops to officially open is located in Beuna Park, California, and will stock a comprehensive range of passenger car, 4×4 and light commercial vehicle tyres plus offer mounting, balancing and alignment services. The new centre is reportedly similar to existing Kumho retail outlets operating in Asia.
Marshal has adopted a new brand identity. Marshal has been produced by Korean manufacturer Kumho Tire for 25 years ago and is sold in many countries around the world, including Australia, Germany, Italy and the UK – its largest single market.
According to a press release detailing the new brand ID, the smart grey and yellow logo will sometimes be used alone and sometimes in conjunction with the familiar red Marshal background. The new ‘signature’ was reportedly designed to better reflect the clean, high-tech image of the brand’s contemporary product range.
Kumho Tires won two “Best Buy” awards in a recent tyre test run by Consumers Digest magazine in the US. Kumho’s Solus KR21 and Ecsta STX were honoured in the Touring Cars and Performance SUV categories respectively. The Consumers Digest evaluation ranged from all-season passenger and performance tyres to those for light trucks and SUVs.
“The Solus KR21 is an outstanding touring tyre and the Ecsta STX is an exceptional performance SUV tyre and all of us at Kumho are excited about the recognition these tyres have received,” said Rick Brennan, Kumho’s vice president, sales and marketing. “Earning Consumers Digest’s ‘Best Buy’ award is a key indicator of Kumho’s pledge to value and performance.”
Bob Phoenix has been named vice president of sales for Kenda USA’s Automotive Tire Division. Phoenix, most recently a regional vice president for Kumho Tire USA, will be responsible for the sales and marketing of Kenda radial passenger and light truck/SUV tyres in the US and Canadian markets. As of 1 May, Kenda will be actively signing distributors/dealers for its lines of passenger and light truck/SUV radials, president Jimmy Yang said. (Tire Review/Akron)
Korean manufacturer Kumho’s US division has been awarded two “Best Buy” recommendations by US magazine Consumers Digest following the publication’s latest round of tyre tests. The Solus KR21, an all-season tyre made primarily for coupes and sedans and the Ecsta STX, a tyre for sports utility vehicle and light truck drivers, were given the gongs in the Touring Cars and Performance SUV categories based on independent test results in addition to technical expert opinion and road-based evaluations.
Rick Brennan, Kumho Tires vice president, sales and marketing stated, “all of us at Kumho are excited about the recognition these tyres have received. Earning Consumers Digest’s “Best Buy” award is a key indicator of Kumho’s pledge to value and performance.” The awards add to the company’s previous success in Europe, where British consumer magazine Which? told its readers that the company’s Solus KH17 represented “Exceptional Value”.
Kumho Tire has announced the appointment of Jong Ho Kim (J.H. Kim) as its new CEO and president. He will be based at the company’s headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. Mr. Kim has held numerous sales and marketing positions since joining Kumho in 1976 including nine years in the USA, initially as general manager, then managing director and finally as the vice president of sales for the company’s American operations. He then assumed the role of executive vice president of sales and marketing for the parent company back in Korea.
The Kumho-shod Skoda Fabia WRC driven by Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner secured victory the 14-stage Larsen Circuit of Ireland Rally by over three-quarters of a minute. Donnelly, who also took top honours at the Galway International Rally in January, Donnelly, is already being tipped to win his fifth Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. Kumho notes that other drivers using its tyres during the April 11-12 event ended high up the ladder, including the fifth-placed Subaru Impreza WRC of Darren Gass/Diarmuid Falvey and the eighth-placed (second in Group N) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 of Rory Byrne/Jeremy Patterson. These last two drivers bear an additional connection to the Korean manufacturer – Byrne is a director of Kumho’s Northern Ireland distributor, Modern Tyre Service, and Patterson is an account manager there.
Kumho has announced that its three tyre plants in South Korea will be closed until Monday 20 April following a sustained period of slowing sales. The measure is designed to keep company inventories under control, according to a press release.
On March 12, Kumho Tires announced the planned launch of its specialist ‘Tire Pro’ retail store in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, a country the South Korean manufacturer identifies as one that is “emerging as a promising market.” The Vietnam launch of Tire Pro follows the opening of branches in Korea and China.
Kumho has already opened tyre manufacturing and rubber processing plants in Vietnam, and the company says it now plans to launch Tire Pro branches in Vietnam and accelerate its efforts to penetrate the Southeast Asian market, in order to strengthen and expand its distribution channels in local markets.
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