Kumho’s new tyre manufacturing plant in Vietnam’s Binh Duong province was inaugurated on March 5, reports the Vietnam Economic Times. Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung and South Korea’s Ambassador to Vietnam, Lim Hong-che, were present at the ceremony, during which a memorandum of understanding regarding investing a further US$300 million in stage two of the facility was signed.
Dave Hudrlik has left Kumho Tire USA to become president of Caravan Canopy International Inc., based in La Mirada, California. Hudrlik, who was with Kumho for 14 years, most recently as senior vice president of sales, will lead Caravan Canopy with focus on its efforts to expand in the automotive aftermarket. Caravan Canopy produces quick assembly portable canopies.
Kumho has not named a replacement for Hudrlik. (Tire Review/Akron)
Kumho has entered into an agreement with Daimler AG to provide tyres for OE fitment to the new Mercedes-Benz Viano X-Clusive, the German manufacturer’s luxury MPV first displayed at last October’s Tokyo motor show and scheduled for release in March.
The new vehicle will be supplied with 18-inch alloy wheels as standard, and the agreement with Kumho will see around 10,000 tyres delivered. The Viano X-Clusive is the second Mercedes-Benz model to be supplied by the South Korean manufacturer – its tyres have also been fitted as OE to the A-Class since February 2007.
Kumho’s long awaited breakthrough in the area of civil aviation arrived on February 19. That day Kumho Tires CEO Dr Sae Chul Oh visited the US Embassy in Singapore and, on behalf of the South Korean manufacturer, signed a Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) between South Korea and the US. With the signing of this document, the door has been opened for Kumho to supply tyres to civil aircraft that operate in the United States.
Kumho Tyres raised funds for the Association of Air Ambulance Charities (AAAC) throughout 2007, and at this year’s Autosport International show in Birmingham presented AAAC chairman David Philpott with a cheque for £4,650. Now, as a further gesture of support, the tyremaker will sponsor the first ever AAAC annual conference, to be held on 10th and 11th November 2008.
Speaking on behalf of the charities, Mr. Philpott said “We are thrilled to be associated with Kumho Tyres, a world class brand that shares our association’s commitment to excellence and quality. We look forward to an ongoing partnership in months to come.” Kumho Tyre (UK) marketing director John Thrupp added that “Kumho Tyres is delighted to support the AAAC and the vital service its members provide to us all in the UK, and to motorists in particular.”
Kumho Tyres was ready to steal a march on its competitors by producing a special 18-inch Rally Raid tyre in time for the cancelled 2008 Lisbon-Dakar Rally. The tyre will now see action in similar events in the future and, according to the manufacturer, no other tyre manufacturer produces a comparable tyre in this size.
The monster tyre with its enormous tread blocks is designed for optimum pace and durability over the sand and rock conditions that tend to prevail on events like the fearsome Lisbon-Dakar Rally. It employs the ultra-tough synthetic fibre ‘aramid’ (short for aromatic polyamide) in its construction for optimum weight and strength.
Mazda’s motor racing support operation in North America, Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development, has announced Yokohama Tire as a new partner for the B-K Motorsports Lola B07/46-Mazda MZR-R LMP2 team as of 2008. The multi-year partnership is, according to Mazdaspeed, more than just a sponsorship arrangement, with Yokohama acting as a key contributor to the team’s overall programme in terms of technical and marketing collaboration. The announcement of Yokohama’s partnership was made simultaneously to a similar agreement with BP.
In ceremonies yesterday, Kumho Tire Co. formally signed an agreement to build a US$225 million tyre manufacturing facility on a 127-acre site in Sofkee Industrial Park in Macon, Georgia. Attending the signing ceremony were Sae Chul Oh, Kumho’s CEO and president; Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue; Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development; Macon Mayor Robert Reichert; and Charlie Bishop, chairman of the Bibb County Board of Commissioners.
The first phase of the greenfield plant, said Kumho, will cost $165 million with an annual production capacity of 2.1 million passenger and light truck/SUV tyres, destined for both OE and replacement markets in North America. The second phase will cost $60 million and will raise annual capacity to 3.1 million tyres. The 5.5 million-square-foot plant will feature Kumho’s automated APU manufacturing system, and will eventually employ 450 people.
The president and chief executive of Kumho, Oh Sae-cheul, has described plans for his company’s $165 million factory in the US state of Georgia as being part of Kumho’s efforts to become a global tyre manufacturing leader. The signing ceremony for the new 123.6 acre facility took place on January 29, and was attended by Mr. Oh and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
“With this plant in the United States, the world’s biggest tyre market, we want to save shipping costs to that market and to emerge as a global leader,” said Mr. Oh to South Korea’s JoongAng Daily newspaper. The establishment of a facility in the US marks Kumho’s first step out of Asia in terms of production; currently the company operates three facilities in China and one in Vietnam in addition to its three South Korean factories.
Hankook Tire claims it was, in terms of sales, the world’s fastest growing tyre manufacturer in 2007. The company’s sales for last year are estimated at US$3.5 billion, representing a year-on-year growth of 20.6 per cent. This contrasts markedly with Hankook’s nearest rival in terms of sales, Sumitomo Rubber, whose $3.6 billion in sales was down 5.3 per cent on last year’s $3.8 billion. Korean rival Kumho experienced a year-on-year growth of 15.8 per cent, making them the fourth fastest growing company according to the figures published by US magazine Modern Tire Dealer.
Kumho has announced it will invest US$165 in the first stage plans for a new facility in the US state of Georgia. Proposed total investment in the factory, which will have an annual capacity of 2.1 million units, has not as yet been disclosed.
Kumho Tire USA Inc. announced that D.H. Ham has been named CEO of the company, in addition to his present role as president. J.H. Kim, who had been CEO for about a year, was reassigned by Kumho Tire Co. to a post with Kumho Asiana.
Rick Brennan, who had been director of brand marketing for Kumho, was promoted to vice president of marketing, and will report directly to Ham.
Mike Leverington, who had been in charge of Kumho’s marketing efforts, was named director of dealer programs.
James Rees was promoted to senior regional sales manager, and was also named Kumho’s salesman of the year. (Tire Review/Akron)
South Korea’s two leading tyre manufacturers have each entered into original equipment agreements with international manufacturers. The larger of the two deals has been signed by Kumho, who has agreed to supply 400,000 tyres to Chrysler for the company’s Dodge Journey SUV. The value of the agreement has not been disclosed.
The deal signed by Hankook also involves SUV tyres. The Korean company will supply 70,000 tyres for the Volkswagen Tiguan compact SUV. Again, financial details of the OE supply contract have not as yet been made available.
Kumho is making some improvements to its championship-winning Ecsta V710 and is adding eight more sizes to the tyre’s lineup. First introduced in 2004, the V710 is Kumho’s top-of-the-line DOT competition tyre. The tyre has won more than 75 SCCA Solo National Championships in the last four years, as well as dozens of divisional Club Racing championships, the company said.
“Even though the V710 has continued to fare well in competition and in independent comparison tests by magazines such as Grassroots Motorsports, we knew it was time for some changes,” said Rudy Consolacion, Kumho motorsports manager. “We raised the bar when we introduced the V710 three years ago, and with the changes we’re making we’ll raise the bar again.”
During a state visit to South Korea the leader of Vietnam, Nong Duc Manh, met with Kumho Asiana chairman Sam Koo Park to discuss issues of economic cooperation. Mr. Park attended a lunch meeting with the secretary general of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, at which the two men spoke of ways to increase economic cooperation and general exchange between Korea and Vietnam.
In his welcome address to the secretary general, Mr. Park stated: “We will continue to invest in Vietnam as well as carry out social contribution activities that will benefit the local community…We sincerely look forward to increasing mutual exchange and cooperation between the two countries and wish Korea and Vietnam every future prosperity and a fruitful partnership for a long time to come.”
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