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Kumho Breaks Ground at New China Site

The groundbreaking ceremony for Kumho Tires’ fourth factory in China – and the first not to be engaged in the manufacture of passenger car tyres – was held in Nanjing on May 16 in the presence of more than three hundred company executives and distinguished guests. The company will invest around £50 million in the construction of this latest facility, which when completed in the second half of 2008 will specialise in the production of truck and bus radials. Annual production is planned at 300,000 units.

At the ceremony, Kumho chief executive Park SamKu stated “I am very glad to build this bus and truck tyre factory at Nanjing, an important place for us to further our growth in the Chinese market.” He added that Kumho intends to place a greater emphasis on dealings between the company’s Korean headquarters and its operations in China. Furthermore, Kumho Tires is planning, in the company’s own words, to “aggressively pursue the Chinese tyre market through an export markets diversification strategy.”

23rd May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho to Title Sponsor Man U. Visit to Korea

In an attempt to boost its sports marketing profile, Kumho Tires has invited phenomenally popular football team Manchester United to participate in a friendly game that the tyremaker is title sponsoring. The Kumho Tires Cup 2007 Manchester United Korean Tour, as the event is to be known, will take place on July 20 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, and the lads from England will compete against leading South Korean professional football team FC Seoul.

A press conference held on April 27, attended by Kumho Tires CEO Sae-chul Oh, Manchester United president David Gill, FC Seoul president Wan-kyung Lee plus a number of dignitaries outlined the plans and hopes for July’s high-profile event. Kumho Tires’ president, Mr. Oh, said, “We hope that this game can lead young soccer lovers to have more aspiration for the future while revitalising general public’s interest in soccer reaching out to more people.”

11th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Bickford Truck Services Relies on ATS Euromaster

Wolverhampton-based Bickford Truck Services, which specialises in hiring commercial vehicles for the construction industry, has appointed ATS Euromaster as principal tyre supplier for its fleet of over 300 trucks. The customer’s fitment policy also specifies a range of budget tyres including Taurus, Kumho and Matador. The fleet ranges from 7.5 to 44 tonnes and includes tippers, grab loaders, flatbeds, skip loaders, cranes, hook lifts, beavertails and tractor units, which are supplied on a mixture of contract hire and rental agreements to civil engineering companies nationwide.

Roger Bickford, joint Managing Director, explains: “Our fleet spends a lot of time operating off-road on construction sites, where the rugged terrain increases the chances of picking up tyre damage. This problem is escalated by the nature of some contracts, which can include penalty charges for unexpected downtime where vehicles are not back on the road within a designated time window.

27th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Korean Rubber Producers Fined

(Akron/Tire Review) Yonhap News Service reported that South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has fined Korea Kumho Petrochemical Co. and Seetec Ltd. a combined US$63 million on claims the two companies conspired to fix pricing on rubber products used in tyre production.

The commission found the two companies, which control some 90 per cent of the South Korean synthetic rubber market, colluded on pricing on styrene butadiene and butadiene rubber between 2000 and 2003.

Kumho Petrochemical is part of Kumho Asiana Group, which includes Kumho Tire Co.

10th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Adds Three Sales Managers

Career Tracks, International News, News

(Akron/Tire Review) Kumho Tire USA Inc. has added three sales managers to its ranks.

Aaron Duty joins Kumho as a regional sales manager for southern California and Arizona. He had been a district sales manager for Toyo Tire (USA) Corp. Before that, he served as a service technician with Sears Automotive and previously as a fabricator and engineering laboratory technician. Duty earned a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from California Polytechnic State University.

John Krajewski has been appointed a regional sales manager for Wisconsin, Illinois and northern Michigan. He spent 15 years with U.S. Tire & Exhaust and five years with Chem-Trend, a company that sells mould release chemicals to the tyre industry. Krajewski earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northern Illinois University.

5th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Brityrex the Show the UK Tyre Industry Needs – Micheldever

Prominent wholesaler Micheldever Tyre Services has revealed plans for a major sales offensive during May’s Brityrex International’07 exhibition. The company intends to place a strong emphasis upon its private brand car tyres, which include ranges from Kumho, Falken, Sportiva, Enduro and Fullrun. BF Goodrich and General will also feature on Micheldever’s display as the leading replacement brands for the 4×4 market.

Underlining the importance of the show, a 12-strong sales team has been assigned to the three-day event at Manchester’s G-MEX Centre. “We can’t wait for the exhibition to start, said Alan Baldwin, Micheldever’s UK director of wholesale. “As far as Micheldever is concerned, Brityrex is the show that the UK tyre industry needs and deserves. We’re fully committed to making it a big success for us, our customers and the organisers, who have had the confidence to revitalise the event.”

3rd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Tyres to Sponsor MSA British Rallycross Championship

Kumho Tyres will be the title sponsor of the MSA British Rallycross Championship (BRC) for the next three years. The company’s contract will also see the introduction, for the first time, of a control tyre for the British championship’s Supercar and SuperModified categories. The British Rallycross Drivers Association (BRDA), which organises the MSA British Rallycross Championship has negotiated the deal under which Kumho tyres will become specified equipment.

BRDA chairman John Horton said “Kumho will back the MSA British Rallycross Championship for the next three years and offer considerable financial and promotional support. This partnership with Kumho will bring stability to the BRC and the resources to promote the championship to a wider audience.”

20th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Names Aparicio Manager of Off-Road Events

(Akron/Tire Review) Toyo Tire (U.S.A.) Corp. has promoted Gina Aparicio to the position of project manager of events, off road. Aparicio joined Toyo in August 2005 after working at Kumho Tire Co. as a marketing coordinator. Aparicio will be responsible for performance and off-road events, specifically in the short-course and rock-related segments. In addition, she will help to maintain team and driver sponsorship relations.

16th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Set to Offer 20-Series Tyre

(Akron/Tire Review) After creating buzz with its red-smoke-emitting tyre and aroma rubber, Kumho Tire USA Inc. is ready to launch another head-turner: a 20-series tyre. The prototype that Kumho Tire USA Inc. exhibited at last year’s SEMA Show is getting ready to hit the market as a special version of the company’s Ecsta SPT ultra-high performance tyre.

The 20-series tyre has been tested and is being prepared for production, Kumho stated. The tyremaker expects it to be available by January 2008 in a 375/20R21 size as well as a 275/30R19 version for the Dodge Viper, the Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06 and hot rods.

The 20-series SPT was developed by engineers at Kumho’s technical headquarters in Korea, led by manager D.J. Park. “This 20-series SPT will provide the emotional look that drivers want as well as the performance they demand,” said Rick Brennan, director of brand management. “We’ve pulled out all the stops to create a product that enthusiasts want but no one else is even trying to make.”

16th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Asiana targets £11.4 billion in sales in 2007

The Kumho Asiana Group, the South Korean family-run conglomerate who own Kumho Tire, said Tuesday it is aiming for 21 trillion won (£11.4 billion) in sales and 1 trillion won in net profit this year.

In a regulatory filing the group predicted its sales will increase 15 per cent over last year’s sales to 21 trillion won, with net profit forecast to reach 1 trillion won.

7th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho OE for US Market Sprinter

Kumho Tire has announced the supply of their products as OE on the US market version of the Sprinter van. The Sprinter, which sports the Mercedes-Benz badge in UK and European markets, will go on sale in the US under the Dodge and Freightliner brand names in the first quarter of 2007.

5th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Adds to Sales Force

(Akron/Tire Review) Kumho Tire USA Inc. added two new sales managers to its U.S. sales force. Bill Armson joined Kumho as a regional sales manager for northern California. Most recently, Armson was a sales manager for Goodyear. Another Goodyear veteran, Lewis Jones, joined the company as regional sales manager for Iowa, Indiana, Illinois and northern Missouri.

16th February 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Update: Kumho to Supply Mercedes Benz

Kumho Tires has announced that it has been selected by DaimlerChrysler AG to supply tyres for the second generation of the Mercedes Benz A-Class model. Kumho will supply its Solus KH15 in size 185/65R15 for the new hatchback which is manufactured at DaimlerChrysler’s Rastatt plant in South West Germany.

16th February 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Tire to Supply Mercedes Benz

Kumho Tire Co., the second-largest tyre manufacturer in Korea, has started supplying tyres to Mercedes Benz, a Kumho spokesman told the Korea Times. The spokesman said Kumho tyres will be installed on Mercedes Benz A-Class sedans. However, he declined to give more details, including the number of tyres to be supplied. Kumho Tire made inroads in the OE market when it supplied tyres to Volkswagen in 2002. In November 2006 Kumho began supplying tyres to Chrysler in the US. According to reports, Kumho plans to supply 6 million OE tyres to international carmakers next year.

15th February 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Tire’s 2006 Profit Suffers – Material Costs and Strong Won to Blame

South Korea’s second largest tyremaker, Kumho Tire Co., has released news that its net profit declined significantly during 2006 due to higher raw material prices and a firmer South Korean won. Kumho Tire earned 1.09 billion won (£600,000) in net profit last year, compared with a profit of 98 billion won (£54.5 million) from the same period a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing.

2nd February 2007/by Tyrepress Editors