(Akron/Tire Review) Kumho Tire USA Inc will be relocating its US headquarters and its California warehouse from Fontana to Rancho Cucamonga, California, during the weekend of 10-11 December, and plans to be up and fully operational on Monday 12 December. Kumho said the new 830,300-square-foot building, named the Haven Distribution Center, is more than three times the space of its previous home. The facility features 136 truck docks and 144 trailer stalls.
Kumho’s ECSTA Performance Centre (EPC) network, which accounts for a significant percentage of its UK tyre sales, has recently formed a dealer council to represent all the centres involved and further the image of Kumho tyres to the consumer.
Formed with the full support of Kumho Tyre UK and Micheldever Tyre Services, the national distributor of Kumho tyres, the 11 members of the council have been voted in by the EPC retailers and include a representative of Kumho Tyre and Micheldever.
(Akron/Tire Review) At the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Kumho Tire USA Inc introduced its new Ecsta AST high performance, all-season tyre as well as its new Road Venture MT, reportedly the widest and tallest light truck tyre the company has ever offered.
The Ecsta AST tyre, designed for sports cars and tuned sedans, according to Kumho, features a directional tread design with dual-angle cross grooves and asymmetrical lateral grooves for cornering grip, hydroplaning resistance and wet traction.
Goodyear is reportedly considering returning to the Formula One motorsport series. F1total.com reports that the American manufacturer is considering getting involved in the sport as a way of responding to the improved market performance that Michelin and Bridgestone have achieved through their involvement. The F1 website speculates that Goodyear could apply for the FIA contract as soon as the series reverts to using a single tyre supplier. Goodyear could also be competing with Kumho for a future F1 contract, the website states.
Kumho UK has appointed Matt Smith as its new business development manager.
The new recruit brings with him 10 years of experience in the tyre and automotive sector and joins Kumho from Wagon Automotive where he held the position of BDM for European OEMs and 1st tier accounts. Prior to that he spent eight years with Goodyear in various technical and sales positions.
(Akron/Tire Review) Thirteen new sizes have been added by Kumho Tire USA Inc’s Ecsta SPT ultra-high performance tyre line. The tyre debuted earlier this year with 36 sizes. The new sizes, available in November, include 205/50R17, 215/35R19, 215/40R18, 225/35R19, 225/35R20, 245/50R16, 275/30R20, 275/35R18, 275/40R17, 275/40R18, 285/40R17, 245/35R19 and 245/35R20.
(Akron/Tire Review) News reports say that Kumho Industrial Co. has bought 7.5 million shares of Kumho Tire Co. for 102 billion won ($99.4 million), making it the tyre company’s single largest shareholder. Kumho Industrial bought the shares at 13,600 won per share from the Military Mutual Aid Association, according to a regulatory filing in Seoul.
(Akron/Tire Review) Kumho Tire Co has signed a deal to provide First Automobile Works (FAW), China’s largest vehicle manufacturer, with tyre manufacturing know-how. FAW, which operates one of Volkswagen’s two Chinese joint ventures, will then be able to produce its own tyres for passenger vehicles.
The $150 million cooperation agreement was signed last week during the China Jilin Northeast Asia Investment and Trade Expo. The expo was attended by Chinese and South Korean vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, amid signs, according to reports, that Korean manufacturers are increasingly interested in sourcing components from China.
Kumho Tire Co is planning to set up its third production plant in China, the company has reported. The move will reportedly go ahead in partnership with China’s largest vehicle manufacturer, China FAW Group Co (FAW). Kumho plans to build the production plant in the Chinese northeastern city of Changchun with an investment of $150 million.
(Akron/Tire Review) Kumho Tire USA Inc has announced price increases. Kumho said it will increase medium truck tyre prices by up to 4 per cent effective 1 October.
In Malaysia, Titan Chemicals Corpn. Bhd has won a contract from the Korea Kumho Petrochemical Co. Ltd. to supply butadiene; the raw material used to make synthetic rubber. The operation will begin in 2007 and the five-year contract is worth an estimated 500 million Ringgits (US$ 132.8 million)
Auto Express’ decision to make its recent tyre tests their “biggest ever” goes some way towards demonstrating the increasing interest surrounding these reports. And with so many brands on the market all claiming to be the best at something, who can blame consumers for wanting a second opinion?
However, Auto Express is not alone when it comes to testing. Other well-known magazines including Which? Autocar and Evo also publish tyre test results. But in terms of coverage and frequency Auto Express’ tyre tests currently lead the way in the UK. And when you consider that that this particular publication is Britain’s biggest selling motoring weekly, it is clear that winning or being recommended by such a report can have very positive repercussions on the tyre business.
Relatively unknown brands particularly have a lot to gain. By winning or being recommended in tests, these companies stand to gain a leg up in the estimation the country’s motoring millions, without investing in publicity or marketing campaigns. The theory is that product quality will speak for itself.
Approximately 320 tyres were stolen from RH Claydon’s Bury St Edmunds branch at the end of May. Thieves took advantage of the bank holiday weekend to gain entry into the depot before loading the products onto a stolen truck. 80 of the stolen tyres were truck products with the rest being comprised of various passenger car brands.
The stolen tyres are listed below, any distributor being offered these brands and sizes from an unusual source should contact Dick Anderson at raa@rhc.co.uk immediately.
11R22.5 148/145L MATADOR DR1 1
295/80R22.5 152/148M MATADOR DH1 15
295/80R22.5 152/148M MATADOR FR2 1
195/45R15 78V FEDERAL SS595 13
195/45R16 80V FEDERAL SS595 5
195/50R15 82V FEDERAL SS535 5
195/55R15 84V FEDERAL SS535 39
205/45R16 83V FEDERAL SS595 12
205/45R16 83W FEDERAL SS595 2
205/50R15 86V FEDERAL SS535 13
205/50R16 87V FEDERAL SS535 1
205/50R16 87W FEDERAL SS595 32
205/55R15 88V FEDERAL SS535 24
205/55R16 91V FEDERAL SS535 32
215/45R17 87W FEDERAL SS595 20
225/45R17 91V FEDERAL SS595 20
225/50R16 92V FEDERAL SS535 11
235/40R18 91W FEDERAL SS595 2
255/40R17 94V FEDERAL SS595 10
245/70R19.5 133/131M KUMHO RS03 40
295/80R22.5 152/148M KUMHO 964 10
295/80R22.5 152/148M KUMHO RD02 14
295/80R22.5 152/148M ROADLUX R210 1
38565R22.5 160K KUMHO 968 25
385/65R22.5 160K MATADOR TH1 4
425/65R22.5 165K KUMHO 958 5
(Akron/Tire Review) Kumho Tire Co said it is investing some $20 million to establish a research and development centre in Tianjin, China, a facility that will evolve into the company’s Tianjin Kumho Tire Co Ltd headquarters. The research and development facility will employ some 300 scientists and engineers, said Kumho.
Tianjin Kumho Tire Co’s new $185 million radial passenger tyre plant is set to begin production in July 2006 with an initial capacity of 5.25 million tyres per year. Plans have already been made for a $130 million expansion there that will bring capacity to 10.4 million units per year. The tyre plant will service Chinese automakers.
(Akron/Tire Review) Kumho Tire USA has introduced a specially designed tyre that produces red smoke, developed for drift competitions. The Kumho Ecsta MX-C made its debut with Enjuku Racing at the Formula Drift event at Road Atlanta last weekend.
“When we saw the red smoke boiling off the rear tyres, we just stood there and stared in awe,” said Enjuku lead driver and team captain Matt Vassallo. “I think people will be blown away when they see this.”
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
