(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. is set to open a new 400,000-square-foot distribution center in Grand Prairie, Texas. The new facility, said Cooper, will improve its service to customers in the Southwest, South and Midwest regions of the US.
The Unipart Group of Companies, one of Europe’s leading privately–owned distribution and logistics businesses, has reported sales for 2004 of £1.064bn (2003: £525.8m) and a net operating profit of £25.4m (- £1.3m). After tax, interest and other charges, the Group reported a profit of £26.3m (£0.9m).
Following a $6 million investment Alcoa’s Subassembly and Logistics business will open a new manufacturing plant in North Carolina.
The company, a part of Alcoa Wheel and Forged Products, provides wheel and tyre assemblies to the Freightliner Group, the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America and a leading manufacturer of medium-duty and specialised commercial vehicles.
The new facility is scheduled to begin production in mid-April. It will add to Alcoa’s presence in North Carolina, where it already has four other operating locations.
National tyre wholesaler, Stapletons has made strategic supply chain appointments. Ian Kirkpatrick will move from his role as national logistics manager becoming head of supply chain as part of the company’s ambitions to work even closer with UK and worldwide tyre manufacturers.
Trelleborg Wheel Systems, a business area within the Trelleborg Group, has signed a joint-venture agreement with Al Dobowi Ltd regarding the distribution of industrial and agricultural tires in the Middle East and certain parts of Africa. The new company, Trelleborg Wheel Systems Middle East Ltd will be located in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
Kayaba UK has improved its logistics support to the aftermarket with an additional warehouse facility and a new warehouse manager.
Located in Warrington, next to the company’s HQ, the new warehouse provides an additional 5,000 square metres, with a stockholding capacity of 42,000 components and space for 500 pallets.
Running the new operation is newly-appointed warehouse manager Chris Flood (32), who joins Kayaba UK from logistics company Exel, where he worked his way up to management level.
Nokian tyres has acquired its Czech importer and a tyre wholesaler, Andel Export-Import. In a statement the company explained that the acquisition will enable it to concentrate its Eastern and Western European logistics operations in Prague.
In 2003 Andel Export-Import’s net sales totalled approximately 3.4 million euros. “The acquisition ensures the sales growth for Nokian branded tyres in a strategically important and fast growing Eastern European market. We will get the control of the whole logistics chain and a very healthy company,” said Kim Gran, president and CEO of Nokian Tyres.
Dr Reinhard Meschkat has been appointed to BERU AG’s Executive Board. In his new position he will assume responsibility for production, logistics and quality control of the Ludwigsburg-based automotive supplier. Dr Meschkat, holds a doctorate in manufacturing systems engineering, and has substantial experience in several executive positions as plant manager and managing director at Faurecia Autositze GmbH, a subsidiary of the French group Faurecia S.A.
Prior to his employment at Faurecia, he had worked for Brose Fahrzeugteile as a production manager at a manufacturing plant, responsible for production planning, logistics and quality. He had also successfully implemented Kaizen principles into the production system.
The CV and Automotive Trade Show is to support a major careers initiative through next year’s exhibition. The event will host a Skills Centre displaying a range of careers across the road transport and commercial vehicle industries. The scheme is intended to help cut skills shortages across the two related business sectors.
Iveco’s third annual Women in Transport Awards has recognised the achievements of three women working in the UK road transport industry.
Pirelli Tire, has selected Kuehne + Nagel to implement a new North American supply chain solution, including optimisation and management of its warehousing and distribution network.
The Yokohama Rubber Company Ltd has formally announced that it will formally start using a new management structure as of tomorrow (2 July). The structure will be headed by new chairman and representative director, Yasuo Tominaga, and new president and representative director, Tadanobu Nagumo. Currently the pair are both representative directors and are president and executive director respectively.
Kumho Tire Co., Inc. donated 3,290 units of tires equivalent to USD100,000 to Islamic Republic of Iran in humanitarian support in the aftermath of the catastrophic damage in terms of both human life and property following an earthquake.
The new Chairman of the NTDA Tyre Wholealers’ Group, Peter Gaster took to the floor at the NTDA TWG luncheon to offer one or two points for the trade to consider. Gaster opened by highlighting the fact that whilst he was looking at things from a wholesale point of view, it was worth remembering that many at the event had a foot in both retail and wholesale camps.
He outlined the importance of the role of the wholesaler, comparing the ability of the multi-brand wholesaler to that of the tyre manufacturer and how the result was benefiting the tyre trade as a whole. “The true wholesaler performs a vital and necessary function in the UK distribution market in providing a variety of products and deliveries to all retail sectors in the industry and it is here that the wholesaler performs the most vital function which is service. We are all aware of the cost of distribution and I’ve always felt that manufacturers have at the best misunderstood and at the worst miscalculated the cost of distribution and the reality of the logistics and practicality of delivering one tyre to one customer on a daily basis.
There are signs that Continental AG is moving ahead with the reorganisation of its passenger tyre business in North America. Continental Tire North America, Inc. and Exel announced today that they have agreed to form a strategic partnership in the area of tyre distribution logistics in North America. Exel will assume control of, among other things, the management of CTNA’s tyre distribution warehouses. All details of the agreement will be finalised by April 1, 2004.
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