Manufacturing Archives - Page 107 of 259 - Tyrepress

Whether its raw materials, machinery, research and development or the latest manufacturing trends, this tag provides up-to-the-minute insights into the upstream part of the tyre industry.

Tag Archive for: Manufacturing

BKT aiming for segment leadership

It’s now more than fifteen years since Balkrishna Industries Ltd., or BKT, wound up its two-wheeler, car and truck tyre business in favour of a focus on off-road tyres. This ‘place every egg in one basket’ decision was a major step for the then seven year old company, yet it is one the Indian manufacturer has never regretted. Since the changeover to off-road tyres in 1995, BKT has grown at an enviable rate and produced some 1,900 SKUs of OTR, industrial and agricultural tyres. Recently, Tyres & Accessories was given the opportunity to observe first-hand the result of a decade and a half’s specialisation within the off-road sector and gain a clearer picture of where the company aims to go.

16th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Cabot China to build JV carbon black plant

Cabot (China) Ltd. has entered into a joint venture agreement with Risun Chemicals Company, Ltd. The wholly-owned Cabot Corporation subsidiary holds a 60 per cent equity interest in the joint venture, and on March 15 the two companies’ first shared undertaking was announced: Cabot and Risun are to erect a carbon black manufacturing facility in the Chinese city of Xingtai, some 250 miles south of Beijing. The plant is scheduled to be commissioned in early 2013 and will produce approximately 130,000 tonnes of carbon black annually with the potential for expansion to 300,000 tonnes. Advanced emissions control technology and energy recapture will be utilised at the new facility, Cabot notes.

16th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Japan disaster will not dent rubber demand – ANRPC

In response to widely circulated fears about the effect the disaster in Japan and subsequent nuclear reactor issues will have on demand for natural rubber, the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries has opined that these events “will not have significant impact on rubber demand from the country.” Supporting this statement, the ANRPC points out that major tyre manufacturers have already confirmed their plants remain largely unscathed and will resume full production upon the restoration of reliable electricity supplies.

15th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Falken reports Shirakawa tyre plant suspension after tsunami

Falken has released a statement from its finance and admin director T. Ikeuchi, reporting that its Shirakawa factory has “stopped daily manufacturing operations due to the immediate black out, and because the factory building and equipments installed have been found partly damaged. Ikeuchi also stated that the company is “investigating the extent of the damages”, intending to recommence production as soon as possible. In addition, Ikeuchi said that all “Sumitomo Rubber Industries group employees and their families have been confirmed uninjured”.

14th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Aeolus Tyre reports 50.8% drop in 2010 net profits

Aeolus Tyre posted a 50.77 per cent year-on-year drop in 2010 net profit to 153 million yuan, business news wires have reported citing a company filings. Earnings per share are said to have fallen 50.79 per cent to 0.41 yuan per share. The good news was that sales revenue rose 44.45 per cent year-on-year to 8.12 billion yuan, however this also means margins must have narrowed significantly.

14th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo issues post-earthquake statement

International News

Expressing it’s the company’s deepest condolences to the victims of the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Toyo Tires group has released further details about the how the tragedy has affected its business and what it is doing to ensure the safety of workers.

Despite the fact that Toyo runs a plant in Sendai near the epicentre of the magnitude 8.9 earthquake, the company reports that neither this nor its other manufacturing plants in Japan have been affected by the tsunami, and there has not been any significant earthquake damage to plant building or facilities.

14th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Lassa showcases Phenoma and Competus HP tyres at Geneva

Brisa’s Lassa brand is presenting its Competus HP and Phenoma tyres at the 81st Geneva International Motor Show, on an 80sqm stand in Hall 7. The Competus HP is the latest edition to the Lassa Competus family, and the new sports tyre, Phenoma, have been tested and approved by Germany’s TÜV SÜD Automotive. The show continues until 13 March.

10th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Starco confident of reaching growth targets

A lot is happening within Starco, says group marketing manager Brian Lorentzen. Some of this activity was witnessed in the days and weeks before he spoke with Tyres & Accessories; during this time the firm announced the establishment of a joint venture with Argentine agricultural tyre and components manufacturer Buco plus the pilot rollout of its first online shop. These two events are part of a wider growth strategy covering the next few years, Lorentzen shares.

7th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Chinese manufacturers receive mixed results in Reach compliance test

The use of ‘high-PAH’ extender oils in tyres manufactured for sale within the European Union has been prohibited under the Reach regulation since January 1, 2010. This restriction was heeded by firms producing within the EU and appropriate modifications to the manufacturing process made before the deadline, and the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) reports the confirmation of these producers’ compliance by independent testing. However the ETRMA notes “strong industry concern” exists as to whether all tyres imported into the European Union are being tested for compliance. For this reason the ETRMA itself took on the task of testing 45 brands of tyre – 110 tyres in total – that are currently offered for sale within the European Union. The results confirmed that the association’s apprehension was not unfounded.

4th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

EC approves switchable battery research project

Automotive supplier Continental and ten other European and Israeli companies active in the electric vehicle sector, have joined together to form ‘Easybat’, a consortium dedicated to furthering EV development. On March 2 the consortium announced formal approval from the European Commission for a research and development programme into means of facilitating the European production of electric cars with switchable batteries. The March 2 announcement is the first switchable battery electric car project approved by the Commission.

4th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Effiplus passenger car tyres gain Nom accreditation

Chinese tyre manufacturers Techking has announced that its Effiplus passenger car tyres recently received Nom accreditation (the national Mexican Safety Certificate).

3rd March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Strike action may halt Hankook Hungary production

The Budapest Business Journal brings news of a potential wage related strike at Hankook’s plant in Hungary. Production apparently may come to a halt there “within days” following the establishment of a workers’ strike committee; the union representing employees at the South Korean manufacturer’s Rácalmás facility is reported as saying more than 1,700 Hankook workers there are now earning less than last year following the introduction of tax changes in January 2011. Talks with management over a potential pay increase have already begun, however the newspaper shares that Hankook Tire Magyarország Kft said a strike committee has been set up as an agreement over the size of the proposed pay rise “looked distant.”

3rd March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Smuggling, under invoicing rife in Pakistan tyre market – General Tyre

The CEO of Karachi based tyre manufacturer General Tyre and Rubber of Pakistan, Shahid Hussain, has told Pakistan’s Daily Times that under invoiced imports and smuggling accounts for 57 per cent of local sales for passenger car tyres, 85 per cent for light truck tyres and 97 per cent for truck and bus tyres. These two activities not only impact upon manufacturing capacities at the tyre maker, which incidentally is which is 9.78 per cent owned by Continental and operates a technical service agreement with Continental Tire the Americas; Hussain states it is costing Pakistan’s government around 7 billion rupees (£50.4 million) in lost duties and taxes.

28th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper quarter operating profit down, despite record sales

Reporting financial results for the quarter ending 31 December, 2010, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co saw its operating profit diminish to $55 million, $5 million down on the same quarter in 2009, though it also achieved record net sales of $920 million, $147 million, or 19 per cent, up on 2009. Roy Armes, CEO, commented that while demand for the company’s products was strong and manufacturing facilities were run “efficiently”, raw materials prices and the available inventory had limited progress in terms of operating profit. Operating profit was $55 million, or 5.9 percent of net sales.

25th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bioscience boosted rubber production the aim of Bridgestone joint research

Indonesia is the world’s second largest natural rubber producer, with figures from the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries putting the number of hectares under cultivation at 3,445,000 and those under tapping at 2,773,000. With an aim of further enhancing this production, Bridgestone Corporation has entered into a cooperative research project agreement with two other parties. News of the project between Bridgestone and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and the Indonesian Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi, or BPPT) was announced on February 24 at a press conference held at the BPPT office in Jakarta.

24th February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors