Manufacturing Archives - Page 135 of 257 - 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.

Posts

Goodyear Moving Into 63-Inch OTR Tyre Production

Demand for quality 63-inch OTR tyres from the mining sector and other related industries has remained strong despite the economic slowdown. For this reason, Goodyear has opted to throw its hat into the 63-inch size ring and announced it will begin production of these tyres during the fourth quarter of 2010. Goodyear is upgrading its Topeka, Kansas facility as part of its capital investment strategy to this effect, and preparatory work for production of the new giant tyres is already underway.

2nd November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama to Expand Expansion Plans in China

Yokohama Rubber has announced its decision to “beef up” the fourth phase expansion of its Hangzhou Yokohama Tire Co., Ltd. tyre production facility in order to increase production capacity from current 3 million to 5.1 million passenger car tyres a year. Planned investment in the phase four expansion as a whole is approximately seven billion yen, and production in the expanded facility is scheduled to begin in January 2011.

30th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

OTR Tyre Specialist Qizhou Diversifying its Range

In the past ten years Qingdao Qizhou Rubber Co. Ltd. has striven to expand its business in export markets and to facilitate this invested approximately US$14 million in the construction of a OTR tyre new factory in 2003. Since the completion of the facility in Qingdao (Shandong Province) in September 2004 the OTR tyre specialist Qizhou has been able to produce around 100,000 tyres per annum. Central to the company’s range is the “Marcher” brand, through which the manufacturer of the “world’s largest OTR tyres” (59/90 R63) is represented in most corners of the globe and in the original equipment market, delivering to, as an example, LeTourneau Technologies for fitment to its dump trucks. The US firm utilises crossply “Marcher” OTR tyres in size 70/70-57 84PR with a L4 tread; deliveries to Australia and North America are made and even involve the largest available LeTourneau dumpers, disclosed Qingdao Qizhou export manager Gavin Liu.

30th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

JK Commissions ‘India’s First Radial Truck Tyre Plant’

JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., maker of JK Tyre, Vikrant and Tornel, today (30 October) inaugurated what is reputed to be the country’s first radial truck and bus tyre manufacturing plant. The project doubles the radial tyre capacity at JK’s Mysore site from 400,000 to 800,000 a year, at a cost of 3.15 billion rupees (£40.445 million; 45 million euros; US$67 million). A further expansion of OTR capacity in Mysore, involving an investment of 1.2 billion rupees (£15.395 million; 17.178 million euros; US$25.484 million) is scheduled for completion in early 2010.

30th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Releases CSR Report in English

The English language version of Yokohama Rubber’s CSR Report 2009 has gone online. A visit to the company’s website (http://www.yrc-pressroom.jp/env_en) will yield the annual document in PDF format. The company has also added a site report summarising CRS activities at each of its domestic and overseas production sites and affiliates.

30th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Titan's Third Quarter Results: Net Loss of $11.1 million

Titan International of Quincy, Illinois posted a net loss of $11.1 million for the period, compared to a net gain of $10.3 million for the same period last year, reports Tire Review. Driving down the profits was a sharp sales drop: $141.5 million for the quarter against sales of $255.5 million for the same period in 2008. Year-to-date sales were $581.1 million, compared to $778.1 million in 2008, and net profits year-to-date were $1.8 million in 2009, compared to $31.7 million last year.

29th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Reports Improvement in Q3, but Decline Vs 2008 Continues

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s third quarter 2009 financial report showed sales and income improvements in comparison with quarter two, but the results continue to reflect what the company calls “weak industry demand”. Accentuating the positive, Goodyear states that it “sees opportunities as markets recover”, an idea reflected in the company’s launch of 57 new products over the course of the first three quarters of 2009 (15 in quarter three), a figure that surpasses the full-year target. Additionally, Goodyear has improved its liquidity, made year-to-date savings totalling $540 million and reduced its inventories by more than $1 billion in the period, while producing a third quarter segment operating income of $275 million, a figure that shows improvement on 2008, with sales 11 per cent up from quarter two at $4.4 billion.

28th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Safety Record at Goodyear China Plant Site Praised

An important milestone in the safety record at Goodyear’s newest tyre manufacturing facility has been acknowledged: More than one million hours at the site of the company’s Puladian, China plant, now under construction, have been worked without a recordable accident. An award marking this blemish-free record was jointly given by Goodyear and the SSOE Group, the company providing full engineering, procurement, construction management (EPCM) services for the project, to BVEC Piling Contractors, who accepted it on behalf of the on-site workforce.

28th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Alliance Tire Buys GPX Assets

Company News, International News, Legislation, News

Just a day after GPX International Tire Corporation (GPX) filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Israel-based Alliance Tire Group announced it has signed an agreement to purchase certain assets for a reported $38.3 million. According to Alliance, the deal includes: “GPX’s US operations, customer relationships, warehouse footprint, worldwide rights to the Galaxy and Primex brands, the company’s medium radial truck tyre distribution business and the Company’s South African entity, GPX Tyre South Africa (Pty.).”

According to GPX the purpose of entering chapter 11 was “to separate the company’s operations into three distinct businesses in order to facilitate the sales of those businesses in transactions, which will allow 95 per cent of the company’s current North American workforce to remain employed.” Crucially, the statement points out that “the company will wind down its European operations.” GPX also explained that it has buyers lined to purchase various parts of the business.

27th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone NZ Running at a Loss Since 2007

Although the announced closure of Bridgestone’s sole manufacturing facility in New Zealand has been understandably met with disappointment by the local industry, records show the tyre major has operated in the red there during the last two years. Information held by the New Zealand government’s Companies Office shows Bridgestone to have experienced a loss of NZ$7.1 million (£3.28 million) on annual revenues of $217 million (£100 million) in the 2008 calendar year. In 2007 the company’s loss amounted to $3.8 million. Indeed, Bridgestone’s bottom line has not seen plus figures in New Zealand since 2006, when its net plus came to $1.2 million.

27th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Watts Tyre Group Sold in Management Buyout

Premia Group Ltd, a private consortium led by Watts Tyre Group chief executive Jean-Paul Mindemann, has bought the Lydney, Gloucestershire-based industrial tyre producer and distributor. According to the company, Premia is owned by Jean-Paul Mindermann, Paul Morey and Andreas Karnein (Watts’ finance and technical directors) and the company will continue to trade under the Watts name.

A company spokesman told Tyres & Accessories/tyrepress.com that, prior to the completion of the deal, talks had being going on for a period of “weeks or even months” and the move was “a question focus” for both companies. Watts of Lydney Group apparently wants to focus on its commercial vehicle franchise business, Watts Truck & Van, Watts Urethane Products and Plysolene (its extruded plastic sheet manufacturing business).

27th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Myers Sees Losses in Third Quarter

(Tire Review) Rubber, plastics and metal manufacturer, Myers Industries, Inc. reported net sales from continuing operations for the third quarter, ending 30 September, were $165.4 million, a decrease of 17 per cent compared to $199.9 million in the third quarter of 2008. The company cited continued weak economic conditions for the loss. Myers reported a net loss of $5.3 million in the third quarter compared to net income of $1.3 million in the third quarter of 2008, both including results from discontinued operations, as well as special expenses of $5.8 million in 2009 and $2.6 million in 2008.

23rd October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Cabot Commissions World’s Largest Carbon Black Plant

Cabot Corporation today (23 October 2009) commissioned 150,000 metric tons of manufacturing capacity at its carbon black facility in Tianjin, China. The plant is now said to be the world’s biggest with annual production capacity of nearly 300,000 metric tonnes. Cabot share rose 4.52 per cent to US$24.72 in response to the news. The giant manufacturing project is being conducted by Cabot Chemical (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., an equity joint venture between Cabot (China) Limited, and Shanghai Coking Chemical Company, a member of the Huayi Group. Cabot and Shanghai Coking have been joint venture partners since 1988.

According to the company’s 2008 annual report, in 2007, 2007 and 2008 Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company accounted for 12 per cent, 12 per cent and 14 per cent of Cabot’s annual consolidated net sales. No other customer individually represented more than 10 per cent of net sales. In total tyre manufacturers spent $320 million with Cabot, according to the company’s accounts receivable data, more than double the $169 million they spent in 2007.

23rd October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone to End Australia, New Zealand Tyre Production

When Bridgestone Australia chairman and managing director Shawn Hara gave word in April that operations at the company’s Salisbury plant would cease between April 14 and 27, he reassured that Bridgestone is “committed to local tyre manufacturing and we are proud of providing quality Australian-made tyres to our customers.” He also stated no further closedowns were planned for 2009. Despite these soothing words, on October 23 Bridgestone Australia Ltd. announced the decision to close the plant near Adelaide, along with the company’s factory in Christchurch, New Zealand. When the closures take effect, tyre manufacture in Australasia, which commenced in 1903, will come to an end.

23rd October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Closing US Retread Product Plant

(Tire Review) Goodyear is closing its retread materials plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the company announced yesterday. The plant will be closed by the end of 2009, according to the announcement, putting some 90 employees out of work. Some of the employees, the company said, will be offered jobs at other Goodyear plants. The Spartanburg facility produces tread stock and other retread materials for Goodyear retreaders and company-owned retreading facilities. That production, said Goodyear, will be absorbed into other Goodyear facilities across the country.

22nd October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors