Manufacturing Archives - Page 143 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.

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TIA Seeks a Presidential Thumbs-Down on Proposed Tariffs

The Tire Industry Association has reiterated its position regarding Chinese tyres and duties upon them in a letter sent to US President Obama. The TIA has urged the President to reject the recommendation for duties of up to 55 per cent on passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyres, as voted upon by the US International Trade Commission on June 29. A copy of this letter was also sent to the United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

In the letter, the TIA argued that the ITC proposed tariffs will not protect US manufacturing jobs and will result in higher prices and fewer choices for customers. It also addressed the possibility of safety issues arising should consumer access to affordable tyres be restricted.

14th July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Maxam OTR and High Speed Crane Tyres to be Displayed at CITExpo

Produced by Mai (Shandong) Radial Tyre, a subsidiary of the Italian Mai Group, Maxam tyres boast an “advanced” range of all steel radial OTR products which play an important role in accelerating the group’s market development strategy, both in the local market and for global export. Mai (Shandong) Radial Tyre Company is headquartered in Shandong Province, China and says that it possesses a “technically-advanced radial tyre manufacturing plant with a highly skilled workforce.”

Mai has manufacturing plants in Asia and Europe, enabling the fast development of heavy duty, application-specific products for divergent markets. All its products are available through the Maxam dealer network. The company will be exhibiting the Maxam range in booth 2828.

14th July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Lithium-ion Battery Development Wins Award for Conti

Continental claims the lithium-ion batteries it has developed offer significantly greater storage capacity compared with the nickel-metal hydride battery technology still currently used in hybrid vehicles. The battery’s energy density is said to be around 30 per cent and its power to size ratio some 50 percent greater, while still retaining its compact dimensions. Development work on this unit, which saw its series production debut in the latest Mercedes-Benz S 400 BlueHYBRID, took place at Continental’s Nuremberg, Germany facility, and the site now has a production capacity of 15,000 units per annum. Recently Conti’s Powertrain Division and its Hybrid & Electric Vehicles business unit were acknowledged for the battery’s development and series introduction with an award from a logistics and transports association located in the factory’s local region.

13th July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Alabama Health Department Fines BFGoodrich

BFGoodrich Tire Manufacturing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is to be fined $650 civil after violating state environmental health rules. According to local newspaper reports, Alabama Department of Public Health official identified the violation when BFGoodrich reported in May that “two devices containing radioactive sources were missing from the Tuscaloosa plant site.” WHNT news explained that they were discovered missing in April and were last accounted for in October 2008 and report suggests the devices might have left the site when “the production line they were on was dismantled and removed as scrap.” Such devices are used in gauges that measure the thickness of rubber during production.

9th July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

TIA Announces Candidates for 2009 Board Election

The Maryland, US based Tire Industry Association (TIA) has announced the slate of candidates for its 2009 Board of Directors election. TIA members will vote in open elections to place ten individuals onto the board for three-year terms. Members will receive ballots in the mail before the end of July, and can also download a ballot from the ‘members only’ section of the TIA website (www.tireindustry.org).

8th July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Proliance Files for Chapter 11

Proliance International has filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on 2 July. In addition, Proliance has agreed to sell substantially all of its North American assets for $21.5 million in cash, under a court supervised sale process to Centrum Equities XV. Centrum Equities also owns the Visteon aftermarket business, which it purchased in February 2008.

Charles Johnson, Proliance president and CEO, said, “The combination of Centrum’s resources and industry expertise and Proliance’s manufacturing and distribution capabilities will help get our business back on track faster and enable the combined company to serve its customers in an exemplary way. Longer term, we believe ownership by Centrum will create a stronger balance sheet and establish a solid platform which will provide opportunity for growth.”

Roger Brown, president and CEO of Centrum Equities XV, said, “We are excited about this opportunity to put together these two leading companies in the automotive aftermarket. We strongly believe that the combination with Proliance, along with the financial investment to be made, will provide for unparalleled service in the industry.” (Tire Review/Akron)

7th July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

CITExpo “a Comprehensive Platform Serving the Tyre Industry”

CITExpo 2009 takes place at the Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition Centre between 9 and 11 September. With much significance attached to numbers in the host nation, and nine considered the luckiest of all the single-digit numerals, September 9, 2009, or 09-09-09, is not only an easy date to remember, it is also a very fortuitous one. The organiser of the CITExpo exhibition in Shanghai, Reliable International Exhibition Services, certainly hopes this will prove to be the case, following a year in which the tyre business, like most global industries, has come under increased financial pressure. However, Wilko Fong – managing director of Reliable – told Tyres & Accessories that the worldwide slump has not overtly affected the running of the show.

“It is encouraging that our show has not been affected by the worldwide market shrinking demand,” he said. “At the same moment of last year, this year we have recorded 5 per cent increase in number of exhibitors and 10 per cent increase in sold space. There were 210 exhibitors registered before June 2008, and there are 225 exhibitors registered before June 2009. Also, some exhibitors are feeling that the market is gradually picking up from the bottom already.”

7th July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hayes Lemmerz Files Reorganisation Plan and Disclosure Statement

Hayes Lemmerz International has a plan….a reorganisation plan, that is. The company announced on July 3 it has filed a proposed plan of reorganisation and disclosure statement with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. If confirmed by the court, the plan provides that the company’s debtor-in-possession (DIP) lenders and prepetition secured lenders would own substantially all the reorganised company’s common stock and all of its global manufacturing locations upon its emergence from chapter 11 bankruptcy.

6th July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Vee Rubber Introduces Three New Tyres

“At Autopromotec we are introducing three new tyres, the Taiga H/T; Winter Season II and Winter Season III,” said Vee Rubber’s CEO and managing director, Mr Vitorn Sukanjanapong. “The Taiga is a vast area of pine forests just to the south of the tundra in the Arctic where conditions range from near desert in summer to more than 30 degrees below centigrade in winter. In designing a brand new H/T light truck tyre we wanted to create a tyre that would capture the essence of the Taiga. It is our strong belief that the Taiga H/T does just that.

6th July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Ruia Group to Acquire TCI?

According to media reports, Dunlop India and Falcon Tyres owner the Ruia Group is in negotiations to acquire the government owned Tyre Corporation of India Limited (TCI). The West Bengal based TCI is said to currently possess only a limited tyre manufacturing capacity, and the government began the process of divesting the ailing manufacturer in 2007. The potential price tag of such an acquisition has not been disclosed.

3rd July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Brazil to Receive US$200 Million Pirelli Investments

This year Pirelli celebrates 80 years of doing business in Brazil. In the eight decades that followed the company’s first presence there in 1929, Pirelli has established five factories and a research centre in the South American nation and manufactures 90 per cent of its South American production there. This strong presence reflects Brazil’s growing importance as a strategic centre for vehicle production, and Pirelli’s interest in the region remains strong. At a July press conference, held at the company’s Santo André manufacturing site in Sao Paulo, Pirelli outlined plans to invest a further US$200 million in Brazil over the next three years.

3rd July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Releases Renewed Environmental Mission Statement

On behalf of its worldwide subsidiaries, Bridgestone Corporation has launched its renewed Bridgestone Group “Environmental Mission Statement”. This document refines and further develops the “Environmental Policy Statement” formally issued in 2002 and is intended to reaffirm Bridgestone’s commitment to environmental stewardship as stated in the Company’s Environmental Philosophy: “To help ensure a healthy environment for current and future generations.”

The renewed Environmental Mission Statement is comprised of two intertwined areas of focus – “Three Areas of Environmental Progress” and “Two Core Strategies for Growth” – that guide the Bridgestone Group’s environmental management activities.

2nd July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin PRM Report Examines Key Company Performance Areas

The fourth edition of the Michelin Group’s Michelin Performance and Responsibility (PRM) report is out. Focusing on the 2007-2008 period, this new report is a summary of the progress the company has achieved in its ‘Michelin Performance and Responsibility’ sustainable development approach – an approach designed around the five stages of the tyre’s life: tyre design, raw materials and purchasing, tyre manufacturing, commercialisation of tyres and tyres in use, and end-of-life recovery.

2nd July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Snaps Up Motor Transport Innovation Award

The Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane played host to some 1,300 road transport professionals on the evening of 1 July. The reason for this gathering of senior industry figures was of course the 23rd Motor Transport Awards, in which approximately 70 contenders vied for victory in the 16 award categories. Amongst this elite group was Michelin, who on the evening walked away with the Innovation Award, having beat off stiff competition from a trio of fellow finalists – white goods manufacturer Indesit UK, asset management specialist Amey, and a joint entry from B&Q and Ceva Logistics.

2nd July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Magna Tyre Releases New E4 and 240 Tonne Products

In June Dutch company Magna Tyres launched its MA04 E4 tyre. Developed specifically for mining, quarry and construction applications, this product is intended for 40 – 100 tons nominal payload off-highway trucks in order to help them keep materials moving at high volume with lower costs per ton. According to Magna, the new MA04 is “reliable, durable, dependable” and features “an aggressive tread pattern to ensure maximum traction.”

The release of the MA04 follows the earlier launch of another project for even larger 240 ton rigid dump trucks. The Magna MR420 is designed to offer lower cost per hour, long tyre life and outstanding protection. The MR420 E4 pattern is already available in three major sizes: 40.00R57; 36.00R51; and 33.00R51.

2nd July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors