Manufacturing Archives - Page 149 of 257

Klarius Invests £1.2 million in UK Manufacturing

Klarius Group, the exhaust manufacturer, reports that it is currently enjoying success despite the challenging market having invested £1.2 million in its UK manufacturing and R&D facilities over the last 18 months. According to the company, the investment has gone into moving production arrangements over to lean manufacturing, fast track product development for exhausts and catalytic converters and in-house logistics facilities.

The Klarius Group was formed in August 2007 following the acquisition of the Emissions Control activities of ArvinMeritor Light Vehicle Aftermarket Europe. In its final year of trading prior to the acquisition (2006/2007), the Emissions Control division registered a £7 million operating loss. However, since the Klarius takeover this has been turned around, as evidenced by the Group’s first set of accounts which reveal that Klarius moved into profit well within its first full year of trading. Favourable euro exchange rates have also combined with a strong international sales approach to secure new supply agreements and install new distribution facilities and warehousing across Europe.

8th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

In Tyres & Accessories, May 2009:
Tyrexpo Asia Review
High-Performance Tyres
Vintage Tyres

Product News

Tyrexpo Asia

Reports from this year’s Tyrexpo Asia exhibition in Singapore have been positive, with show attendees commenting on a good turnout and definite signs of flourishing business despite current global conditions. Following a full schedule of meetings with industry representatives at the show, Tyres & Accessories is proud to bring you its 2009 Tyrexpo Asia review. A comprehensive report on the Singapore show can be found in our next edition.

Born to Perform

If any aspect of the tyre business can at all lay claim to coolness, it is the high performance tyre segment. Manufacturers naturally make the most of this when promoting their wider product ranges, yet the performance tyre sector is a very important business in its own right. Healthy profit margins mean companies are keen to see continued market growth, and the production of high performance tyres is increasingly becoming a means of continued existence for plants located in higher cost countries following the flight of mass-market manufacturing to other parts of the world. Don’t miss the May edition of Tyres & Accessories, when we feature the latest news from the high performance tyre world.

Enjoying an Active Retirement

As we get older we are admonished to regularly exercise our bodies, to – ‘use it or lose it’. Vintage and classic cars are no different. A full appreciation of yesteryear’s vehicles can only be gained by keeping them on the road instead of gathering dust in a static museum display, but for a full and active retired life, these cars require a little more TLC than average – including the correct tyres. Thankfully, number of firms have dedicated themselves to ensuring these tyres remain available long after wider volume production ended. In May, Tyres & Accessories returns to the world of cross-ply and beaded edges to bring you its vintage tyre feature.

7th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

T&A Interviews Cooper European Technical Centre Head

Product News

Cooper Tire has launched a new ultra-high performance tyre which, the company claims, offers all the performance of the Zeon range, but with the addition of much improved tread life. The new Cooper Zeon CS6 replaces the Cooper Zeon XTC’s V and W-rated sizes. The product’s enhanced tyre tread life is achieved by virtue of a new silica compound which, thanks to computer-aided design technology, offers enhanced grip in wet weather braking and handling situations. However, arguably the greatest claim the company is making about the CS6 is the suggestion that the new tyre offers up to 12 per cent longer tread wear than the XTC.

What’s more, the new tyre has hit the road courtesy of development work at Cooper’s European Technical Centre. Tyres & Accessories recently visited the ETC, which is based on the company’s Melksham tyre production site, and discussed the CS6 and evolution in the company’s tyre development strategy with tech-centre head Marcus Hancock.

7th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Researching the Use of Rice Husk Ash in Tyre Compounds

International News, Product News

From an ecological point of view, the new Pirelli Cinturato P7 offers three headline benefits – a CO2 emission reduction of up to 4 grams per kilometre driven, 30 per cent lower noise emissions and a 4 per cent fuel saving. Pirelli’s clincher (particularly aimed at current and potential OE customers) is that it is already in position to meet the targets set by the new EU regulations that are due to take effect from 2011 and that it does this without compromising on wet or dry performance. However, none of this explains how the company is able to achieve these goals.

In mid-February, Pirelli gave details of how its 2009 – 2011 industrial plan means the company will have an increasingly “green” focus. In particular Pirelli committed to developing a series of new materials that for use in tyre compounds. One particular silica rich material is rice husk ash (RHA). Pirelli is already (as far as the technological requirements are concerned) in a position to use this material in tyre production this year. However, the material is currently the subject of a large scale viability study focusing on the availability of the kind of tonnages needed for tyre industral scale tyre manufacturing. Tyres & Accessories understands that Pirelli already has research and development teams in place in Brazil and the areas surround Milan, which just happen to be some of the best rice production areas in the world.

7th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Acquires Serbian Conveyor Belt Manufacturer

News

Continental AG subsidiary ContiTech has taken over Serbian manufacturer of mining operation conveyor belts, Univerzal Kolubara. According to ContiTech, the group paid less than ten million euros for the company, which has 250 employees. Investment at the Univerzal Kolubara site is planned in order to take advantage of anticipated growth in the mining of brown coal in Serbia.

7th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Wolfrace Announces 5-Year Aftermarket Rim Warranty

Product News

Wheel designer Wolfrace is confident in the quality of its aftermarket rims – so much so, that it is now offering them with a five-year warranty. This move, which the company claims is an industry first, applies to a number of lines in its 14 design GB range, namely the Porto in silver, Milano, Como, Modena, Oslo, Flair, Campo, Salerno and Riga. A number of designs, the Porto in black/ polished, Trenta, Lugano, Ravenna, Bari, Nogaro, Porto and Ancona in full chrome, are covered by a two-year warranty.

7th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Appoints New General Manager to Mexican JV Operation

Product News

In late March Cooper Tire & Rubber announced the appointment of Jeffrey J. Schumaker as general manager of the company’s manufacturing joint venture in Mexico, Corporacion de Occidente. Schumaker joined Cooper in 1988 and has served as tyre testing manager, and sport-utility vehicle and light truck tyre development manager in the US and as technical liaison manager in Melksham. Following his time in the UK he held the position of business unit manager in Albany, Georgia, and, most recently, as director of quality systems. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and master’s degrees in manufacturing management and operations management.

6th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Marangoni to Restructure “Tyre Retreading” Business Area

Product News

“Our company, like other companies that operate in the tyre sector, is not, and has not been, an island in itself.“ With these words, Brenno Benaglia explains the reach of the current economic recession and its consequences, which are shaping up to be structural rather than cyclical. Despite a clear cut in truck and passenger car retread production and sales figures, the sales & marketing director for Marangoni’s Tyre Retreading business area points out that the Italian company is sticking to the growth and expansion strategy it presented two years ago.

6th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental and Schaeffler aim to Leverage Joint Purchasing Power

Product News

Continental AG and the Schaeffler Group have initiated a joint global purchasing project, which was contractually agreed on 27 March 2009. According to the two companies the project’s goal is to optimize the cost of materials and achieve an annual triple-digit million benefit through access to the steel markets and component suppliers as well as investments and non-manufacturing materials. The combined purchasing volume of Continental and Schaeffler totalled approximately 20 billion euros in 2008, with the amount expected to benefit calculated at 6.6 billion euros. The companies are hoping to achieve total savings of between 350 and 400 million euros for the period between 2009 and 2011 alone.

According to a company statement announcing the cooperation, both companies follow the principle of acting in the market as independent entities but “creating synergies through cooperative actions.” Purchasing is an ideal area for this cooperation because this is where the strengths of Continental and the Schaeffler Group complement one another. While Schaeffler’s annual purchasing volume of as much as 1 million tons of steel brings it direct access to steel producers, a high level of competence in this segment and also very good purchasing conditions, Continental’s strength lies in the purchase of mechanical and electronic components. Both companies have a well established portfolio of suppliers. The joint access to the partner’s purchasing expertise makes it possible for both companies to benefit from the improved purchasing conditions.

6th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Commemorates Centenary of Taking to the Skies

Premium, Product News

It’s been a century since Goodyear introduced the first specialised aviation tyre and made travel by aeroplane – at least the part involving contact with the ground – a simpler and more comfortable affair. The Goodyear Wing Aeroplane Tire, introduced in 1909, was designed by Goodyear’s engineers to be lightweight, puncture resistant and easy to remove. A hundred years later the company remains strongly involved in the aviation tyre business, and has observed its centenary with the introduction of a new innovation and expanded product range.

“Nobody could have envisioned that Goodyear’s aviation business would last at least 100 years,” said Pierre Jambon, general manager, Global Aviation. “But we’ve prospered by doing the same things that we did at the beginning: develop innovative new products to fulfil the changing needs of the aviation industry.”

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31st March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

ContiTech Power Transmission Belts: Brand Products Give Certainty

Product News

Car maintenance has once again become a priority in the minds of vehicle owners because cars are being kept longer as a result of current economic conditions. And consumers are also paying more attention to prices at auto repair shops. Anyone trying to save on quality when buying power transmission belts, however, must expect to incur high follow-up costs in the event of belt failure – a warning the sales staff at repair shops should give to their customers.

The qualities of a drive belt are not immediately evident just by looking at the product. “Only by the brand name will the fitter know for sure that he is using a quality product”, stresses Markus Pirsch, head of Marketing Service for the automotive aftermarket at the ContiTech Power Transmission Group. Drive belts made by ContiTech for the automotive aftermarket comply with OE standards, giving shop fitters the certainty and confidence that their customers will also benefit from the features of these products.

31st March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Fire Reported at Pirelli’s Burton Plant

Product News

Fire crews attended a callout to the Pirelli factory in Burton on the morning of March 30 after a blaze was reported at the site. Upon arriving at the premises at 7am, firefighters discovered a forklift truck on the first floor of the factory’s manufacturing plant was on fire. The fire was brought under control within about three quarters of an hour, but it is not yet known how much damage has been caused.

30th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Italmatic Produces 51-inch Tyre Buffers

Product News

Retreading machinery maker, Italmatic, recently celebrated a success in the development of PL 80 buffers for OTR tyres. The latest technological milestone means the company’s latest (standard model) machinery is now capable reliably buffing OTR tyres in of up to 51 inches.

According to the company, Matic PL 80 makes “perfect buffing profiles both for hot retreading and for cold retreading,” but is likely to be particularly useful for retreaders who rely on both methods. The machine can be equipped also with a building group and grooving group on request.

30th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Opens First Vietnam ‘Tire Pro’ Centre

Product News

On March 12, Kumho Tires announced the planned launch of its specialist ‘Tire Pro’ retail store in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, a country the South Korean manufacturer identifies as one that is “emerging as a promising market.” The Vietnam launch of Tire Pro follows the opening of branches in Korea and China.

Kumho has already opened tyre manufacturing and rubber processing plants in Vietnam, and the company says it now plans to launch Tire Pro branches in Vietnam and accelerate its efforts to penetrate the Southeast Asian market, in order to strengthen and expand its distribution channels in local markets.

24th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

GiTi Incorporates New UK Truck Subsidiary

Product News

On 26th January 2009 GiTi Tire Europe BV incorporated a new UK truck tyre subsidiary. Company representatives report that the Chinese tyre manufacturer initiated the move in order to enable the company to focus better on the specialist needs of the truck tyre market.

Planning for the new subsidiary began in mid-2008, and the company now has premises, a third party logistics operation and three sales people on the road. The next appointment scheduled in the company’s lean business plan is the recruitment of an operations manager to oversee the truck tyre subsidiary’s back office operations.

24th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

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