Manufacturing Archives - Page 155 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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R H Claydon Reviews “Challenging” 2008

Wholesaler R H Claydon reports that the year of 2008 drew to a close after a prolonged period of factors which made the function of stocking and marketing land based tyres, agricultural and construction somewhat challenging. Like many others, the firm experienced worldwide commodity prices to the manufacturing industry continuing to rise, thus affecting the price of the finished product. Rising oil prices, which greatly affected all industries, alongside currency fluctuations prompted widespread re-evaluation of delivery and servicing to contain the high levels of road fuel costs and yet maintain the service. The wholesaler says that, “the most frustrating and punitive situation all experienced in 2008, was shortage of product, a factor especially prevalent, says RHC, in radial tractor tyres.

9th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Australia and Bridgestone New Zealand Join Forces

As of January 1, Bridgestone Australia Ltd. (BSAL) and Bridgestone New Zealand Ltd. (BSNZ) have officially become a single organisation. The joining together means BSAL will be the shareholder of BSNZ. However, Bridgestone reports that the two companies will retain their own identity and maintain their respective Board of Directors.

Shawn Hara, BSAL Group chairman and managing director, said the closer relations between the two companies will allow for greater sharing of knowledge and resources. “This joining of forces will strengthen operations, giving the company a competitive advantage in the market,” commented Hara. “As the Australian and New Zealand markets are similar, the joining of operations provides opportunities to improve our joint product and service delivery to improve customer satisfaction and to increase our market share in both countries.

9th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dongah Tire & Rubber Acquires Avon Automotive Vibration Business

Automotive industry rubber products supplier Dongah Tire & Rubber has announced the December 31, 2008 acquisition of Avon Automotive’s Vibration Management Systems (VMS) business, which is headquartered in the Wiltshire town of Chippenham. The VMS business designs, manufactures and supplies engine and suspension mounts, mass dampers, tank track pads and other vibration management products to leading global automotive and defence customers in Europe and North America.

8th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Manufacturer Races on Regardless

Special hand-finished racing tyres manufactured in Birmingham by Dunlop are continuing to be popular, despite the difficult financial environment and the knock-on effect this has had on motorsport. According to the tyre manufacturer more people race on Dunlop tyres than any other brand in the UK and the company’s continue to be shipped around the globe as they have done since 1888.

Fort Dunlop produced over 200,000 specialist high technology tyres in 2008 and is set to build on this in 2009. Dunlop race tyres are used in many race championships for cars and motorcycles including the prestigious Le Mans 24 hour race and the famous Isle of Man TT races.

8th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Business Booming at Fort Dunlop

Dunlop says that business is booming at its Fort Dunlop motorsport factory. Currently the plant is turning out 200,000 bespoke racing car and motorcycle tyres per annum, and victories achieved on the factory’s tyres, including last year’s Le Man and Isle of Man TT, mean that the 300 staff at Fort Dunlop are being kept very busy indeed.

8th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

High Employee Costs Driving Plant Closure, Says Titan’s Taylor

According to an article published on the website of Rockford, Illinois based CBS television affiliate WIFR, Titan Tire has commented that “when the fall hit, things sort of ground to a halt.” The market downturn caught up with the company late last year, and the company responded by laying off 83 employees, about 14 per cent of the workforce at its Freeport, Illinois plant. Titan at this time also instigated a six-week on/two-week off operating schedule.

7th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

MTNA Produces 1,000,000th Ringtread

Last December, Marangoni management and employees celebrated the production of the millionth Ringtread in the United States. The seven-digit number was reached on December 12, four and a half years after the first tyre was retreaded with Marangoni’s Alpha-Ring system in the US.

During a staff celebration to mark the occasion, company CEO and president Bill Sweatman said “Today, we manufactured our one millionth Ringtread here in the United States. We are proud and thankful that we have been able to achieve this important milestone. This is the icing on the cake in a year full of successes! Our unit sales have increased more than 10 per cent this year and along with other improvements we’ve made we have gained in both market share and market strength.

6th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Promotes Corporate Officers

Several key promotions were made by both Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc. and its subsidiary, Toyo Tire USA Corp. As of 1 January, Carlos Kibata became chairman of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas. He had been president and CEO of TTHA, and was the founding president of Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc.

Concurrently, Masaharu Yoshimoto, president and CEO of Toyo Tire USA, was named president and CEO of TTHA. Yasushi Takagi was promoted to president and CEO of Toyo Tire USA, having served as COO and executive vice president of the company since September 2008. (Tire Review/Akron)

6th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Zimbabwe Sales Rise Following Granting of Forex Permit

According to a company official, sales at Dunlop Zimbabwe Limited have significantly improved since the company received a license entitling it to sell its products in foreign currency. The license was granted to Dunlop Zimbabwe by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in late November 2008.

Without releasing specific figures, company managing director Kennedy Mandevani said that sales have been steadily increasing. “The FOLIWARS (Foreign Exchange Licensed Warehouses and Retail Shops) sales are gradually picking up and will make a positive difference to our sales mix,” he said. “Dunlop is intensifying its marketing campaign so that more of our customers are made aware of this facility.”

6th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

US Tyre Firms Announce Layoffs

The US tyre industry announced over 100 job losses today in both the manufacturing and retail segments. News reports suggest that Titan is to cut 80 jobs from its Freeport, Illinois plant in addition to taking on a six-weeks-on/two-weeks-off schedule, while Les Schwab Tire Centers’ distribution centre in Prineville, Oregon is set to shed 27 employees.

“There’s certainly a level of tentativeness about what the future holds in the short-term,” USW Local 745 President Steve Vanderheyden told Rockford’s WIFR-TV. “There’s been less construction companies willing to buy large mining rigs for example that would have our tires on them.”

6th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Wins Award for its Aircraft Tyres

Kumho Tires has won a South Korean award for its aircraft tyres. It was bestowed the Minister’s Prize of Knowledge Economy (Award for Excellence) at the ‘2008 Awards and Selection of Top 10 Technologies’ ceremony held in Seoul on December 22, 2008.

San Kim the manager at Kumho’s Airplane Tire Development Team who accepted the award, said “the selection of the airplane tyres of Kumho Tires as one of the top ten new technologies is very meaningful to us. We have contributed to national economic growth by developing the first airline tires for export.”

5th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Names Three US Promotions

Toyo Tire & Rubber has promoted three members of its US corporate team, effective January 1. New in the position of chairman at Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc. is Carlos Kibata, who has worked for Toyo for more than 37 years. Before accepting this latest post, Kibata served as president of subsidiary Toyo Tire (U.S.A.) Corporation, president of Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. and most recently, president and CEO of Toyo Tire Holdings.

5th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Wants Stoke Manufacturing to Continue Despite Downturn

Michelin’s eight decade manufacturing presence in Stoke-on-Trent is likely to be maintained despite a downturn in sales during the second half of 2008. This drop in business, reflected by the facility’s first ever prolonged Christmas period closure, may lead to job losses in 2009 – however the company retains a positive outlook for its future.

5th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper’s Albany Closure Savings Higher Than Expected – DB

Analysts at Deutsche Bank admitted on December 18 that the magnitude of cost savings from the closure of Cooper Tire’s Albany factory is higher than the bank initially expected. Cooper stands to save between US$75 million and $80 million per annum after costs linked to the closure are taken into account, however Deutsche Bank doesn’t expect Cooper Tire to achieve the full run rate of cost savings until the fourth financial quarter, as timing of employee departures and transition/inefficiency costs related to the plant shutdown, such as employee wages and benefits, mask the majority of the variable cost savings.

19th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Lower Vehicle Sales, Imported Tyres Hammering Indian Manufacturers

A slowing demand for new vehicles in India has prompted led to OE tyre supplies from manufacturers based in the country to reduce by as much as 70 per cent. And the story is not much better in the aftermarket sector, reports the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA), who says that cheaper imported Chinese made tyres are also having an impact.

“While the slowdown in the automobile sector has impacted the OE business, cheap imports and large scale dumping of tyres from China has created havoc with the replacement segment, forcing the tyre industry to go for production cuts,” said R P Singhania, who is chairman of both JK Tyres and the ATMA. All major Indian and multinational tyre companies, including Apollo, Birla, Bridgestone, Ceat, Goodyear, JK Tyres and MRF, are proceeding with production cuts of varying intensity in view of slowing demand.

19th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors