Manufacturing Archives - Page 196 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

Bosal Invests In Russian Plant

Global exhaust and towbar manufacturer, Bosal Group, has acquired a 244,000 square metre site at Kaluga, 180 kilometres southwest of Moscow. The largest Bosal site in the world, the Kaluga investment will feature state-of-the-art production facilities and a supplier logistics hub that will play a major role for the distribution of automotive parts in the Russian market. The Dutch-registered privately held business is one of the first OE suppliers to acquire a site at Kaluga, but OEMs including Volvo and Volkswagen have already committed to the area.

Bosal plans to construct a 153,000 square metre plant in stages, the first phase of which will see a 28,000 square metre facility completed by the end of 2008. The Kaluga site will serve as the central manufacturing and distribution hub for Bosal’s operations in Russia where it also anticipates establishing regional satellite facilities to serve OEM assembly plants.

12th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

All Steamed Up

Apollo Tyres has signed an agreement with Gail India Ltd., India’s largest natural gas company, to cooperate in a ‘steam conversion project’. The deal, signed on July 10, not only falls under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) criteria but will also lead to lower gas consumption and increased energy efficiency for Apollo.

The agreement was signed by Apollo chief – legal Shri Mahesh Sharma and Gail director of marketing Shri B C Tripathi at Gail’s office in New Delhi. Also present for the occasion were numerous senior officials including Gail chairman and managing director Dr. U D Choubey, Apollo chairman and managing director Shri Onkar S Kanwar, and Dr. Amit Mitra, Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The project will be implemented by Gail at its Vaghodia Compressor Station in the western state of Gujarat and will provide steam to Apollo within 24 months at a cost of around £4.3 million. The duration of the Agreement is 15 years and commercial supply will start from July 2009, with an annual contracted quantity of 436,800 tonnes.

11th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Still Interested in Chinese Production

While no official word has been given, Continental reportedly retains very strong intentions of setting up its first tyre manufacturing facility in China. Klaus Kreipe, head of the tyremaker’s China operations, told the Reuters news agency on July 10 that “we are more than just seriously considering to start local production.”

This is not the first time such reports have come from the German tyremaker – in March 2006 Tyres & Accessories printed news that Conti CFO Alan Hippe was still weighing up its options regarding production in China and in August we reported that the company was looking at two potential locations for a greenfield factory project. Mr. Kreipe’s latest comments did not include a timetable of when any production projects would be established.

11th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Jamaica to Rebuild With Investment

In 2006 Goodyear Jamaica Ltd’s profits nose-dived more than 65 per cent, which was followed by a fire in January which meant its distribution network took a hit. However, at the beginning of July Goodyear Jamaica’s management announced plans to double its sales. In its first quarter to March, Goodyear posted losses of $3.8 million, saying the warehouse fire had consumed its profits.

“Inventory is almost 95 per cent back to its original level, and we have a full complement of staff to help regain the dominant position in the market,” Financial Controller Andrew Peart told local news sources, adding: “We will be selling the features and benefits of the product to consumers as we don’t think that the product is well differentiated in their minds.”

Jamaica had a tyre market of 1,008,116 – all imports – valued at just under $2 billion in 2004, according to the most recent data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica.

9th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Advanced ID – Minimising the Impact of Recalls

Advanced ID Corporation has reported receiving numerous inquiries regarding the US Chinese tyre recall, and the company believes the use of its tyre tags could have reduced the severity of the recall. Important tyre data, including batch number and date of manufacture, can be stored within an Advanced ID RFID tag or in a customer controlled database, making the correct identification of tyre a much simpler procedure. Advanced ID point out that the numerous UPC barcodes to be found on tyres did not contain the historical information required to pinpoint which specific tyres were manufactured using the process in question during the current recall, and thus thousands of tyres must be considered suspect when it is possible that only a very small number of tyres are actually affected.

Dan Finch, president and CEO of Advanced ID, said, “Advanced ID has been working with the major tyre manufacturers around the world for almost two years to develop an RFID tyre tag that provides a life-of-tyre unique tyre ID number. The ability to keep track of individual tyres becomes increasingly important as a tool to minimise recall issues and provide enhanced fleet management and tyre security capabilities with the added benefit of improved asset management.”

9th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo International Gains WEF Membership

Apollo Group export company Apollo International Ltd. (AIL), sister company to Apollo Tyres, has been inducted into the World Economic Forum’s Community of Global Growth Companies. AIL was selected after meeting the World Economic Forum’s stringent parameters and the company has stated its initial involvement will be participation in the inaugural annual meeting of the ‘New Champions’ to be held in China’s Dalian from 6 to 8 September.

“We feel privileged to have been identified as a Global Growth Company by the World Economic Forum,” said AIL managing director Raaja Kanwar. “The Forum will provide us with the platform for interaction and collaboration with other members companies and sharing of ideas of business opportunities. This will also help us in furthering our vision of nurturing entrepreneurs through partnership.”

Apollo International exports tyres through its Tyre Tech Global division, which is also the technology transfer of tyre manufacturing capabilities to other countries. Tyre Tech Global is headquartered in Gurgaon, India and has offices in Hong Kong, China (Qingdao), Dubai and Canada.

6th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop India Planning to Produce Aircraft Tyres

Despite the recent troubles that have plagued Dunlop India, the company is remaining positive and has announced that, as part of an initiative to revive its fortunes, the company will begin manufacturing aircraft tyres and industrial products at its Sahaguni and Ambattur factories in September. Production at both factories is currently halted, allegedly due to a shortage of working capital.

“We will start manufacturing industrial products like conveyor belts and other products used in steel and other industrial plants and these will be part of the revival programme,” reported Dunlop India vice-president Dhrubojyoti Nandi. “The production will start in September, when both the factories in Sahagunj and Ambattur resume full operation.”

6th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

An Untapped Resource? Nokian’s Kazakhstan factory bid

Editorial/Comment, International News

With news of Chinese product recalls and revised tax rules, some people are looking elsewhere to source their tyres. But if a tyre manufacturing colleague said they were about to expand capacity by entering into an off-take agreement in Kazakhstan, they would probably be met with either a blank “where-exactly-is-that face?” or a stream of Borat-related quips. Joking aside, Nokian Tyres, a company that has made a real success of its niche market approach, has reportedly taken the plunge and broken ground on $200 million-worth of production capacity in Astana, the former Soviet country’s capital city.

Although Nokian staff have not immediately confirmed their involvement in the deal, it would see Nokian gain another low-cost production base to supplement its very successful St Petersburg, Russia operation and – just as importantly – a strong and growing market in which to sell its high quality winter tyres. The winter conditions in Ukraine and Kazakhstan are harsh, making studded tyres popular.

6th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Hayes Lemmerz Completes Sale of Powertrain Components Facility

On July 5 wheel and automotive parts manufacturer Hayes Lemmerz International announced the sale of Hayes Lemmerz International – Wabash, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary that operates its Wabash, Indiana facility, to Harvey Industries LLC, a privately held company based in the US. Under the terms of the agreement, Harvey Industries has acquired all assets of the subsidiary. The financial terms of the transaction remain undisclosed.

The Wabash facility employs about 325 employees and manufactures intake manifolds, cylinder heads, water pump housings, and cast iron exhaust manifolds. “This transaction will further enhance Hayes Lemmerz’ goal to strengthen our financial position and to focus on initiatives in select geographic regions that will improve the growth of our company,” said Curtis Clawson, Hayes Lemmerz president, CEO and chairman of the board. “At the same time, this transaction will provide the Wabash facility the opportunity to grow with Harvey Industries.”

6th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

NLRB Denies Union’s Appeal Against CTNA

(Akron/Tire Review) The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has denied an administrative appeal filed by the United Steelworkers (USW) union contesting the NLRB’s earlier decision to dismiss the union’s suit against Continental Tire North America (CTNA).

The USW alleged unfair labour practices in the 2005-2006 labour negotiations between CTNA and the union at the tyremaker’s Charlotte, North Carolina manufacturing plant.

The NLRB’s general counsel concluded that CTNA’s decision to curtail tyre manufacturing at its Charlotte plant was lawful and that the company complied with its legal obligations to negotiate with the union about the decision.

“This determination resolves the legal dispute between CTNA and the union pertaining to the company’s efforts to restructure the Charlotte plant,” said CTNA. “The determination is final, and there are no other opportunities for appeal.”

6th July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop International UHP Tyres Benefit from Silica

Apollo Tyres’ owned Dunlop Tyres International has introduced a new silica compound into its 16 to 18-inch UHP passenger car tyre range. The company is confident that the silica compound will offer drivers a range of benefits, including better wet grip, superior cornering ability and overall improved handling from the W and Z speed rated tyres.

On-road tests of tyres made using the silica compound demonstrate an improvement to wet skid performance by as much as 15 per cent, and Dunlop International report that similar improvements in grip and braking distances were also experienced. However, the company’s technical director, Danie Langner believes the most significant benefit of this new compound will be felt in motorists’ pockets. “With fuel prices soaring any innovation that helps reduce a vehicle’s fuel consumption is valuable,” he commented. “The good news is that by replacing some of the traditional carbon black compound with silica we have substantially reduced the rolling resistance of our tyres. In fact, tests indicate that, provided the tyres are maintained at the correct pressure our silica compound will reduce rolling resistance by 20 per cent or more. This means that less fuel is required to propel the vehicle forward, with a 20 per reduction in rolling resistance translating into a 5% reduction in fuel consumption. That’s a significant saving; basically your Dunlop tyres will now pay for themselves over their lifespan.”

3rd July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Familiar Names and New Faces

China, the world’s leading tyre consumer and producer has in recent years gained significant product market share around the globe. With both phenomenal export growth and a domestic market in which demand is anticipated to reach 300 million units, it is little wonder that local manufacturers have flourished and international tyre majors have found the temptation of setting up operations irresistible.

Yet given the Chinese market’s current state of flux, finding the right partner to do business with can seem a daunting task, one that many Western companies can find themselves ill-equipped to accomplish. Therefore trade exhibitions such as the China International Tire Expo (CITExpo) come as a blessing to many a harried tyre professional. CITExpo has become established as an important regional trade event during the past few years and attracts both domestic and international buyers, tyre wholesalers and vehicle manufacturers seeking OEM suppliers.

3rd July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

CTNA Announces $78 Million in New Investments for Mt. Vernon Plant

Continental Tire North America (CTNA) is planning US$78 million in new investments at Mt. Vernon facility. According to Conti, these funds will “significantly expand CTNA’s commercial operations and regionalise the company’s commercial tyre production to better meet market demand in the United States.”

“This is another major investment in our Mt. Vernon facility and one that will allow us to take our commercial operations to a new level,” said CTNA CEO Matthias Schönberg. “The market demand in the US for CTNA’s commercial tyres continues to grow, and this expansion will help us to serve all our customers better, faster and more efficiently.”

2nd July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Lanxess Investing to Meet Asian Tyremakers’ Needs

Chemical group Lanxess has plans to expand its global position in the butyl rubber market and is pursuing plans to build a new facility in Asia. The company will invest somewhere in the vicinity of 400 million euros in the project and at present three possible sites – Singapore, Kuantan in Malaysia and Map Ta Phut in Thailand – are under consideration. Lanxess has reportedly already analysed a number of sites across Asia to assess their feasibility.

“This would be the largest investment in the history of our company,” said Lanxess management board chairman Axel C. Heitmann during a visit to Singapore. “In the next few months we will hold talks with possible host locations to determine the feasibility of the construction of a new plant. Should we decide upon a location, we will be able to bring the facility on stream in 2010.”

With this new investment Lanxess hopes it can further satisfy the growing demand for butyl rubber in Asia. Tyre production will continue to be the main use of butyl and Lanxess anticipates the continued rapid increase of the manufacturing capacity of Asian tyremakers.

2nd July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Marangoni Extends Meteo Range

Marangoni has extended the range of its Meteo HP winter tyres, which already includes 22 different sizes, through the addition of four new tyres developed especially for 4x4s. The tread and internal structure of the new tyre, the Marangoni Meteo HP SUV, has been upgraded to meet the specific needs of 4×4 vehicles. The Meteo HP SUV is initially available in four different sizes, designed for some of the most common 4x4s on the European market.

The range starts with a 215/65 R16 H suitable for vehicles such as the Toyota RAV4 and the Nissan Xtrail, continues with a 215/65 R16 H XL for the Nissan Xtrail, Suzuki Vitara, Land Rover Freelander and Honda CRV, a 235/65 R17 V XL for the BMW X5, Jeep Cherokee, Mercedes ML, VW Touareg and Volvo XC 90, and finally ends with a 255/55 R18 V XL for the Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Range Rover. As well as the new SUV tyres, the Meteo HP range also includes a 195/55 R16 winter tyre for compact and medium-sized cars such as the BMW Series 1, Fiat Grande Punto, Ford Focus, Mercedes Class A and Mini One and Cooper.

2nd July 2007/by Tyrepress Editors