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.
Amerityre Corporation, a developer of polyurethane elastomer tyre technologies, has announced it has successfully completed significant portions of the pending FMVSS 139 safety standard testing on its Arcus® run-flat tyre design. FMVSS 139, the NHTSA testing standard for high speed and endurance, will come into effect this July.
UK based manufacturer of automotive and aerospace components, GKN, is taking its expansion within the Chinese market one step further following the acquisition of one of the country’s leading manufacturers of off-highway wheels. GKN has also announced details of a new investment and joint venture.
Tyres are reportedly rolling off the Dunlop production line in Sahagunj, India, for the first time since 2001. The factory, located in the state of Bengal, is initially focusing on manufacturing Earthmover tyres, although the production of other types of tyre should commence before mid 2007. The workforce at Sahagunj numbered 473 the day work resumed, but this number should increase to about 1,200 during the coming months.
Superior Industries International Inc., supplier of aluminium wheels and components for a number of leading car manufacturers, have announced the appointment of Ken Stakas to the new position of Vice President of Manufacturing.
Having already committed itself to closing plants in the US, Canada, UK and New Zealand, Goodyear tire & Rubber Co has announced its intention to close its manufacturing facility in Casablanca, Morocco, by the end of 2007. Approximately 150 jobs will be cut as a result of the closure.
Alcoa and the UAW have formalised their agreement to end the two-month strike affecting some 830 workers at Alcoa’s Cleveland wheel manufacturing facility. UAW affiliated employees returned to work on January 2 after ratification of a new four-year labour agreement that addresses the issues of greatest importance to both parties.
The agreement covers workers at the Cleveland plant where forged aluminium wheels are produced for the heavy duty truck and automotive markets, as well as forged products for the aerospace (including the Airbus A380) and industrial markets. It is claimed that the agreement will improve the plant’s competitiveness while preserving employee living standards.
Korea’s Kumho Tires has announced a tyremaking first, namely that it has developed products that incorporate a new environmentally friendly material known as Lyocell. Kumho will use the material in the production of tyre cord for ultra-high performance products, and the company claims that the use of Lyocell can mimimise the production of hazardous materials during the manufacturing process.
A tentative agreement has been reached between Alcoa and United Auto Workers Local 1050, subject to a membership vote, to return to work at Alcoa’s Cleveland wheel manufacturing plant on January 2nd under the terms of the company’s 2001 labour agreement. Negotiations between the company and union are ongoing, with more meeting scheduled. Both parties aim to reach a new collective bargaining agreement
The strike at Alcoa’s US wheel manufacturing plant in Cleveland is not affecting production levels, according to a company report. Since negotiations between Alcoa and the United Autoworkers Union (UAW) broke down on November 6, salaried employees from the Cleveland plant and from other Alcoa facilities began operating the Cleveland works.
Alcoa reports that normal production levels of commercial vehicle wheels and forged specialty wheels resumed after only a short time, and at present the company is enjoying record commercial vehicle wheel production levels.
Union employees at the Cleveland plant have been striking over issues related to health care, absenteeism, wages, and pensions.
Carlisle Companies Incorporated, parent company of Carlisle Tire & Wheel, have on December 18 announced details of their agreed purchase of a tyre group in China. This latest acquisition adds to the US company’s already sizable manufacturing base in that country, a presence the company has had for more than a decade.
Carlisle will acquire the assets of Meiyan Tire Group, based in Meizhou, Guangdong Province, and the deal is expected to be finalised by March 31.
(Akron/Tire Review) Pirelli Tire North America’s automated tire plant in Rome, Ga., received Ford Motor Co. Q1 Accreditation for operational excellence recently. The plant, featuring Pirelli’s MIRS production system, supplies OE tires for various Ford vehicles.
“This is a prestigious award from a world-class organization and is a sure indication of the rapidly developing capability of our company in the U.S.,” said Francesco Gori, managing director of Pirelli Tire. “Pirelli Tire North America is focused on selective growth in both the replacement and original equipment markets in the U.S. and Ford is very much part of that strategy, making it doubly satisfying to receive the accolade of their Q1 Accreditation.”
Indian textiles company Gupta Synthetics seems set to be entering the tyre raw materials market after announcing plans to invest 2.23 billion rupees (£25.5 million) to set up a nylon tyre cord fabric (NTCF) making and nylon filament yarn (NFY) making factory in the city of Silvassa.
The facility will produce the cord fabric and yarn for the tyre, textile and furniture industries and will have an output capacity of 8,128 tonnes per year. The NFY side of the operations should be producing output by October 2007 while NTCF production fabric will commence in 2008.
The distribution and retail subsidiary of Amtel-Vredestein, AV-TO, has announced the opening of its new showpiece, a tyre and automotive service centre in Moscow. The openings signals the final step in the company’s 14 month re-branding of its retail network.
Headquartered in Johnstown, Ohio and founded in 1939, Tech International is a family business that describes itself as the world’s leading producer of tyre and tube repairs and wheel service solutions. According to the official literature, the company markets more than 5,000 products into over 110 countries throughout the world and is recognized as one of the top exporters in the United States.
Lebanese tyre shop consumables manufacturer, Hatco, can only be described as unique. Since 1984 Hatco has grown to become a prominent tyre repair and consumables company and aims “at becoming a global leader in manufacturing, marketing, and distributing tyre repair materials, tools and accessories that keep wheels rolling”.
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