Cooper to Halt Production at Texarkana Plant For Two Weeks
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.’s manufacturing facility in Texarkana, Arkansas, will shut down production for two weeks, according to a report in the Texarkana Gazette.
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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Stamford Tyres Reports Record Net Profit for FY 2006
Product News(Akron/Tire Review) Stamford Tyres Corp. announced record net profit of 15.6 million Singapore dollars for the financial year ended 30 April, an 80.8 per cent growth over the S$8.6 million (£2.957 million) recorded in 2005. Revenue grew 32.4 per cent, to S$253.2 million (£87 million), the company said.
Apollo Tyres “Disappointed at Misleading Story”
Product NewsA story in the Business Standard in India, and mentioned on this website yesterday, has provoked a reply from Mr. Sunam Sarkar Chief, Corporate Strategy & Marketing for Apollo Tyres. The headline was “Apollo Tyres to Stop Making Radials in India” and Mr. Sarkar has written to the publication, saying he was “quite disappointed” in the story, which he describes as “misleading in the way it represents the facts” and with a headline that is “completely erroneous.” Mr Sarkar goes on: “There is no plan to stop making radials in India, rather we are increasing capacity. The specific fact that we discussed was the possible sourcing of low volume products from our South African facilities, so that our plant in Baroda can produce more of the high volume sizes. “The quote that ‘Apollo currently manufactures 200 radial tyres a month’ is completely untrue. We are currently manufacturing more than 7,000 radials per day, with plans to increase to 10,000 radials per day very shortly. While it is correct that we are exploring the replacement of South African manufactured cross-ply tyres with Indian ones, the important aspect of that strategy that does not come through in the story is that this production in South Africa will be replaced with increased production of truck radial tyres.”
Apollo Tyres to Halt Indian Radial Production
Product NewsApollo Tyres is planning to import radial tyres for luxury cars like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen from the company’s manufacturing facility in South Africa, rediff.com has reported. The local business news source reports that Indian radial production could halt at some point in the coming months.
Goodyear Exiting ‘Certain Segments’ of Private Label Business
Product News(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. announced that it is withdrawing from certain segments of the private label tyre business in North America. Approximately 10 private label brands currently manufactured by Goodyear and sold by wholesale customers to tyre retailers will be affected by the decision. In 2005, this segment represented approximately $300 million in sales and about 8 million units manufactured in five North American plants, or approximately one-third of the company’s overall private label business.
Record Number of New ArvinMeritor Aftermarket Parts
Product News2006 has seen ArvinMeritor Light Vehicle Aftermarket embark on a major new parts development programme. During the first quarter of the year 55 exhaust and 30 catalytic converter references were added to an already market leading range, providing a further 100 model applications. With plans in place to accelerate the development programme, by year end the company aim to have added a total of 400 new references.
Ram-Rod Launches Trakta Agri-Bead Braker
Product NewsRam-Rod Manufacturing Ltd has launched its new ‘Trakta’ bead breaker, designed for agricultural, earthmover and small plant applications, it is Ram-rod’s fourth product, all of which answer specific problems associated with tyre and wheel handling. At the same time the company also announced it is looking for companies to distribute its products across Europe.
Dunlop International and Apollo Executives Face-to-Face
Product NewsFollowing Indian manufacturer, Apollo Tyres’ announcement that it has officially completed its acquisition of Dunlop International (DI) Tyres & Acccessories’ Southern African editorial partner, SA Treads, flew to DI’s headquarters in Durban to interview CE Mike Hankinson, MD Pierre Dreyer and Apollo joint managing director and CEO, Neeraj Kanwar.
Three Decades of Processing Experience
Product NewsEldan Recycling A/S Denmark has been recognised as a leading supplier of Tyre Recycling Plant and Equipment for over 30 years. The company first manufactured a Rasper model 800 in 1970 to process car tyres into 20 mm chips to feed into a boiler to heat a commercial Greenhouse in Denmark.
Since that time the company has expanded from a small family run business into a large manufacturing company employing over 100 people, however, it has still managed to retain the personal touch often lacking with larger companies.
Bandag Announces Cost Cutting Programme
Product NewsBandag, Incorporated announced that it has closed its pension plans to new hires in the U S and Canada, and will freeze the existing pension plans for US employees and for salaried Canadian employees effective 31 December 2006. The cost-cutting programme includes an early retirement programme and voluntary and involuntary redundancies for some US employees.
Brand Overhaulin’
Product NewsThe biggest news from Cooper’s Reifen Essen stand was the US-based company’s decision to launch run-flat technology into the European market. At the same time Cooper’s large open-plan stand showed that the company is continuing to invest in raising its profile by modernising its brand image. Tyres & Accessories met with Cooper president, chairman and CEO, Tom Dattilo and found out more about how the brand re-launch is going and what the strategy behind the company’s run-flat launch is.
Apollo Tyres Considers More EU Acquisitions
Product NewsApollo Tyres, is reportedly planning acquisitions in Europe and South East Asia in the current financial year. “We will be interested in acquiring companies that will synergise the group’s expertise in the areas of manufacturing, overseas markets and new technology,” Neeraj Kanwar, joint managing director, Apollo Tyres, told India Business Line.
Acquisition will also be a strategy to increase the proportion of radialisation in the company’s truck and passenger car tyres. In January, the company acquired South Africa-based tyre manufacturer Dunlop Tyres international, a radial tyre manufacturer for roughly £36 million, 50 million euros.
SmarTire Gains First Major European Bus Manufacturer
NewsSmarTire Systems Inc. has announced that Van Hool NV has selected SmarTire to supply its tyre pressure and temperature monitoring systems (TPMS) on its buses and coaches. Van Hool is Europe’s largest independent bus manufacturer. The company exports 85 per cent of its buses and coaches, 60 per cent of them to Europe and an average of 600 coaches a year to the US.
Bridgestone Voted ‘Best Investor’ in Poland
Product NewsFor the second year running, Bridgestone Poland has won the ‘Best investor in Poland’ award from Poland’s Rzeczpospolita newspaper, the country’s respected business and political daily. The award was received by Mr Hiroyoshi Takigawa, President of Bridgestone Poland Sp z o.o., from the Polish ministers of Finance and State Treasury at a ceremony on 25 April 2006.
Rzeczpospolita is renowned in Poland for its annual ranking and review of the country’s top 500 companies, including both locally-owned firms and subsidiaries of foreign companies. At the same time, a jury appointed by the newspaper makes awards to outstanding companies across several categories.
Analysts Point to Boom in Brazilian Vehicle Production
Product NewsBrazilian motor vehicle production is on a roll, with both output and export figures reportedly at all time highs in May 2006, according to the Brazilian Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Association, Antavea. The exact figures have not yet been published but they must be higher than April’s 182,481 passenger car registrations to break the record production figures. In 2005 the Brazilian vehicle manufacturing industry produced 2,009,494 cars, 365,648 light commercial vehicles 153,158 commercial trucks and buses.
