Yokohama Thai Subsidiary Officially Opens
(Akron/Tire Review) Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co, a subsidiary of The Yokohama Rubber Co, held its grand opening ceremony on 15 July.
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.
Tag Archive for: Manufacturing
Michelin Sells US Steel Cord Operations
Product News(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin North America (MNA) has sold its steel cord plant in Scottsburg, Indiana., to Hyosung America Inc. a subsidiary of Hyosung Corp. Terms were not disclosed, but the deal includes a 10-year, $650 million supply contract in which MNA will purchase finished steel cord for tires from Hyosung America.
New Tyre Production Machinery Manufacturer Harburg-Freudenberger
NewsSome weeks ago, ThyssenKrupp Technologies AG sold its Harburg-Freudenberger GmbH mechanical engineering business to Luebeck, Germany-based L Possehl & Co mbH. Under new ownership, the company will produce machinery for the rubber and tyre industries.
Arnco Opens New Plant Near Cleveland
Product News(Akron/Tire Review) South Gate, California-based Arnco, a supplier of polyurethane flatproofing products for off-road vehicles, opened its new processing plant in Berea, Ohio, last week. The company said the new 112,000-square-foot facility will “significantly expand its production capacity and help meet the growing demand worldwide for products that eliminate flats and reduce costly downtime for equipment operators.”
Introducing Monbat
Product NewsMonbat may not be a well known brand in the UK at the moment but according to the company all that is about to change. The brand has been driving sales across Europe and having signed a contract with Squadron Batteries earlier this year the UK is Monbat’s next target.
Partly owned by Texaco Chevron, Monbat has been manufacturing batteries for over 45 years. The company specialises in heavy duty, high specification batteries for rail and military applications, as well as manufacturing UPS batteries for the telecom industry. Its car and commercial vehicle batteries are produced in the same manufacturing facility and to the same quality standards says the battery manufacturer.
CTNA Files Charges Against Union
Product NewsContinental Tire North America, Inc. (CTNA) has filed an unfair labour practice charge against the United Steelworkers union (USW) in relation to its Bryan Ohio OTR tyre manufacturing facility. The announcement follows attempts by Rodos Giants (part of the Roesler Group) to buy the plant. The union refused to enter into a labour agreement with the company.
Canadian Autoparts Toyota to Increase Wheel Capacity 17 per cent
Product NewsCanadian Autoparts Toyota Inc, which makes aluminium wheels for Toyota Motor Corp, is expanding its operations in British Columbia with a $39-million investment. The expansion will increase wheel capacity at the Delta site by almost 17 per cent to 1.68 million units annually, starting July 2007. The 19,000-square-metre plant produces 22 wheel models for Toyota’s vehicles and employs about 230 people, a number that is set to increase to increase to 260.
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Original Equipment on MazdaSpeed6
Product NewsBridgestone brand Potenza RE050A tyres will be original equipment on all of Mazda’s new MazdaSpeed6 vehicles. Bridgestone Corporation will supply the tyres to Mazda’s Hofu, Japan manufacturing facility in a 215/45R18XL 93Y size. The Bridgestone Potenza RE050A carries a UTQG rating of 140 for treadwear, A for traction and A for temperature.
A Market of Opportunities
NewsIn many respects the UK’s geographical position, being part of continental Europe while separated and independent of the mainland, reflects the British Isles’ position in the wider European market place.
In the latest of our series of special reports on influential and emerging markets (which has covered China, India and Russia) Tyres & Accessories has looked a little closer to home. The latest supplement focuses on what drives the UK market, while reviewing the current state of UK tyre manufacturing. In addition, while rumours abound about the future of Kwik-Fit as an independent chain, the supplement also asks: “Is there a place for both chained and independent retailers in the UK?”
Subscribers can download the complete report as a PDF file in the subscribers' area.
Cooper Workers in Albany Vote Against Union
Product News(Akron/Tire Review) Workers at Cooper Tire & Rubber’s Albany, Georgia tyre plant have voted against unionisation. Earlier this week, 1,220 Cooper workers voted at the plant. Representation by the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW) was rejected by 755 workers, while 465 voted for unionisation.
Toyo Announces Technical Partner Agreements with European Manufacturers
NewsToyo Tire & Rubber has formed technical partner agreements with Breyton, BMW’s tuner, Kleeman, Mercedes Benz’s tuner, and Sportec, Porsche’s tuner. According to the company, the agreements represent a part of Toyo Tire’s efforts to collaborate with leading European tuners. Toyo Tire expects that the partnerships with these three European tuners will be mutually beneficial in terms of technology information exchanges and increased brand exposure gained by promoting their brands with each other at trade shows and advertising activities.
Goodyear Names New Manufacturing VP
News(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co has named Christopher Werner as its new vice president of manufacturing for its North American Tire unit. Christopher Werner comes to Goodyear from GST AutoLeather Inc, a supplier of automotive leather for luxury vehicles from Toyota/Lexus, Acura, Ford, Chrysler and others, where he served as senior vice president of global operations. Mr Werner, 42, will report to Jon Rich, president of North American Tire, and Chris Clark, senior vice president of global sourcing.
Progress Reported in BFNAT-USW Talks
Product News(Akron/Tire Review) News reports from St Louis indicate union negotiators feel they are making progress in their contract negotiations with Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire (BFNAT). The two sides reportedly met through the Memorial Day weekend, and both sides said they expected to stay at the bargaining table through the first week of June.
Continental Cuts Production at Charlotte Passenger Plant
Product News(Akron/Tire Review) Continental Tire North America (CTNA) announced today that it is making a significant cut in tyre production at its Charlotte, North Carolina passenger and light truck/SUV tyre plant, a move that will result in some 200-300 layoffs. From 1 July, Charlotte production will be cut from approximately 25,000 tyres per day down to some 17,500. CTNA said the cutback was due to “a substantial increase in inventory levels for certain passenger tyre products and high process costs at the Charlotte plant.”
Apollo Tyres Suspends Production at Vadodara Plant
Product NewsApollo Tyres Ltd has shut its manufacturing plant in Vadodara, Gujarat. Local media reports attribute the closure to illegal strike action by one section of trade unions in the factory. As a result, shares in Apollo were down 0.8 per cent at 280 rupees in what the Reuters news agency described as “a slightly firm Bombay market”.
