Manufacturing Archives - Page 243 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

Tyres to Coke plant proposed

Moncktons Coke and Chemical Company has submitted an application to the Environment Agency to use tyres in its coke manufacturing process. Anticipating a healthy market for used tyres, Moncktons is aiming to become one of the first businesses in the UK to use tyres to make coke on a commercial basis. The company has already conducted successful trials at its plant in Barnsley using 7 per cent crumbed tyres with coal in its carbonising process. The company plans to use up to 20,000 tonnes of tyres a year in its 42 ovens and already has planning permission from the local authority to build a tyre crumbing facility on the site. Upon completion of controlled trials the company has applied to the Environment Agency to widen its Pollution Prevention and Control Permit to cover waste tyres. The company hopes to start using tyres in its coke ovens in autumn 2004.

9th March 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Widest Indian manufactured car radial

The ZVRL 265/70 R15-size radial has been manufactured in India by MRF, has met with Ford’s international standards and come as 100 per cent fitment on the Ford Endeavour, says a release from the company. These Indian manufactured tyres will compete against imported tyres which were the only one available in this sector of the market until now. The development of this premium radial tyre opens up the market for MRF.

5th March 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Special praise for Michelin’s track record

Michelin has been praised for giving Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector a much-needed lift. The French company, which employs over 1,200 people at a plant in Ballymena, has a long-standing partnership with North-East Institute of Further and Higher Education. But it increased its involvement with the official opening of a new technical training centre at the Ballymena-based institute’s Farm Lodge campus. The centre, which was given the seal of approval by Employment and Learning Minister Jane Kennedy, has been established to act as a focal point for manufacturing and maintenance engineering training and practices. Specific training in engineering maintenance is delivered within the Michelin Technical Training Centre by Michelin staff, complementing the work of institute lecturers.

5th March 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook considers 500 million dollar Czech plant

Hankook Tire Manufacturing Co Ltd is considering investing up to 500 million Dolars to build a plant in the Czech Republic. This follows the decision of Hyundai to build cars in Slovakia. The area is rapidly becoming the centre of the new European automotive industry. Hankook Tire may be looking at other countries in the region but they are clearly considering the Czech Republic as an option. Hyundai announced on Tuesday that it will set up its factory in the north western city of Zilina, about 30 km from the border with the Czech Republic, where a number of foreign car part makers are already present.

4th March 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Raw Material Costs Hit Michelin’s 2003 Figures

Michelin has released its 2003 year-end figures. These show net sales of 15.4 billion euro (down 1.8 per cent on 2002), although sales volume (in tons) rose by 3.7 per cent. Operating income was down 6.7 per cent, to 1.143 billion euro and net income was down 47 per cent, to 329 million euro. The main impact on the figures came from sharply-increasing raw material costs, which rose by 21 per cent (in US$) during the year. Currency fluctuations and several one-off extraordinary items also had a negative effect on the figures. Michelin believes that, in the light of these exceptional cost increases, its 2003 figures show that the company is resilient, with increased investment and a strengthened global presence. The company claims a worldwide tyre market share of 19.2 per cent.

25th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Tiger Wheels restructures

South African Tiger Wheels has reached agreement in principle to create a uniform global ownership and management structure for its original equipment manufacturer wheel businesses. Eddie Keizan, a joint chairman of Tiger Wheels, said that this would involve the alignment of the previously unequal shareholding of Tiger Wheels and the significant German minority shareholder in ATS and TSW Manufacturing, the wheel manufacturing plant in Babelegi near Pretoria. Tiger Wheels owns 100 percent of the Babelegi plant and 74 percent of ATS and the remaining plants, including those in Germany, Poland, the US. This unequal and differential shareholding had led to conflict and difficulties in the past. Keizan said that possibly the easiest way to resolve the difficulties caused by the differential shareholding was for the minority shareholder to buy 26 percent of the Babelegi operations so there was then equal shareholding in all the manufacturing operations. As a result of the agreement with ATS, Tiger Wheels has terminated negotiations on the possible disposal of its wheel manufacturing businesses.

20th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Announces Tire Production in the United States

Toyo Tire & Rubber Co Ltd has announced its decision to build a new manufacturing plant in the United States for the production of passenger car and light truck tyres.

20th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper ups production at Findlay

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company plans to add capacity at its Findlay (Ohio) plant with an equipment investment of 1.8 million US dollars. The capacity will increase by 500,000 tyres annually and add at least 30 additional jobs in the Findlay production facility. Bill Woeste, vice president manufacturing, said, “We expect this equipment to be in place and at full production levels by late summer,” he concluded. In January, Cooper announced investments in its other three U.S. tyre plants; with Findlay added, the total investment is nearly 34 million US dollars and an added capacity of almost 3 million units annually.

20th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

ThyssenKrupp to Manufacture Tyre Curing Presses in India

ThyssenKrupp Elastomertechnik has signed a further technical co-operation agreement with the Indian-based manufacturer, Alfred Herbert India. The agreement relates to the manufacture of the column curing presses, for the Indian market. Following the agreement signed in 1999 for the manufacture of the first frame-type hydraulic curing presses for India, the two companies are now moving into the area of advanced machine technology for the production of high-performance radial tyres and ultra-high-performance tyres. ThyssenKrupp Elastomertechnik’s Managing Director, Frank Horch, believes that India – particularly its tyre sector – will play an important part on the world market and for ThyssenKrupp Elastomertechnik in the coming years.

19th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre firm gets clearance to build

Bartow County, Georgia, has granted a Japanese tyre maker the industrial zoning it needs to build a 125 million dollar tyre plant in a rural area. The decision went against strong opposition and opponents vowed to continue to fight the development. Bartow County has lost more than 2,000 manufacturing jobs in about three years and the new plant expects to bring 350 jobs, at an average wage of 12 dollars an hour. State and local recruiters will not name the tyre maker, but opponents believe it is Toyo Tire, whose U.S. operations are headquartered in Cypress, California.

13th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Iran tyre cord player emerges

Saba Tire Cord Manufacturing Complex of Iran has established a nylon tyre cord production facility about 15 km north east of Zanjan, Iran. The operation, which started up in April last year, is the largest such facility in the Middle East region, the company claims. Saba’s 600-employee facility has an annual production capacity of 15,000 tonnes of different tyre cord fabrics. Saba is owned by Rubber Industries Investment & Development Co., an Iranian holding company.

13th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Nokian Tyres plc Q4 improvement

The Nokian Group’s net sales and operating profit increased in Q4 with all profit centres improving their results. Net sales grew by 10.3 per cent, to 528.7 million Euro (2002: 479.2 million Euro). Operating profit was 79.1 million Euro ( 60.1 million Euro). EPS were up to 4.48 Euro ( 3.17 Euro). The Board of Directors propose a dividend equalling 35 per cent of the net profit, that is 1.56 Euro ( 1.11 Euro) per share, to be distributed.

12th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama to invest in Thai plant (update)

Yokohama Rubber Ltd. plans to invest 5.8 billion yen on a new truck and bus radial tyre factory in Thailand according to Hisakuni Yamashita, president of Yokohama Tyre Manufacturing (Thailand). The Thai unit was set up in January and will commence production in April 2005, with initial annual capacity of 315,000 tires and a final target of 600,000 tires in the second phase. Japan’s Yokohama Rubber owns 95 per cent of the Thai unit while the remaining 5 per cent is owned by T Siam Commercial Ltd., the Yokohama tyre distributor in Thailand.

12th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Honeywell ups polyester capacity in China

Honeywell has announced that it will double its dimensionally stable polyester production in Kaiping, China, to meet growing demand for its products and services in the Asian marketplace. The added capacity will produce the latest generations of Honeywell’s DSP® fibres for tyre reinforcement and other end uses. “This is another example of our commitment to the global tyre industry and our customers worldwide,” said Greg Rogowski, General Manager, Performance Fibers. “As the only polyester fibre supplier with manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe and North America, we continue to make investments in technology to meet the needs of our customers, wherever they are located.” The plant expansion is expected to be complete by late 2004.

10th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Cabot announces JV with China’s Bluestar

Cabot Corporation has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Cabot (China) Ltd., has signed a joint venture agreement with Bluestar New Chemical Materials Co., Ltd., a part of the China National Bluestar Group, to manufacture fumed silica in China.

5th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors