Manufacturing Archives - Page 249 of 258 - 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.

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Ansell-Goodyear CEO Departs

The chief executive of Australian joint venture Ansell-Goodyear has departed suddenly, with no reason given. Rob McEniry is regarded as the main force behind the renaissance of South Pacific Tyres, in which Ansell-Goodyear has a 50 per cent stake, consolidating to two manufacturing sites and taking out A$85 million of annual costs. SPT is moving towards profitability and an Ansell spokesman was confident that McEniry’s departure would not adversely affect the reconstruction programme.

30th December 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Hayes Lemmerz Files Reorganisation Plan

Hayes Lemmerz has filed a Plan of Reorganisation with the US Bankruptcy Court. This is the first step in the company’s attempt to emerge successfully from Chapter 11 proceedings, which it hopes will happen in the first half of next year. The Plan requires approval from creditors and the Court. Among the corporate initiatives already put in place by Hayes Lemmerz are rationalisation of manufacturing and marketing and divesting non-core assets. It is understood that the plan involves Hayes Lemmerz paying creditors $425 million in notes and common stock in the reorganised company and assuming a debt of $650 million.

18th December 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Visteon/SmarTire Partnership For Tire Pressure Monitoring

Visteon Corporation and SmarTire Systems Inc. have established a partnership agreement bringing to market a “best-in-class” solution in automotive tyre monitoring technology. The two companies have agreed to combine their technical capabilities in working with automobile manufacturers to design and manufacture the latest in tyre monitoring systems. The partnership merges Visteon’s vehicle integration expertise, global design and manufacturing capability with SmarTire’s patented, wireless, tyre pressure and temperature monitoring system. The demand for these systems is growing significantly from global automobile manufacturers.”This agreement is exactly the type of agreement we need to make,” said John Kill, Visteon Vice President of Product Development. “It combines the strengths of companies to cost effectively deliver the technologies our customers want and need.” The agreement places SmarTire in partnership with a Tier 1 automotive parts supplier. “Original equipment manufacturers rely on Tier 1 suppliers to provide the products, quality and scheduled deliveries required by the automotive industry,” reports Robert Rudman, SmarTire’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “This relationship with Visteon opens the door for SmarTire to the original equipment marketplace. Together, the two companies will market high quality, low-cost SmarTire solutions to automotive manufacturers globally.” The agreement also allows Visteon manufacturing rights for certain SmarTire products and establishes provisions that will enable SmarTire and Visteon to jointly explore other opportunities such as the commercial vehicle market.

11th December 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Winter Tyre Wins Ecolabel Award

Kumho has become the first tyre manufacturer to be awarded the “Green Swan” Ecolabel for a new product. Both the company’s KWN7401 I’Zen tyre and the manufacturing process passed stringent tests set by the Nordic Ecolabelling Board. These had to demonstrate that the tyre was made with the lowest possible impact on the environment and that it operated in an environmentally friendly way during its lifetime, with low noise levels, low rolling resistance and the ability to be reused after its first life.

7th December 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

New Business Plan For Bridgestone Europe

Bridgestone Firestone Europe is to increase its capital by 400 million euros before the year-end, which will be undertaken by Bridgestone Corporation (Japan). Bridgestone will use capital to rebuild its manufacturing resources and to reinforce its sales organisation and financial position. The production capacity for high performance tyres will be strengthened by strategic investment in passenger car tyre plants to facilitate quick changes to future products. This will include the expansion of the Poznan plant, which will increase its capacity up to 23,000 tyres per day from its current capacity of 10,000 tyres. In addition, Bridgestone will increase the truck and bus tyre output from its Bilbao plant from 3,500 to 4,600 units per day by the end of 2005.

4th December 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Marangoni: The Joy Of Eating The Last Cannolo

At the risk of stereotyping, the Italians do everything with a passion. They cook with a passion, and they eat with a passion. In the UK we tend to cook to eat and we eat to live. In Italy, the cook would be insulted if the diner only ate to live. The diner would not visit the restaurant of the chef who cooked without interest, without passion. That drive, that passion is to be found almost everywhere in Italian life, in politics, in motoring, in football, and in art and architecture. There is an ethos which cannot be called a work ethic, it runs deeper than the work ethic, it is quite simply more, almost spiritual in nature. That passion can be found at Marangoni.When visiting any tyre company there is a sense of pride in the company and its products. It has to be said that, in most companies, this is a foregone conclusion because the PR representative accompanying you is present to ensure that the corporate message gets across. However, when visiting Marangoni at Anagni, south of Rome, it soon becomes obvious that the passion runs deeper than a PR exercise. Marangoni Tyre is just one part of a larger Marangoni Group with a worldwide presence. Marangoni was established in 1950 and by 1960 was manufacturing retread tyres. A history of development, attention to detail and a keen eye on the market brought Marangoni to the situation where in 1989 the Group decided to move into new tyre production at Anagni.

28th November 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Andreas Niegsch Replaces Marco Molinari At Goodyear Dunlop UK

On December 1st, Andreas Niegsch will be appointed General Manager of Goodyear Dunlop UK, replacing Marco Molinari, who is leaving the company to pursue other interests. Molinari’s current position of Group Managing Director will be eliminated. Niegsch will report to Robin McKnight, MD of Goodyear Dunlop sales countries, western Europe. Niegsch originally joined Dunlop Germany in 1998 as manager, sales countries, western Europe and was appointed director the following year. In 2001 he assumed his current position as director of marketing and sales for Goodyear’s Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region. The UK manufacturing operations at Wolverhampton and Washington will report directly to the European regional manufacturing HQ in Luxembourg, as part of the current policy to centralise product sourcing to obtain maximum efficiencies.

27th November 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Asbestos Claims Fears Hurt US Auto Stocks

The shares of US auto parts retailers fell sharply this week on the news that hundreds of companies, including the Big 3 car manufacturers, are facing lawsuits from plaintiffs who have been exposed to asbestos, which was once widely used in brake manufacturing. An argument is on-going whether those outlets that performed repairs should face greater liability than the manufacturers of the products.

27th November 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

New Bridgestone Production System

Bridgestone has unveiled a new tyre production system which automates the entire manufacturing process from initial materials processing to final inspection of finished tyres. Called Bridgestone Innovative and Rational Development (BIRD), the system consists of three elements. First is Bridgestone’s Automated Tyre Manufacturing Synchronised System (ATMSS) technology covering materials processing to vulcanisation. Second is Automated Inspection Modular System (AIMS) for automatic inspection of finished tyres and the third element is the Flow Oriented Approach (FOA) implementation of autonomous information processing for managing the system. Among the advantages claimed for BIRD include flexibility, quality improvements, smaller plants (a unit can produce up to 350,000 car tyres a year), occupying one-third of the space of a conventional plant, smaller lot production and reduced environmental impact.

26th November 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Analysts Downgrade Goodyear

In the United States, analysts UBS Warburg have downgraded Goodyear stocks from “Hold” to “Reduce” and the price target per share from $8 to $5.50. The analysts accept that the company’s sales performance overseas is improving, but Goodyear is struggling in the US and the analysts cite five reasons why it might be difficult to make further progress in this market.

6th November 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Agrees to Purchase Up to 1,000 Design Licenses

Michelin has agreed to purchase up to 1,000 licenses of SolidWorks three-dimensional computer-aided design (3D CAD) software to design new tyre manufacturing machines. Michelin expects SolidWorks to reduce its tyre manufacturing machine design time significantly throughout its global operations. It will also use SolidWorks to convert existing 2D designs to 3D and effectively communicate designs with customers, suppliers, and different departments in the company.

5th November 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Eagle F1 Goes Global

The Goodyear Eagle F1 which has been progressively rolled out around the world through 2002 is to become the first global tyre. The aim of global tyres is to produce tyre sizes for the worldwide market from single region manufacturing points. That is to say, tyres of any given size type will be manufactured in a single region and shipped globally. Currently eight North-American specific tyre sizes are manufactures in Lawton, Oklahoma, and 31 popular European sizes are manufactured in Germany. The global approach will significantly reduce manufacturing and equipment costs. The F1 is the first of many tyres that Goodyear will be offering on a global scale.

31st October 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Recycled Tyres To Go To War?

The US Military is a large consumer of retread tyres but a new development may see them also utilising recycled tyres. The Denlin Corporation is to demonstrate a new helicopter landing pad made from the company’s Treadoles(R) recycled tyres. “This product is of great interest to the military, industrial, commercial and retail markets,” said Dennis Martin, president. Besides helicopter landing pads, Martin said Denlin is using it in ballistic armour shields for military vehicles and ground troops. Both products are weeks away from first commercial use, he claimed.Denlin’s helicopter landing pad, custom made for desert fighting and field combat installation, helps eliminate sand blasting of critical helicopter parts, including rotors and engines. The manufacturing process uses “an unique, innovative cutting process,” according to Martin. Recycled vehicle tyres are used without the need for further processing of the rubber material. Other applications include flooring, roofs and roadways for third world countries.

28th October 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Components Business Boosts Cooper 3Q Results

Cooper Tire & Rubber has published its third quarter figures. Turnover rose 6 per cent to $839 million (3Q 2001: $791 m). For the first nine months, sales have totalled $2.5 billion, with a net income of $88 million, up 87 per cent on the same period last year. Tyre sales were almost static in 3Q at $464 million ($462 m), while auto component sales were up 14 per cent at $381 million. The company’s overall net income for the quarter was $23 million, compared to a loss in 3Q 2001 of $20 million, due largely to charges relating to settlement of class action litigation.

17th October 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Car Manufacturers In Joint Procurement Plan

Hyundai, DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi are said to have held talks exploring ways to jointly develop and purchase parts. The procurement talks were held in Hyundai’s Seoul HQ and covered parts purchased in the US, Japan and Europe in addition to South Korea.

14th October 2002/by Tyrepress Editors