VMI adds pallet lift to range
Tyre manufacturing equipment maker VMI has added a vertical pallet lift with high handling capacity to its product portfolio. The lift is for large batch-offs, mainly for the tyre industry.
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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GKN Wheels invests in Danish plant
GKN Wheels and Structures is commissioning a brand new manufacturing cell at its plant in Nagbøl, Denmark.
The programme will see the introduction of robotic technology, with the largest and fastest robot in Denmark being installed to improve both the company’s speed of manufacture and flexibility of production. On completion, the new manufacturing cell will be capable of producing very small batch sizes efficiently and cost-effectively, with changeover times brought down to an absolute minimum. Depending on customer’s specific requirements, the new production cell can also weld different valve guards and make a high spot mark.
Falken 2017/2018 UHP test successes a result of manufacturing improvements
Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ Falken brand has reached new levels of performance over the past few years, evinced by its latest range of high performance car tyres picking up magazine test plaudits against premium brand competition.
Fischer-owner sells majority stake in tyre manufacturing machinery maker
Funds managed by Equistone Partners Europe have agreed to sell a majority stake in Karl Eugen Fischer, the world’s leading manufacturer of cord-cutting machines for the tyre industry. Equistone acquired Karl Eugen Fischer in August 2013 and is now selling its stake to DBAG Fund VII, managed by Deutsche Beteiligungs AG. Management will retain a shareholding in the company. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Linglong to become first Chinese global Top 10 car tyre manufacturer by 2019 – analyst
New research by London based independent research company Astutus Research suggests that a domestic Chinese company could be about to join the top 10 global manufacturers of passenger car and light truck (PCLT) tyres. Linglong Tyre, currently ranked 12th globally in the segment by unit sales, is forecast to take tenth place by 2019, replacing South Korea’s Kumho Tyre. The move would make the manufacturer the first from China to enter the PCLT top 10.
TBR tariffs: Giti displays two commercial tyres ‘Made in Indonesia’ at The Tire Cologne
Giti Tire has given its first indication of the measures it is taking to shore up its European position in light of the EU tariffs introduced on commercial vehicle tyre produced in China. Presenting two of its most popular tyres, including the Giti GTR955 Combi Road, with “Made in Indonesia” highlighted on their sidewalls, the manufacturer is showing it is capable of shifting European truck tyre production to its Tangerang manufacturing complex in Jakarta, following a development completed in late 2016.
Motor manufacturers urged to ‘get houses in order’ to capitalise on electric vehicle interest
Motor manufacturers are being urged to ‘get their houses in order’ and learn from past mistakes if they are to capitalise on the anticipated surge of electric vehicle (EV) sales.
Michelin Ballymena site to be turned into business park following factory closure
Michelin has announced plans to convert part of the site of its closing Northern Ireland manufacturing plant to a business park following its sale to Silverwood Property Developments. The tyre manufacturer will complete the closure of its Ballymena plant in June, after the last tyre rolls off its production line in April, ending 50 years of manufacturing. Some of the site – reportedly around 10 acres – has been earmarked for Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, as it attempts to win its bid to host a regional Heathrow Logistics Hub, supporting proposed construction work at the West London airport.
Moody’s stabilises auto manufacturing outlook as economic recovery fuels demand
Increased consumer car demand due to improving global economic prospects and a lowering of the rating agency’s sales growth requirements for the sector have changed the outlook on the global auto manufacturing industry over the next 12 to 18 months to stable from negative, says Moody’s Investors Service in a report (“Automotive manufacturing — Global, Outlook update: Changing outlook to stable amid improving business environment”) published 14 March.
ZC Rubber to expand capacity at Thailand plant
ZC Rubber will increase capacity at its Thailand plant, with the expansion online by the end of 2018. The company said the strategic expansion will include increased production of truck and bus, car and OTR tyres. ZC Thailand, the Thai subsidiary of ZC Rubber, opened in 2015 with a production line covering PCR, TBR, OTR and two-wheel tyres.
Toyo to realise truck and bus tyre fuel efficiency gains through Nano Balance Tech
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co has achieved rapid fuel efficiency savings in its truck and bus tyre line-up through its Nano Balance Technology. The manufacturer has been advancing its indigenous rubber material development technology since 2011; the latest step forward is a new process development technology Toyo says will contribute to significant reduction in fuel consumption from “nano processing.”
Marangoni deploys new compound system in Rovereto
A new compounding system will be installed at Marangoni’s plant in Rovereto, Italy. The retreading company says it is continually investing in technologies to meet the demand for improved compounds for the evolving tyre market, including advances for dosing, handling, management and checking of raw materials.
Is Continental about to break into PCLT tyre global big 3?
A glance at the archives of Tyres & Accessories’ global tyre manufacturer rankings reveals that the ‘Big Three’ are quite stable fixtures at the top of the table. However, new analysis from Astutus Research suggests that the perennial fourth-placed Continental Tire could be about to break the stranglehold of Bridgestone, Michelin, and Goodyear in the passenger car and light truck tyre segment (PCLT). According to Astutus’s latest report, the German manufacturer appears to have closed the gap on Goodyear, and is set to jump up a place in the rankings.
Bridgestone, NRgene collaborate to sequence and assemble guayule genomes
Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) and NRGene, a genomic big data solutions company, are collaborating on research efforts to enhance the company’s US alternative domestic natural rubber breeding programme. They will be working in tandem to sequence and assemble multiple genomes of guayule, a rubber-producing plant indigenous to the hot, dry environments of the Southwestern United States and North Central Mexico, to develop new, high-yielding varieties. The first-ever, two guayule genomes have already been sequenced and completely assembled and a physical and genetic map are being developed which will provide a high level of accuracy and efficiency for breeding improvement.
Directa Plus awarded patent for G+ elastomeric composition for tyres
Directa Plus plc, a producer and supplier of graphene-based products for use in consumer and industrial markets, announces that the Ufficio Brevetti e Marchi (Italian Patent and Trademark Office) has granted the Company a patent for the product and application of its new graphene-based solution for enhancing the performance of tyres. Specifically, the patent covers Directa Plus’ ‘elastomeric composition comprising graphene and tyre components comprising said composition’.
