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.
Under an exclusive partnership with Porsche, the research and development team at Apollo Tyres has developed a new, variable front spoiler for the recently introduced Porsche 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S. The patented spoiler, branded as ‘Air Master by Vredestein’, is an integrated part of the Porsche Active Aerodynamics system.
Dunlop Motorsport has confirmed it will close its Fort Dunlop tyre production factory in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham. The news follows the announcement last May that the company’s lease would not be renewed and that site was being sold to Jaguar Land Rover. Goodyear Dunlop representatives told Tyres & Accessories that the firm remains committed to the production of motorsport tyres and is still in talks with Birmingham City Council with regards to the possibility of finding another suitable site in the region.
The US mandated TPMS installation in new cars some time ago and we and we all know that the same will happen in Europe in November this year, but what about the emerging markets? Ask any market analyst and you will learn that China in particular is set to overtake the US and become the world’s largest economy in the next few years. Many sources suggest the People’s Republic is already there in terms of car production and – as a consequence – tyre manufacturing. So what about TPMS take-up and manufacturing infrastructure in this market in particular?
Motorsport’s popularity as a conduit for tyre manufacturers’ marketing spend continues to thrive as aspirational brands from the far east seek to increase brand recognition and the perception of quality. The Evergreen brand, a relative newcomer to the tyre scene having gone into production at the Jinyu PCR factory in 2009, has become the latest to announce a move into the UK motorsport scene, tying up a sponsorship deal with car racing debutant Dan Zelos in the Ginetta Junior Championship. Evergreen says it is seeking to accelerate its expansion by following in the wheel tracks of some of its commercial rivals by taking its first steps into the high-octane world of motorsport through the partnership with promising Norfolk-based teenager.
Just after the summer of 2013 PanAridus reported that it had broke an industry milestone, becoming the first bio-agricultural company to produce sufficient quality and quantity of guayule rubber samples in-house for commercial testing and use.
On 1 January 2014, Gary L. Cowger joined Titan International’s Board of Directors, replacing Mitchell Quain, who retired from the board on 31 December 2013 following a tenure of 17 years. Cowger is the chairman and CEO of GLC Ventures, LLC, a management consultancy on business, manufacturing and technology strategy and global organisational structures and implementation. He is also immediate past chairman of the Board of Trustees at KetteringUniversity (formally General Motors Institute) and he serves on the Board of Directors of Delphi Automotive and Tecumseh Products, as well as the Detroit Symphony and the College for Creative Studies.
The latest batch of UK vehicle production statistics covering the month of November 2013 was released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) just before Christmas.
Genetic bioscience firm ParAridus has joined Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in the consortium sharing a US$6.9 million Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) grant toward development of guayule plant-based polymers for use in tyre manufacturing. According to the companies, he BRDI is a joint effort between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) to promote development and analysis of feed stocks, biofuels and bio-based products. PanAridus replaces Yulex Corporation on the grant team, assuming Yulex’s responsibilities as the primary manufacturer of the material.
The UK distributor of Spanish 4×4 retread tyre brand Insa Turbo has reported “extremely strong” growth for the product, having increased year-on-year sales by more than a third in 2013. Micheldever (MTS)’s 4×4 specialist division Southam Tyres said unit sales have risen by 36 per cent, as sales director Alan Baldwin suggested several reasons for the brand’s strong performance.
The curtain has come down on a saga that made tyre industry headlines last year. On 30 December, Cooper Tire & Rubber announced its termination of the merger/acquisition agreement between it and India’s Apollo Tyres. The US tyre maker gave word of its action a day before the agreement was due to expire.
“It is time to move our business forward,” wrote Cooper chairman, chief executive officer and president Roy Armes in a statement. “While the strategic rationale for a business combination with Apollo is compelling, it is clear that the merger agreement both companies signed on June 12 will not be consummated by Apollo and we have been notified that financing for the transaction is no longer available. The right thing for Cooper now is to focus on continuing to build our business.”
UK car production rose 4.5 per cent in first 11 months of year to 1,424,023 units, the SMMT reports. This means that output looks set to pass 1.5 million units in 2013, the first time this has occurred in six years.
KYB Corporation reports that it has been working closely with Nissan Motor Co. Ltd with a view to developing a world-leading direct adaptive steering system. KYB will supply the electronic control unit (ECU), gear assembly and reaction motor for the new system, which is fitted to the Skyline as the first vehicle in the world to go into production with this new technology fitted.
In November Triangle announced that it is building its fifth plant in Weihai, Shandong Province, China. The news, which was first revealed at the SEMA show in Las Vegas in early November, followed renewed speculation about whether or not the company was planning to build a Russian factory earlier this year. This plans suggestions were denied by managers. However Triangle is internationalising fast and has been operating sales operations in dozens of countries for decades now, Weihai is really the company’s home.
Around US$63 million is to be invested in Bridgestone’s Camaçari tyre plant in Brazil in order to increase capacity for manufacturing passenger car and light truck radials there. Work to expand the factory is expected to be completed in time for a start of increased production in May 2015, and from that date the Camaçari plant will be equipped to deliver an additional 2,100 tyres a day, giving the facility a total production capacity in excess of 10,000 tyres a day. Almost 100 new jobs will be created at the site in Bahia state as a result of the expansion.
Ground rubber from scrap tyres has resilient properties that can be used to enhance the performance of construction products. For the asphalt industry, which currently depends on materials with very high embedded energy costs – polymer-modified bitumen is expensive in carbon terms both to make and to transport and store – asphalt made using bitumen modified with rubber concentrate from ground recycled tyres could therefore offer a welcome solution to greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional asphalt manufacturing.
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