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.
Bridgestone has received the Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) supplier award 2013 for delivery performance. The award was presented to Bridgestone at the HUM Annual Supplier Convention held at its Swindon manufacturing plant in the UK on 1 October. The tyre manufacturer supplies tyres to HUM for the Civic and Jazz models.
Bridgestone Americas has increased daily production at its WarrenCounty truck tyre factory in Tennessee by 900 tyres. Thanks to a US$36.6 million expansion programme, the plant now produces 9,000 medium truck radials per day. Some 45 new jobs were created with the expansion.
Uniwheels reports that its ‘Thalassa’ rim has been selected as an original equipment fitment on the Volvo XC90. The Swedish four-wheel drive will receive a 20-inch diameter version of the lightweight, five twin-spoke alloy rim.
A news release from Bulgaria’s Ministry of Economy and Energy suggests that Nexen Tire intends to become the second Korean tyre maker with a manufacturing presence in the European Union. The Ministry reported that a meeting with a leading tyre maker took place during a visit to South Korea by Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Economy and Energy Krasin Dimitrov.
Although Bridgestone’s new passenger car radial factory in Vietnam has yet to enter operation, the tyre maker has announced the plant’s first capacity increase. An additional 17.9 billion yen (£113.9 million) will be invested to further raise capacity to 49,000 tyres a day by the second half of 2017. This further growth will see the plant’s workforce expand from approximately 1,900 employees in the first half of 2016 to around 3,800 some 18 months later.
Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has announced the completion of an expansion plan for its Fort Dunlop, Birmingham manufacturing base. The aviation tyre-maker will switch on its latest additional production machine, completing a £4 million factory investment programme.
Hankook plans to situate its first US-based manufacturing facility in Tennessee, the manufacturer has stated. The new global manufacturing plant is expected to be backed by a total investment of US$800 million, and will provide additional capacity for its growing business in the country.
According to a statement released by German tyre maker Continental on 14 October, the joint venture project it operates with and the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME) is “on the verge of a breakthrough.” Recently, work began on the construction of a pilot facility at IME’s Münster site in Germany, and when finished this will be able to produce larger volumes of dandelion-derived natural rubber.
Continental Tire the Americas’ new PCR to light truck tyre manufacturing plant in Sumter, South Carolina is nearing completion, having broken ground on the site in mid-2012.
Kings Road Tyres has adapted its brand strategy to meet customer needs in 2013, saying the key to success in demanding market conditions is to meet the changing needs of trade customers. With this in mind, the wholesaler has recently launched new distribution deals with Chinese OTR manufacturer Tianli, and with Luxembourg-based construction and industrial pneumatic tyre supplier, Maxam.
UK and international tyre wholesaler, Treadsetters has recently been appointed as a UK distributor for the Falken tyre range – a move that it says enhances “significantly” its commercial tyre operation. The company says the Sumitomo-manufactured Falken brand joins Goodride and a number of specially selected mid-range and premium brands. The Shropshire-based wholesaler states that it has enjoyed a “very progressive trading period” in the last couple of years. As well as steadily increasing its product portfolio the company has also received a number of business accolades and were recently placed 59th in the Sunday Times International Track 200 list.
News from the USA; Titan International Inc., in partnership with One Equity Partners (OEP) and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), has closed the acquisition of a majority interest in Voltyre-Prom, a leading producer of agricultural and industrial tyres in Volgograd, Russia, from the principal owner, Cordiant, for approximately $94 million. This sum includes the assumption of debt, subject to various post closing adjustments over a period of three years.
Continental will pursue the principle of making commercial vehicle tyres go further for customers with its synergetic TBR retreading facility named the ContiLifeCycle Plant. Announced in 2012 and due to open in Hannover-Stöcken later in 2013, the 10 million euro-plus plant is set to become the world’s first plant to integrate rubber recycling with hot and cold retreading, and will create more than 100 new jobs at Conti’s headquarters. Tyrepress got in touch with Christian Saas, Conti’s director Retread Business Commercial Vehicle Tires, to get the latest information on the plant prior to it coming on line.
Compared with producing a new tyre, retreading saves up to 30 per cent in energy and 70 per cent in raw materials. Retreading also lowers overall cost per kilometre, but despite these benefits the European retreading market has been hampered by a scarcity of the industry’s main raw material – good quality, retreadable casings – and by the availability of new imported tyres whose casing quality is not sufficient for retreading.
When Vipal opened up European sales offices in 2005, the Brazilian retreading materials supplier was just starting out in the collection of disparate markets that make up the continent. Now European sales make up nearly 15 per cent of the company’s global turnover. With this in mind and with growth still top of the agenda, Tyres & Accessories asked Vipal Europe general manager Alessandro Bottesini Campos how this happened and what is happening next.
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