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.
Commercial vehicle wheel and component manufacturer Accuride Corporation plans to invest more than US$30 million over the next two years in upgrading its steel wheel facilities during 2013-15. Specifics of this investment have not been given at this time; the US-based company says it will announce details of its 2013 capital programme later this year.
Voith Industrial Services has strengthened its position in the UK automotive industry by acquiring ThyssenKrupp Services Ltd. According to the company, the acquisition will create a combined business with a workforce of over 2,000 employees at 35 locations. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
A CDN$73 million (£46.3 million) investment for Michelin’s Waterville truck tyre factory in Canada will increase capacity over the coming four to five years. Michelin North America says the Waterville plant will make capital investments in equipment improvements and increased production capacity; the project will include the installation of new technologies in all aspects of the manufacturing process, supporting the success and continued growth of wide commercial vehicle tyres such as the X One. The project will include a 3,000 square metre assembly building expansion and Michelin anticipates the investment will create approximately 50 new local jobs.
With Apollo Vredestein’s Enschede factory continuing to expand, and with the Indian parent company having invested around 100 million euros in the European company since the 2009 acquisition, Tyres & Accessories took advantage of its recent visit to Enschede for the opening of Apollo’s new global R&D centre and also have a look at the latest developments at the Dutch tyre factory.
Apollo Tyres Ltd has opened a global R&D centre in Enschede, the Netherlands as well as a global branding centre in London, UK. Opened just days apart, the two moves follow earlier commitments to put European activities in the driving seat for passenger car tyre development and, in company chairman Onkar S Kanwar’s words, to fuse the company’s three cultures into one team. Hints towards increased OE activity and the potential of a more international investor base are also evident.
Bosal UK, which is best known as an exhaust manufacturer but also makes roof racks and towbards, has entered administration. Various news sources report that calling in the administrators follows the recent confirmation of a contract to supply Land Rover with the exhaust systems for its popular Evoque model.
On 11 January 2013, the company issued a statement appointing Phillip Duffy and David Whitehouse of Duff & Phelps Ltd, Manchester as administrators in a move that follows “a decade of strong support for Bosal UK from its owners in the face of a mix of factors which over time increasingly impacted on its viability”.
Building on a pre-existing relationship with series organiser Motorsport Vision Racing (MSVR), tyre manufacturer Yokohama has announced a deal that sees it become the first tyre supplier to the new Formula 4 series. Both car and tyres were unveiled in parallel with the official announcement of the news at this year's Autosport Show.
A new report published by research and markets suggest that tyre demand is increasing in emerging markets. It points out that global automotive production has a direct impact on the demand for tyres and tyre cords in the OEM segment. Higher number of cars produced translates into increased use of tyre cords in tyre production and vice versa. Therefore disruptions in vehicle production tend to distort opportunities in the market.
Uth is promoting its Roll-ex gear extruders, highlighting that they are specially beneficial for sensitive process steps. According to the company, the use of a gear extruder lends itself to economical fine mesh straining of rubber compounds in a manner that is also gentle on the materials and also to the precision extrusion of tyre components.
Retreaders – whether small or large, industrial scale operations – can use the best processes, machinery and materials, but if the used casing isn’t good, then the finished retread won’t be any good either. The failure of a retreaded tyre when fitted to a customer’s vehicle is a worst case scenario for retreaders. Therefore, experts such as Stefan Dengler recommend that efforts be made to ensure high-end and comprehensive casing entry control. Visually inspecting casings is of course beneficial, however the SDS Systemtechnik managing director notes that even the most experienced casing inspector cannot see within a tyre. The most important technical aid in this area is shearography, something that every retreader can and should invest in.
The fact that Matteuzzi Srl has always been focused on international markets means that the company has no fear of the current financial crisis. While many Italian companies have pursued internationalisation in recent years as a lifeline out of the difficulties of the internal and European markets, Matteuzzi has been working this way since the early 1970s, making it a key part of its business. Today, with communications even easier thanks to the internet, the Bologna-based company exports 95 per cent of its production and offers customers an English-language website.
Following approval by the antitrust authorities, Bosch completed its acquisition of SPX Service Solutions, a US automotive diagnostics specialist at the beginning of December 2012. The agreement to purchase the company was signed the preceding January. SPX Service Solutions develops, manufactures, and sells service equipment, repair-shop accessories, and software for the global automotive market. Based in Canton, MI (USA), SPX Service Solutions generated sales of some US$920 million (some 660 million euros) in 2011. The diagnostics specialist employs 2,800 associates in 17 countries, and has manufacturing sites in the US, Germany, France, and China. The purchase price was $1.15 billion (885 million euros).
Yokohama HPT Ltd, the UK distributor for the Japanese tyre brand, as well as TSW replacement alloy wheels and marque-specific alloy wheels for BMW, Mercedes and Porsche, will exhibit at this week's Autosport International show at the Birmingham NEC. The company says the focal point of its stand will be the race-specification Aerial Atom, designed for the one-make Atom Cup race series and using Yokohama control tyres.
Continental has opened the first fully-automated tyre testing facility in the world at Contidrom, near Hanover. In addition to the ability to perform braking tests without drivers, helping to test consistently for longer hours, Conti has built a 300x30m air conditioned hall to house the Automated Indoor Braking Analyzer (AIBA), reducing the influence of atmospheric conditions on test results. The manufacturer will also be able to control the friction coefficient, as the hall enables the company to switch the 75m surfaces used as a braking area, in addition to using a low temperature hall for testing on ice. The main hall is also fitted with a sprinkler system for wet testing. Conti estimates that the AIBA will perform around 100,000 braking procedures, on passenger car, van, and 4×4 summer and winter tyres, when fully operational.
Goodyear launched its line of specialist coach tyres at an event hosted by Mira in the Autumn of 2012, and designed to present the brand’s commercial vehicle tyre activities over the course of the year. In addition to providing a look at the Marathon Coach and the Ultra Grip Coach winter tyre, Adam Stanton, commercial marketing manager, Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK, showed the benefits of specialist winter products on other commercial vehicles, advising fleet managers to “look beyond the label” when selecting seasonal products. The company also announced its distribution partnership with Zafety Lug Locks, a Canadian innovation developed to prevent wheel loss accidents. Zafety Lug Locks secure adjacent wheel nuts to each other, creating resistance between two wheel nuts to minimise their ability to rotate and reduce the risk of wheel loss. The product is offered as part of a bespoke fleet proposal to customers of TruckForce.
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