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.
GiTi Tire brand, Primewell has launched a fully-integrated marketing campaign designed to attract new customers and support key dealers, led by a new website. Primewell-tyres.co.uk features a key dealer locator, a tyre search facility by both size and registration plate, a more navigable product search facility and full sections on tyre labelling and news for both passenger car and van markets.
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. president and CEO Kenji Nakakura has announced a change in name for its forthcoming consolidated tyre manufacturing subsidiary in Malaysia. Formerly Toyo Tyre Manufacturing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the passenger and light truck tyre manufacturing facility will now be known as Toyo Tyre Malaysia Sdn Bhd. The factory will begin operation next spring.
Is Michelin planning to expand its Greenville, South Carolina site in the US? The greenvilleonline.com news site says local officials may offer the tyre maker incentives to do so. On 3 December it reported the existence of tax documents that show Michelin North America is seeking a property tax break from Greenville County Council in exchange for a possible expansion in the local area. But any growth plans depend upon any effect the upcoming reduction in the US budget deficit – the fiscal cliff, as it’s known in the US – may have on the economy.
To mark the continued integration of GS Schaad into the Starco group, the Swiss company launched its new image at the recent Agrama trade show, which ran in Bern between 22 and 26 November. Agrama is the largest Swiss agricultural exhibition and has been a regular promotional venue for Schaad over many years.
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Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the first car tyre manufactured in Japan. Sumitomo claims the honour of producing this premiere Japanese tyre, and almost a century on the company reports it has finished developing a whole new tyre manufacturing system, which it calls NEO-T01. This new system has been created “in the pursuit of ultra-high precision tyre production technology,” said Sumitomo.
Apollo Tyres has disclosed further details about its global expansion plans. Speaking with news agency Press Trust of India, vice-chairman and managing director Neeraj Kanwar referred to projects amounting to $US1 million. This investment will take place over the next half decade.
Tyre Wholesalers Group chairman Ashley Croft has called upon the tyre industry to campaign for greater attention to be paid to poorly maintained tyres after Department for Transport figures showed an increase in the number of Killed and Seriously Injured in 2011 where “illegal, defective or under-inflated tyres” were a contributory factor. The chairman also addressed the issue du jour, EU labelling legislation, and while he expressed support for the tyre label and supported the wish to scrutinise the grades on labels, he also suggested that it was not “the number one priority of the tyre industry”.
Earlier this year, Rhein Chemie strengthened its position as a tyre industry supplier through the acquisition of US company Tire Curing Bladders, LLC. The company reports that on 1 October it took a step in the process of integrating Tire Curing Bladders into Rhein Chemie by renaming it Rhein Chemie Little Rock.
During an interview with an Indian publication, Apollo Tyres’ chief of India operations commented on plans to establish a Greenfield plant in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region in the near future, while a factory in Eastern Europe may follow a couple of years later. Speaking with the Financial Chronicle, Satish Sharma said a favourable volume outlook was a key motivating factor behind the company’s plans in Asia.
Dr Hongwei Li, general manager and chief engineer of the Tire Technology Alliance, has a history of working with premium brand tyres, and the labels displayed on her relatively young company's tyres at Reifen China seem to suggest an advanced level of tyre technology. Dr Li was promoting two relatively new brands belonging to Qingdao-based TTA; Primmax and Arcron at the show, alongside two "world premieres" for the company.
Last week, US-based organisation the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC) held its 24th annual meeting; the event’s focus was ‘developing sustainable solutions’, and during the meeting Cooper Tire research scientist Dr. Howard Colvin presented a paper, titled “Securing the Future of Natural Rubber – an American Tire and Bio-Energy Platform from Guayule.”
Pirelli will invest 105 million euros in its Romanian plant over the next five years, the manufacturer has announced. The investment, which is supported by around 35 million euros of state aid, is designed to increase the size of the factory – from 180,000sqm to 200,000sqm – the number of employees by 500 to 3,500 in total, and its capacity. Initial estimates say the company plans to raise the current production figure of 8.5 million tyres per year to 10 million at the end of 2013 and 13 million by the end of 2017.
Stertil Koni recently received the American Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) Gold Label certification for heavy duty vehicle lifts, recognising the quality of the company’s manufacturing standards. Stertil Koni is a preferred supplier to many leading companies within the worldwide truck, bus, logistics and transport industries.
Michelin Tyre has held an awards ceremony at Crewe Hall, Cheshire celebrating its UK employees with 25 and 40 years of service. The event took place on Friday 16 November and was attended by staff and friends. There were 23 recipients of the Long Service Awards; 14 who have been with the Company for 25 years, and nine who have reached the 40 year milestone. The staff members are from various roles, ranging from factory workers and commercial teams through to group services.
Maxxis International has held a grand opening ceremony attended by nearly 400 domestic dignitaries and overseas partners for its new Maxxis Proving Ground in Kunshan City, directly adjacent to the company’s Shanghai manufacturing plant. The 860,000sqm comprehensive testing facility is estimated to have cost more than US$150 million, and is thought to be the first proving ground on such a large and all-encompassing scale in China. Cheng Shin Rubber Ind. Co., Ltd., doing business as Maxxis International, calls its new testing facility the country’s “first international standard proving ground”. Backing up this claim, Tyres & Accessories/Tyrepress.com was informed at the opening that at least one European original equipment manufacturer – Mercedes – had given Maxxis input into the facilities required at the proving ground to continue to build its OE supply, while a construction firm from Japan was consulted, though it was built by the Chinese.
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