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.
Following the announcment that Dutch tyre firm Magna Tyres became an official preferred supplier to Terex Cranes in March, the company has continued growing both around the world and closer to home. All cranes produced by Terex at its Zweibücken, Germany and Montceau les Mines, France production lines are now equipped with Magna Tyres as standard.
Titan International is proposing an all-share offer for Titan Europe valued at more than £115 million. The deal amounts to one Titan International common share per 11 Titan Europe ordinary shares. According to the convoluted language of the official statement disclosing the proposed offer, Titan International is after not less than 51 per cent of Titan Europe shares and 51 per cent of its voting rights. The company already holds 21.67 per cent.
Last year's Tyre & Aftermarket Equipment Supplier of the Year winners (at their first attempt) Autogem Motor Concepts are joined this year by regular finalists Apaseal and Rema Tip Top Automotive. A new name is that of Pang UK and the final company in the shortlist is that of CAM Systems – very different from the others in that it provides software solutions as opposed to machinery and consumables.
Tyre and tube manufacturer Govind Rubber Limited has announced an 8.5 billion rupee (£97 million) expansion plan for its. GRL is setting up a Greenfield project in Gujurat, near Dahej, taking up most of the capital investment (approximately 7.5 billion rupees/£86 million). Chairman and managing director Vinod Poddar said “The plant will have a production capacity of 225 tonnes per day,”
Following the news that Pirelli is to receive funding from the UK government’s regional growth fund, Tyres & Accessories visited Pirelli’s Carlisle tyre manufacturing plant and met with industrial director, Paulo Batistini and engineering manager, Alan Wilson in order to find what this and other recent investments mean in practice.
While no official figures have been released, based on the fact that £950 million of government money is being supplied to 119 British business on the proviso that taxpayer funding is matched 5:1 with private investment it is a fair guess to assume that Pirelli is pushing millions towards the development of the latest generation of eco-tyres in Carlisle. And this fits with the company’s wider strategy. Pirelli’s latest industrial plan, published in November 2011, has the stated aim of leading what it defines as the premium market by 2015. With this in mind, the recent developments which centre on transitioning the plant towards to almost exclusively high performance output (and therefore high value products) are to be expected.
Soybean has long been considered good for us, and now it appears it may also be good for our tyres. Goodyear Tire & Rubber announced today that tests undertaken at its Innovation Center in the US show using soybean oil in tyres can potentially increase tread life by ten per cent; it can also reduce the company’s use of petroleum-based oil by up to seven million US gallons, or 26.5 million litres, per annum.
Following earlier reports suggesting Sailun Company Ltd had bought two other Chinese tyre firms, Sailun representatives have confirmed that the Chinese tyre manufacturer has entered into a “framework agreement” to acquire equity in both Shandong Jinyu Industrial Co. Ltd and Shenyang Peace Radial Tyre Manufacturing Co. Ltd. The framework was agreed on 10 July 2012.
Yesterday, Korean firm SK Innovation and Germany’s Continental signed an agreement to create a jointly managed company. SK Innovation and Conti will respectively hold 51 per cent and 49 per cent shareholdings in this joint venture, which is being set up with the goal of mutually developing, producing and globally marketing lithium-ion battery systems for cars. This agreement comes half a year after the two companies signed a letter of intent.
Since their introduction, the NTDA Tyre & Fast Fit (TAFF) Awards have become something of a tyre industry institution and the competition is always keen. After all, who wouldn't want the bragging rights of saying that you have been chosen as number one in your sector by your customers?
For those who don't know, the awards are made in a number of categories, in which five finalists have been selected, following nominations from NTDA members. The tyre industry then gets the chance to vote for a winner in each category, with voting forms published in the June, July and August issues of Tyres & Accessories, or you can cast your vote via the NTDA website.
The wait is over, the July edition of Tyres & Accessories is now accessible for online viewing. Containing our in-depth coverage of Reifen 2012 and a feature on Tyre Manufacturing machinery, reading this issue online requires just two thing: that you are a subscriber and that you click more below.
German firm Steinbichler Optotechnik GmbH of Neubeuern has been engaged in the supply of high-precision optical measuring and sensor technology for quarter of a century and the tyre industry, along with the automotive and aviation industries, is a main beneficiary of its solutions. The company reports a successful week at June’s Reifen 2012 trade show and says this year’s show delivered even better results than previous events. The show also offered Steinbichler an excellent opportunity to present its new ‘Steinbichler Intact’ tyre testing systems to existing and prospective customers.
Back in mid-June, only a short time after manufacturers were able to release their tyre labelling data into the public domain on 30 May, Michelin became the first tyre manufacturer to share details of its labelling position across its range with Tyres & Accessories. The details show market leading wet grip has been a key factor in tyre development for years before the introduction of tyre labelling and therefore make for interesting reading.
On 10 July Sailun Co Ltd. announced its entry into an agreement to acquire another Chinese tyre maker and also purchase a large share in a third company. In separate statements, Sailun said it will buy Shenyang Peace Radial Tyre Manufacturing Co. Ltd. for about RMB 120 million (£12.2 million) and acquire 49 per cent equity in Shandong Jinyu Industrial Co. Ltd. for around RMB 200 million (£20.3 million). Shenyang Peace has annual capacity of 1.2 million all-steel radial truck tyres, while Shandong Jinyu has capacity to produce three million all-steel radials and 10 million semi-steel radials per year.
Recent restructuring to Apollo Tyres’ Research and Development team is aimed at creating “synergy and greater alignment to the company’s growth aspirations, and to generate speed and relevance while entering new markets,” the tyre maker states. Apollo has restructured its team across the three key regions where it operates and established a structure in which the development of commercial vehicle tyres will be directed from India and passenger car tyres from Europe. The heads of both operations will report directly to Neeraj Kanwar, vice-chairman and managing director of Apollo Tyres.
Shen Jin-Rong, chairman of Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber, has spoken out in opposition to anti-dumping measures against Chinese tyres undertaken by countries such as India, Brazil and Colombia. Chen declared that such measures “do not work” and announced Hangzhou Zhongce will establish a manufacturing facility outside of China “mainly in order to circumvent anti-dumping.” Thailand has been named as the location for this new plant; Hangzhou Zhongce says it will erect a factory on a 67 acre site there at an investment cost of RMB 1 billion (£102 million).
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