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.
On 12 March Indian tyre maker Ceat Limited announced the appointment of incumbent deputy managing director Anant Goenka as its new managing director following the retirement of Paras K. Chowdhary from this position; Goenka will start in this new role on 1 April. Chowdhary will continue with Ceat as a full-time director.
Pirelli & C. SpA’s has released fourth quarter and full year 2011 results showing consolidated revenues in 2011 totalled 5,654.8 million euro, an increase of 16.6 per cent from 4,848.4 million euros in 2010. Consolidated operating income after restructuring charges was 581.9 million euros compared with 407.8 million euros in 2010, and with a 10.3 per cent margin compared with the target of “around 10 per cent” announced last November. This is almost two percentage points higher than the 8.4 per cent achieved in 2010.
Yuasa Battery Sales (UK) Ltd has announced that the company has agreed to become the title sponsor of Honda Racing's Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) team in a new three-year deal announced at the unveiling of the team's brand new Civic at Honda's UK Manufacturing Facility in Swindon on Monday 12 March 2012.
Speaking at the launch of the Aspire 4G high performance tyre in Geneva, Apollo Tyres Ltd chairman and managing director Onkar Singh Kanwar reiterated the tyre maker’s commitment to European consumers. “While European companies are looking east, your company, Apollo, is focusing on Europe, and Europe will remain central to our focus,” he stated. “We will keep investing in production facilities, in technology, development and product launches to ensure that the best and most effective products are brought to you. Apollo will accelerate its growth momentum over the years to come.”
The Duke of York visited Michelin in Stoke-on-Trent yesterday (8 March 2012) where he met young apprentices and employees, was given a tour of the factory and offices at the company’s Campbell Road site and unveiled a plaque.
During the visit, His Royal Highness was given a presentation by Michelin UK managing director Eric Le Corre and met employees and local dignitaries before embarking on a tour of the Michelin Remix production facility with factory manager Sean Parry.
Only a week after Cooper Tire & Rubber stated it will partner with Yulex Corporation on the development and evaluation of guayule as a source of natural rubber, Bridgestone Corporation has announced plans of its own to develop the plant into a commercially viable alternative to the hevea tree. The research project will be conducted in the United States as a joint collaboration between Bridgestone Corporation and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations; the Japanese parent company will provide funding and strategic input, while the American subsidiary will be responsible for finding the suitable location and operating the pilot farm and process research facility. Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations will also leverage the resources of the Bridgestone Americas Center for Research and Technology and its Akron Technical Center to provide technical and research expertise.
Sino Legend (Zhangjiagang) Chemical Co., Ltd., purportedly the largest Asian manufacturer of resins for the tyre and rubber industries, has begun showcasing its state-of-the-art production facility as it looks to establish a greater presence in North American and European markets.
The company broke ground on its Zhangjiagang City plant in mid-2007, located approximately 80 miles from Shanghai. Built with future global expansion in mind, the facility has already doubled its production volume owing to increased demand.
Nissan’s decision to produce its new Invitation model at its Sunderland, UK plant is likely to create 2000 jobs at the company and its suppliers. Production of the Invitation, which is a project totalling around £125 million, is due to start in 2013. Nissan says it will produce 100,000 of the cars a year when manufacturing gets underway.
"Although the new car market was down last month, it is positive to see an increase in private registrations highlighting that consumers are slowly coming back to the market." said Sue Robinson, Director of the RMI National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers across the UK, commenting on the SMMT’s new car registration figures.
Indian agricultural, off-road, speciality tyre and pre-cured tread manufacturer, Malhotra Rubbers Ltd has announced plans to launch a radial agricultural tyre product range this year.
“2012 shall be an exciting year from us as our whole team is gearing up to launch of our radial agricultural tyres for the European and US markets”, said company director, Monit Malhotra. According to Malhotra these will be marketed through their exclusive customers In Europe and USA.
Global demand OTR radials for use in construction and mining applications is growing, and to meet the needs of a hungry market, Bridgestone intends to build a new production facility in Thailand. On 5 March the Japanese tyre maker announced plans to invest around 50 billion yen (£385.6 million) setting up the tyre plant in Rayong, and production there is expected to begin in the first half of 2015. Production capacity at the new plant is expected to reach approximately 85 tons per day by the 1st half of 2019, when scheduled capacity increases are completed. In addition, Bridgestone will also erect a steel cord manufacturing facility through its cord manufacturing subsidiary.
The internet was rife with theories about why some of Pirelli’s Formula One tyres at the Circuit de Catalunya appeared without the usual colour-coded sidewall markings. The favourite was that at the final test before the first Grand Prix in Australia teams would be keen to keep their testing programmes and therefore potential tyre strategies from other teams. The real reason was much less clandestine – Pirelli’s Motorsport manager, Paul Hembery explained to French magazine, Auto Plus that the tyres had been manufactured at a site other than its usual F1 manufacturing plant in Izmit. The tyres were provided as prototypes to test Pirelli’s ability to provide current F1 rubber if Turkey’s output was compromised by natural disaster.
The January 2012 issue of Practical Performance Car magazine ranks Varta in first place in the publication’s car battery product test. The company’s Silver Dynamic product topped the test and the Blue Dynamic battery was “recommended” in joint second place. This follows the “Best Buy” Award from Car Mechanics magazine in 2011 for the Silver Dynamic battery.
On 19 January a delegation from Bekaert’s Shanghai, China office visited Techking. According to the company, during the meeting, Techking and Bekaert shared their respective views on thee future development trends relating to the tyre industry. Through technical communications relating to OTR, TBR and PCR lines, both parties agreed to develop steel cord with special specifications for Techking ‘concept’ tyre products.
TechSci Research, which recently published an analysis of the Russian tyre market covering the next five years, has predicted that Nizhnekamskshina will lead the domestic market by 2014. It says that cheaper manufacturing cost, increasing demand for premium tyres, an increasing number of automobiles on Russian roads and the sale of Sibur will allow the manufacturer to lead by financial year 2014.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
