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.
Maxxis has become the latest tyre manufacturer to join TyreSafe. As a full TyreSafe member, Maxxis will benefit from early participation and involvement in the group’s campaigns and activities. It will also have access to a wide range of TyreSafe publicity material, both printed and online.
Groundbreaking for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations' new 1.5 million-square-foot (140,000 square metre) large and ultra-large radial manufacturing facility has taken place at the greenfield site the company selected in Aiken County, South Carolina. The tyre maker also announced further information regarding the start-up team that will take the helm in overseeing construction and hiring efforts. The core team is as follows:
The US Department of Commerce has announced that it has preliminarily decided to implement a range of anti-dumping (AD) measures against Chinese steel wheel producers/exporters ranging from 110.58 to 193.54 per cent ad valorem. According the department, for the purposes of AD investigations, dumping means “a foreign company sell[ing] a product in the United States at less than fair value.” Official reports show that the petitioners for this investigation were Accuride Corporation and Hayes Lemmerz International Inc. The final determination is scheduled to be made in March 2012. European authorities levelled a similar determination against Chinese alloy wheel makers in 2010.
Norbar Torque Tools has announced that Catherine Rohll has been appointed to the company’s board as commercial director, strengthening the family management team. She will hold the position jointly with her cousin Craig Brodey until he moves to Norbar’s Australian head office in Adelaide to work with the existing operation, supporting business growth for the company in the South East Asia region. He will take up his new appointment as commercial director for Australia in January 2012.
Although the United States tariff on imported Chinese consumer tyres is scheduled to end next year and import duties will thus drop from 29 to four per cent, Chinese manufactured tyres are not expected to regain the massive competitive advantage they once held over their US-made counterparts. During a quarter results conference call, Cooper Tire & Rubber chairman, chief executive officer and president Roy Armes commented that tyres produced in China held a 15 to 20 per cent cost advantage over locally produced tyres in the US market in early 2009. “Now it is in that 10 per cent to 15 per cent range,” he shared. Chief financial officer Brad Hughes added that the cost advantage for a landed tyre from China in the US was “moving towards” 10 per cent.
Westlake Tyres, which are manufacturer by ZC Rubber (China largest domestic producer and number 10 in the world), has confirmed that it will exhibit at next October’s Brityrex International exhibition in Manchester. The latest news is being interpreted as a real boost for the 2012 Brityrex exhibition as ZC Rubber is a fast-growing international player with annual sales in 2010 of more than US$ 3 billion.
Although Continental Tire the Americas only announced in May plans to expand its Mt. Vernon facility in the US state of Illinois, five and a half months later the first tyres from the project were produced, ahead of the anticipated start date. “I am very proud of our great team here in Mt. Vernon,” said vice president of manufacturing Benny Harmse. “Our team worked diligently to ensure the success of this expansion project and it was not only on time, but actually ahead of schedule. Their diligence resulted in the early production of the first tyres from this expansion. This is helping us with the important task of meeting our customers’ demands for Continental and General brand tyres.”
Michelin Tyre has announced the appointment of former Wedgwood and Austin Reed customer service specialist Mike Lawton as its new commercial director of agriculture, responsible for the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Lawton joined Michelin’s UK operation, based in Stoke-on-Trent’s Campbell Road, in 1999. He will replace Rob Beddis, who is retiring at the end of the month, after seven years in the role.
Bridgestone Corporation has announced it will donate 50 million yen (£408,000) to assist flood-stricken regions in Thailand. The Japanese manufacturer’s operations in Thailand – Bridgestone runs ten manufacturing facilities there – will also donate funds and food to the value of approximately 3.4 million yen to further aid for those affected by the disaster. Upon announcing these aid measures, the Bridgestone Group expressed its “sincere condolences to those who have suffered from the flood” and wished the nation of Thailand a rapid recovery.
TIA says that the renewed free trade deal with South Korea is a good deal for the U.S. tyre market. President Obama signed the renewal of the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which was part of a trade pact originally agreed to between the U.S. and South Korea in 2007 – Korean-United States Free Trade Agreement.
Westlake Tyres has announced that it has appointed Direct Tyre Sales as sole distributor of its truck tyre range in the UK. Direct Tyre Management (DTM). In order to supply the British market, DTM will promote Westlake’s TBR brand through its own “team of regional sales staff” where it will “complement” its own “retread brand”. DTM plan to distribute all Westlake TBR products destined for the UK from their Wigan Retread Factory in Lancashire. Sales of circa 90,000 Westlake TBR units over the next three years are expected.
Bridgestone Americas has clarified that its capacity expansion plans in the USA will not include increased aircraft tyre manufacturing facilities, contrary to reports published on Bloomberg last week. The misunderstanding was a result of the inclusion of aircraft radials in the company’s portfolio of strategic products, published in the corporation’s mid-term management plan on 21 October.
Well known suppliers Autogem Motor Concepts and Rema Tip Top are celebrating their wins in last week’s NTDA TAFF awards in the Tyre & Aftermarket Supplier of the Year and Innovation categories respectively.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has hailed September’s 7.4 per cent growth in vehicle manufacturing as showing that a positive trend is developing in the sector in the UK. Car manufacturing rose by 7.5 per cent in the month, making the first three-quarters of 2011 up 4.8 per cent over 2010’s. Commercial vehicle output rose by 6.2 per cent in September, but is still down 2.7 per cent over the January-September period.
Over 500 guests filled the King’s suite at the Birmingham Metropole hotel last night (20 October 2011) as members and guests alike celebrated recorded attendance at the 82nd National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) annual dinner and Tyre and Fast Fit Awards (TAFF). After announcing the winners NTDA chairman David White used his speech to announce the news that the association has decided to make its REACT licence to fit qualification mandatory for members. According to the chairman, this decision was agreed in the association board meeting that preceded the evening dinner. David White continued his chairman’s speech by highlighting the newly launched “proMOTe” pro-MOT campaign, which sees the industry galvanise its energies against government plans to move the ministry of transport testing system to 4-2-2 frequency and away from annual tests. There was also talk of the winter tyre market growing to the point that it is now a significant fixture in the UK market. And finally the NTDA chairman announced that Westlake and Infinity have become the first two tyre manufacturers to commit to next year’s Brityrex 2012 exhibition.
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