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.
Telford-based Treadsetters has added the Insa Turbo range of retreaded truck tyres to its product line up. According to the company, this established retread brand will further complement the existing range of premium, mid-range and budget truck tyres with Treadsetters becoming the factory appointed UK distributors for the complete range of Insa Turbo retreaded truck tyres.
The museum may be the last place you’d expect to see new-generation environmental tyres, yet Yokohama Tire is proud to announce that is exactly where specimens of its BluEarth-1 can be found. As of this autumn, the orange oil-infused tyre will be highlighted in a two-year exhibit as the Museum of Science in the US city of Boston. The “Making a Greener Tire” interactive display, which will be in the museum’s Transportation, Renewable Energy and Nanotechnology area, revolves around the BluEarth-1’s technology, which combines oil extracted from orange peels with silica and natural rubber to form “Super Nano-Power Rubber” (SNPR), a substance initially utilised in Yokohama’s dB Super E-spec tyre. Also to be featured is the BluEarth-1’s Airtex Advanced Liner, designed to reduce the amount of air loss from the tyre.
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Goodyear is not the only US tyre maker amongst the 40 companies that received grants from the United States Department of Energy’s Office of Vehicle Technology; Cooper Tire & Rubber is another beneficiary, and has been awarded US$1.5 million towards its project to develop a new class of fuel efficient tyres for the replacement market. The tyres Cooper develops, the Department of Energy explains, are expected to utilise innovative materials technology and tyre design concepts in order to improve overall fuel efficiency by three per cent.
Reporting its performance during the first quarter of India’s financial year, Apollo Tyres says net sales during the period were “robust”, increasing 55 per cent year-on-year to Rs 28.22 billion (£382.60 million). Despite this, factors such as all-time high natural rubber prices and “sluggish” growth in some markets dampened the company’s profitability in the three months between April 1 and June 30, 2011. Operating profit rose 20 per cent to Rs 2.42 billion (£32.81 million) while net profit was up 3.9 per cent in the quarter to Rs 771.28 million (£10.46 million).
On 2 August the Steel Market Development Institute’s (SMDI) Wheels Task Force announced plans to begin a lightweight high-strength steel wheel development project, with a “cost-effective design and manufacturing” process. As well as developing the next generation of steel wheel products, it appears that the group also wants to rejuvenate the OE steel wheel market that has faced strong competition from cast and forged aluminium alternatives in recent years. Project results are expected in the Autumn.
Tanzanian newspaper The Guardian reports its country’s government plans to hand over General Tyre East Africa to Tanzania’s National Development Corporation (NDC) in response to what it calls the “hard conditions” imposed by shareholder Continental AG. The country’s Industry and Trade Minister, Dr. Cyril Chami, is reported as saying talks with Continental, who holds a 24 per cent share in General Tyre East Africa, failed to reach a suitable conclusion. He attributes this lack of success to conditions Continental wishes to impose, such as restricting General Tyre’s activities to its domestic market and just two export destinations – Uganda and Burundi – and that the Tanzanian tyre maker should pay back its outstanding US$3.321 debt to Conti. Continental’s alleged lack of investment plans for General Tyre is another given factor.
The most recent version of ‘De Nieuwe Band’ (The New Tyre), a list of tyres commissioned by the Dutch Government to highlight winter tyres that are safe, fuel efficient and low noise, found that the Maxxis MA-PW was alone among the 45 tyres tested to already meet forthcoming EU standards for wet grip, rolling resistance co-efficient and rolling sound emission.
It may be currently copping flak over its Dunlop India tyre plant in Sahaganj, West Bengal, yet the Ruia Group seems to be going from strength to strength in another area of the automotive industry. Having snapped up five European vehicle seal manufacturers since 2008, the Indian company is now erecting a Rs 1.1 billion (£14.7 million) greenfield seal manufacturing plant in Pune, Maharashtra state and has plans to establish another in India.
Bandvulc Tyres suffered a serious fire on Friday 5 August, but the company reports that business is able to continue. According to a statement released by the company, the fire broke out just outside one of its tyre production areas, which spread into the building through the roof. However “damage to production machinery and stock was thankfully a lot less than had been expected,” Bandvulc representatives explained. BBC news reported that more than 40 firefighters spent the night tackling the fire, but no-one was injured.
Italian tyre giant Pirelli could be considering an investment in the future of its Carlisle plant according to a report by regional newspaper The Cumberland News. The paper reports a conversation with Pirelli’s UK Industrial director Paolo Battistini, who suggested that the company has some “investment forecast for this factory.” Battistini also reiterated the company’s desire to stay in Carlisle, while engineering manager Allan Wilson told the paper that “We want to develop new products in Carlisle for the UK. We’re constantly putting forward our case for investment.”
Nokian Tyres reports that the group’s net sales increased by 41.4 per cent to 628.0 million euros during the first six month of 2011 (444.2 million euros in the first half of 2010). Operating profit grew faster still, almost doubling to 165.6 million euros (2010: 82.0 million euros) and earnings per share increased to 1.06 euros (2010: 0.58 euros).
Hankook has announced plans to add sponsorship deals with football teams in the UK, France and Sweden to its 2011/2012 marketing strategy. Amongst other things, Hankook will now embark on an advertising campaign utilising hoardings at football stadiums belonging to teams such as Sunderland. This means the tyre firm will be present in the German Bundesliga, the English Premier League, Ligue 1 in France, Serie A in Italy, Primera Division in Spain as well as the Russian Premjer-Liga altogether.
At the end of June, Desser Tire & Rubber Co., Inc. was appointed Dunlop distributor for The Americas. Desser Tire and Rubber Co., Inc., and its affiliate retread repair station, Aero Wheel and Brake Service Corp., Inc., join the world’s only specialist aircraft tyre manufacturer in providing new aircraft tyre distribution and retreading services to the expanding North and South American market.
Goodyear India Ltd was awarded the 'Superbrand' status at a ceremony held in New Delhi 3 August. The award was received by Rajeev Anand, vice chairman and managing director, Goodyear India Ltd. Goodyear India garnered one of the highest scores amongst an assortment of companies and is reportedly the only tyre company in India to receive this recognition.
Toyo Tires has announced its plans to build a new tyre plant in Perak, Malaysia. The Japanese manufacturer’s board of directors decided to construct a new facility in order to strengthen Toyo’s production-supply capability for passenger car and light truck tyres mainly in the Asia region. Toyo aims to make sales worth 310 billion yen and operating income at 24 billion yen this year from tyres. The company says it has established a “three-point global production supply structure based on Asia, Japan and North America, in order to achieve a world-wide supply of 45 million tyres in 2015, representing an increase of 55 per cent from 2010 levels.
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