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.
Persistence may soon pay off for South Africa’s tyre manufacturers. In early September the Supreme Court in the city of Bloemfontein will hold the final hearing on an appeal regarding the dumping of Chinese tyres in South Africa. If the decision goes its way, the local industry will be given the means of resisting something said to be injuring its viability.
Earlier this year, when the weather in Ivalo, Finland was more inclement than it normally is 300 kilometres north of the Artic circle, The Interstate Tire & Rubber Company held is fourth winter tyre customer event. Ice cold temperatures, 1.5 metres of fresh snow, the Northern Lights and excellent test facilities at the Testworld tyre and vehicle proving ground certainly providing an excellent environment to test the company’s products.
Maurice Taylor, chairman and CEO of Titan International has sought to add clarity to forecasts of what is happening in the agriculture, construction and mining markets by pointing out that the firm expects to receive three-digit millions of dollars worth of orders: “I’ve had a number of shareholders and analysts call and e-mail asking what’s going on in the farm, construction and mining markets…The majority of these e-mails show concern as to why there’s not more positive guidance going out from the big boys in equipment manufacturing for 2012…”, he explained, adding:
Starco has announced that its Eastern Group (SEG) and Tente have established a new joint company, Tente SIA, which will handle sales and support of Tente products in the Baltic States and the CIS region. Tente will be the majority shareholder of the company, which hopes to build on the existing sales and support structure SEG has established in the region since 2005, when the German parent company first sought the support of Starco in its endeavours to establish itself in the region.
Specialty chemical and advanced materials manufacturer Dow Chemical Company and Lehigh technologies, manufacturer of sustainable, micronised rubber powders, have announced their intention to collaborate in order to develop sustainable materials for the tyre industry. Under this partnership, the two companies will combine proprietary technologies to create modified rubber particles, a programme that will combine Dow's expertise in polymer chemistry with Lehigh's strength in sustainable rubber compound development and testing.
The city of Akron boasts strong credentials for being the tyre industry capital of the United States. Back in the US industry’s glory days it went by the name of “Tire City” and was home to the four major domestic players, Goodrich, Goodyear, Firestone and General Tire. Goodyear is the only one of this quartet to retain its main domicile there, the other three having been respectively acquired by Michelin, Bridgestone and Continental, yet in recent years new arrivals have also chosen Akron as home. Today both BKT and Trelleborg operate their national operations out of the city and Bridgestone’s US Technical Center is also located there. As of August 19, Chinese manufacturer the Triangle Group has added its name to this list with the opening of its US headquarters and research and development company.
Financial analysts have upgraded their view of shares in the Maxxis tyre brand’s manufacturing parent company Cheng Shin Rubber. Describing it as “one of the most successful Taiwan stories in China”; Morgan Stanley gave Cheng Shin the “overweight” rating, raising its earnings per share projections by 1 per cent and 9 per cent for 2011 and 2012 respectively. At the same time the stock’s price target was raise from NT$68.33 to NT$78.3.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has revealed that car manufacturing rose 1.3 per cent in July and is up 3.7 per cent over the first seven months of 2011. Commercial vehicle output has not been able to match the upwards creep of car manufacturing, with a decline of 5.9 per cent in July, down 5.1 per cent over the January-July period. UK engine production is stable, dipping just 0.4 per cent in July and up 4.0 per cent for the year-to-date. Vehicle production in the UK is less fragile than much of the UK economy thanks to strong exports.
Canadian specialist yard management and dock scheduling software solutions provider C3 Solutions reports that Nokian Tyres has adopted its C3 Reservations system in its key European manufacturing facilities and distribution centres. The Finnish manufacturer’s sites in Nokia and in Vsevolozhsk, Russia are two locations named as beneficiaries of the new system, which is intended to optimise the scheduling of raw materials and finished products to, from and between the company’s facilities.
Price increases of up to 11 per cent for all US market OTR tyres will be implemented by Yokohama Tire Corporation on September 1. These price rises will also be accompanied by in-line adjustments, the details of which will be announced at a later date.
To quote Tesco’s inescapable catchphrase, every little helps, and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations’ US$56.6 million expansion project at its Des Moines, Iowa agricultural tyre facility has gained a small boost from the Polk County Board of Supervisors. At a meeting on August 16, this administrative board for the Des Moines factory’s local area approved a $50,000 grant and a $50,000 interest free loan for the project.
Snap-on has announced that it will sponsor WorldSkills London 2011, a world-leading vocational training event to be held at the ExCel centre in London from 5-8 October. Chris Behan, Snap-on Equipment’s general manager, comments: “We’re pleased to be supporting Snap-on’s sponsorship of WorldSkills London 2011, which will give contestants from across the globe the chance to put their skills to the test on the latest wheel alignment equipment. I believe that WorldSkills will provide our young people with an unrivalled opportunity to gain inspiration and insight into the vast range of worthwhile skill-based careers available in the motor industry and beyond.”
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.
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