Michelin Archives - Page 235 of 321 - Tyrepress

Tyre industry pioneers, Michelin has a long history. Having begun in 1889, Michelin is now the second-largest tyre manufacturer in the world after Bridgestone and larger than both Goodyear and Contineantal.

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There are two types of European winter: the winter we know and grumble about, with coats, scarves and the heating cranked up a few notches – and then there’s the mind-shatteringly cold northern winter, an environment so unforgiving that even the careless act of touching a metal surface with an ungloved hand may result in the loss of a few layers of skin. So with two vastly different definitions of winter existing within the one region, it makes sense for a tyre manufacturer to recognise this distinction when developing a winter tyre range. Michelin has done exactly this, and offers different winter products in different markets. In Scandinavia and Russia the tyremaker sells products like the Latitude X-Ice North, a studded, blocky, heavily siped tyre designed to tackle severe Nordic conditions. But such a tyre would obviously be ridiculously excessive for a shopping trip to the high street or commuting on the M25, so for our milder, yet deceptively hazardous winters, Michelin offers a more suitable range.

30th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Rolls Out Regenerating Drive Tyre

(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin North American introduced the XDA5 drive position radial, which it said has a tread design that will “regenerate” itself during use, and will “outlast the drive tyre it replaces by at least 30 per cent.”

Michelin said the tread pattern of the XDA5 is molded in three dimensions, and as the tyre wears, the tread reveals new grooves and tread blocks.

“This regenerating tread design keeps the tyre in service longer before retreading, an impressive 30 per cent improvement in tread life over other drive tyres that are commercially available,” the company said. “That translates into improved safety and lower costs for fleets and owner operators across North America.”

The tyre’s “double-wave matrix” sipes give the tyre’s 30/32-inch tread blocks the ability to lock together in all directions, Michelin said, for rigidity, resistance to scrub and minimised irregular wear.

28th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Late Michelin Chief to Receive Honour

(Akron/Tire Review) The late CEO of Groupe Michelin, Édouard Michelin, has been awarded the prestigious Calstart 2007 Blue Sky Leadership Award. Calstart said the award was “for his vision and global leadership to further advance transportation technologies.”

The award will be presented at a luncheon on September 6 at Caltech in Pasadena, California. Receiving the award will be Damien Michelin, Edouard’s brother.

“This year’s Blue Sky Award winners are at the forefront of the fight to combat global warming, ensure our energy independence and to create sustainable, quality jobs,” said Calstart president and CEO John Boesel. “Mr. Michelin’s legacy is unparalleled in clean transportation: he introduced a genuine competitive spirit and gave global recognition to the need for – and development and marketing of – more fuel efficient technologies. This action matches the award’s vision: taking clean and sustainable transportation products to the marketplace.”

28th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin XDN Grip Halts On the Job Flashing

Wilson McCurdy Haulage from Ballymena in Northern Ireland has recently become a fan of Michelin’s XDN2 Grip tyres after fitting a set to the drive axle of a 580 hp Scania 6×2 tractor unit. The Michelin rubber is just what Wilson McCurdy Haulage needs as the days become cooler towards the end of the year, as the XDN2 Grip offers increased traction in wet conditions and excellent performance on hard packed snow and icy surfaces.

The Scania operates at 44 tonnes with a Heil petrochemical tanker and had previously encountered a slight loss of traction when running empty on wet roads, particularly whilst negotiating roundabouts. “We need a powerful tractor unit as this vehicle operates in a very rural area, but the driver reported that in wet conditions the traction warning light would be flashing on and off repeatedly,” says Bill McCurdy, a partner in Wilson McCurdy Haulage.

28th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Construction Group Renews Bridgestone Contract

Construction industry group Thomas Armstrong has renewed its tyre contract with Bridgestone and Truck Point dealer Gates Tyres. The firm will continue to provide tyre management and service for the Thomas Armstrong fleet of 40 tractor units, 36 rigids and 55 trailers, as well as Bridgestone OTR products for the company’s 32 loading shovels.

The company’s transport director, Frank Harkness, said “when we initially switched from Michelin to Bridgestone our main requirement was that Bridgestone would match the PPK performance of Michelin. However, after evaluating the product we found that Bridgestone Product was outperforming the Michelin and therefore improving our PPK, we also find that Truck Point dealer Gates Tyres offer us excellent tyre management and service the fleet very well at our main location. This, coupled with our own efforts, has drastically reduced the amount of breakdowns we experienced with our previous service providers.”

24th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Laurent: Retreads from Germany for the Whole of Europe

Together with its parent company in France, Laurent Reifen GmbH from Germany is Europe’s largest retreader. For more than 50 years the long established company has played a major role in Europe as an industrial retreader. The factory in Oranienburg in the German state of Brandenburg (close to Berlin) has an annual production capacity of more than 200,000 units of retreaded truck and trailer tyres. Furthermore, in Germany as well as in Avallon, France, more than 2,500 pre-cured treads are produced every day. With about 120 different treads in all the major sizes available the company can supply new treads for almost every commercial tyre application. And the German company and its French parent are not only represented in these two countries; Laurent, as a member of the French Michelin group, is also represented in Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland.

23rd August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Gajah Tunggal Sales Up on Back of Increased Michelin Orders

Indonesia’s Gajah Tunggal is expected to achieve sales of IDR6.3 trillion (£337 million) in 2007, rising by approximately 17 per cent over the IDR5.4 trillion (£289 million) recorded in 2006. The anticipation of higher sales is based upon the increased level of orders from Michelin this year, 2.3 million units compared with 1.3 million in 2006.

23rd August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Voted Most Recognisable Tyre Brand in the UK

Michelin’s long established heritage and iconic mascot has helped it become one of the most recognisable and best-loved brands on the UK market, a phenomenon highlighted by recent survey results released by the Superbrands Council. The French tyremaker was listed as the 38th most recognisable brand in the UK out of a finalists list of 500 companies. This high ranking placed Michelin above market leading companies such as Apple (41st place), McDonalds (45) and IBM (61). The next tyre manufacturer to appear on the list was Italy’s Pirelli, in 69th place.

Judging for the Superbrands scoreboard is carried out by a cross-section of experts and consumers, with a ‘short-list’ of almost 1,500 brand names coming in for scrutiny. A total of more than 3,000 people are surveyed by independent research agency YouGov in order to formulate the results, which reflect public opinion on factors such as quality, reliability and distinction.

23rd August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin and BFGoodrich take the Long Way Down

Drawing on their success in gruelling events such as the Dakar Rally, Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman and their team chose Michelin and BFGoodrich tyres to support their recently completed ‘Long Way Down’ adventure through Europe and Africa. Travelling from John O’Groats to Cape Town via Western Europe and East Africa, the epic journey took in everything from tarmac roads to deserts and supported the Unicef, CHAS and Riders for Health charities.

Michelin supplied its Anakee tyres for the BMW R1200GS Adventure motorcycles ridden by Ewan and Charley, and BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A tyres for the two Nissan Patrol support vehicles. The two men were impressed by the combination of wet and dry grip, mileage, handling and comfort, combined with some off-road ability offered by the Michelin Anakee, the same tyre they used in the US leg of their previous trip, the Long Way Round.

22nd August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Galgo Focuses on Lean and Mean Organisation

In the course of the past years there has been but one important process that has dominated developments in the European pre-cured retreading market: suppliers from outside of Europe are finding it more and more feasible to claim a growing market share to themselves. According to figures made available to Tyres & Accessories, the share of pre-cured treads that have not been produced by Bandag, Marangoni/Ellerbrock, Kraiburg or Michelin was at 18 per cent in the year 2000. Five years later, in 2005, the “others” (see pie chart) had already gained 29 per cent of the European pre-cured retreading market. And there are market observers that predict within three to five years this group of companies will potentially supply up to 50 per cent of all pre-cured tread used in European retreading facilities. One of these observers is Joe Krimpenfort, who – as general manager of the material supplier Galgo Pre-Q Europe – sees his share of the European retreading market as being there for the taking.

21st August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

RFID Solution Fights Counterfeit Tyres

(Akron/Tire Review – RFID Update) A new RFID system by Advanced ID and SkyeTek is being touted as a potential solution to counterfeit and grey market tyres.

SkyeTek’s UHF RFID reader modules used in Advanced ID readers can capture tyre tag identification data for authentication. The readers integrate with the company’s software to provide tyre performance data and other information to help manufacturers, distributors, and fleet operators manage tyre inventories.

“We think maybe one out of five tyres is counterfeit or came from the grey market, and is not manufactured to the standards of the world’s top manufacturers,” Advanced ID CEO Dan Finch. “It’s a big problem that the industry doesn’t talk about a lot, in part because it has traditionally required expensive identification and tracking solutions.”

21st August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin India Introduces Regrooving Service

Michelin India has announced it will begin offering a truck tyre regrooving service which it claims will add about 20 per cent to a tyre’s total lifetime mileage. The regrooving will be performed through Michelin’s dealer network, and technicians will be given training in operating the handheld regrooving guns used in the process.

The regrooving process can potentially add up to 4mm of fresh grooves on a tyre and decrease fuel costs by as much as 10 per cent. “The company’s aim is to make our customers happy by helping them get maximum mileage from the tyres, more so because our products are at [the] high end in terms of price,” said Jason Cooper, Michelin India road staff manager.

21st August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Truck Tyres Now More Appealing in Nova Scotia

(Akron/Tire Review – Halifax Chronicle Herald) A rule change introduced August 16 by the Canadian province of Nova Scotia will make a double-wide tyre produced by Michelin more attractive to local truckers.

Nova Scotia has increased the weight limit for axles equipped with the new-generation wide-based single tyres to 7,700 kilograms per axle from 6,000 kilograms per axle.

The tyres, called X-One and made by Michelin at its Waterville, Nova Scotia plant, are considerably wider than the older-style single tyres and have been specifically designed to replace dual tyres.

Transportation Minister Angus MacIsaac said the new rules make wide-based single tyres a more attractive option for truckers who want to cut operating costs and energy consumption.

Single wide-based tyres reduce rolling resistance, improve fuel economy and allow truckers to carry additional payload on roads that are capable of handling the increased weight, Michelin claims.

Peter Nelson, executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, welcomes the option. “Next-generation wide-based tyres are to be celebrated for their efficiency and safety,” said Nelson.

20th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Tests Reveal Lax Tyre Care Habits

Two days of inspections conducted by Michelin in the Oxfordshire town of Banbury has highlighted the necessity for motorists to regularly check their vehicle’s tyres. More than half of the cars looked at by the Michelin team had at least one dangerously under-inflated tyre.

According to local newspaper the Banbury Guardian, 80.11 per cent of the 181 vehicles had under-inflated tyres, while the percentage of vehicles with tyres considered dangerously under-inflated was 54.70 per cent. Eight of the cars checked even had punctured tyres.

Michelin states that running on tyres inflated to 15psi below the recommended level lowers the speed at which a car will aquaplane on a wet surface by 10mph. Potential weaknesses in the tyre’s wall can also develop through the excessive build up of heat that results from under-inflation. And if this is not reason enough to check those tyres, the tyremaker adds that Over 70,000 miles, having the correct tyre pressure could save replacing two tyres.

20th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

ATS Euromaster Wins 160 Vehicle Council Contract

ATS Euromaster has secured a contract with Lancaster City Council to supply Michelin tyres and provide related service to the council’s 160 vehicle fleet. The three-year deal includes tyres for a mixed bag of vehicles ranging in size from lawn mowers through to refuse and recycling collection trucks.

“The varied nature of our fleet means that a fully managed approach like this is key to delivering best value for money for the taxpayer,” commented Graham Powell, fleet manager for Lancaster City Council. “ATS Euromaster and Michelin are also committed to ensuring that tyre-related downtime is kept to an absolute minimum, and helping the Council to achieve additional cost savings by maximising the performance and life of every tyre on the fleet. Selecting a partner with the skills to support our wide-ranging fleet was also crucial, with ATS Euromaster technicians as proficient at servicing the tyres on some of our more unusual pieces of equipment as they are on regular cars and trucks.”

17th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors