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.
The US agricultural journal Farm Industry News has recognised Michelin’s new Ultraflex Technology as one of the most significant innovations of the past year. The publication presented Michelin Agricultural Tires with a FinOvation Award at a banquet during February’s 2007 Farm Machinery Show held in Kentucky.
An investigation has ruled that neither Michelin nor the company that hired an independent contractor killed at the tyremaker’s Norwood factory in the US are to blame for his death. Neither the national Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the North Carolina Department of Labor found any evidence of neglect or foul play to have occurred during last October’s incident.
The 2007 MotoGP season starts on March 10th with the Grand Prix in Qatar. This year’s calendar has 18 races, one more than 2006. Between Qatar and Valencia on 4 November, the teams will have raced in Turkey, China, USA, Japan, Malaysia and Australia as well as throughout Europe.
Just over a year after Michelin North America announced it would invest $92 million setting up production facilities for its X One wide single tyre in Canada, employees at the Waterville, Nova Scotia plant have produced the factory’s first X One tyre ahead of schedule.
On 27 February the FIA announced that Pirelli had won the tender to be the official tyre supplier to the 2008, 2009 and 2010 FIA World Rally Championships. The decision came as something of a surprise for two reasons: Pirelli withdrew from WRC, citing “marketing reasons” only one season earlier; and secondly because the decision means Group Michelin no-longer supply either of the two leading four wheel motorsport series.
Michelin has launched the first steer axle truck tyre in its range to feature InfiniCoil architecture, one of the key innovations of Michelin Durable Technologies. The 315/60 R 22.5 Michelin X Energy XF is available as original equipment in Europe and will be exhibited on Michelin’s stand at the Commercial Vehicle Show. With a load carrying capacity of 7.5 tonnes (the same as a 315/70 R 22.5), this new tyre responds to the demand from vehicle manufacturers seeking tyres that increase the steer axle’s load-carrying capacity.
Pirelli Tyre’s IPO last summer completely failed when the parent company was required to sell about 39 per cent of its tyre division Pirelli Tyre S.p.A. to a group of corporate investors from the banking sector rather than to private shareholders. And it will soon be seen whether these moves have actually more than merely temporarily quenched the parent company’s thirst for money. It appears that the tyre maker’s parent company, Pirelli & C. S.p.A., continues to have problems. Its shareholding in Telecom Italia has always been troublesome and was (and is still) obviously not fulfilling high expectations. Only recently more and higher depreciations had to be integrated into Pirelli’s balance sheet because the stock price of Telecom Italia proved unable to recover. In glaring contrast, however, is Pirelli’s tyre business.
Michelin has announced that will increase the price of its truck tyre products by an average of 4.4 per cent. Michelin representatives in Europe told Tyres & Accessories that the price rise would come into effect tomorrow (1 March 2007). According to the French tyre manufacturer, the price increase was triggered by the continuing high cost of raw materials, and specifically rubber prices.
The world’s leading tyremakers are exhibiting at the 77th International Motor Show, held in Geneva between March 8 – 18. Bridgestone, Michelin, Pirelli, Continental, Marangoni and a number of other tyre related companies will be amongst the 250 plus companies present at the city’s Palexpo exhibition centre for what has been called the accessories, spare parts and equipment sector’s largest annual event.
The new tyre industry’s continued push into international and national fleet business and thus into the retreading business will very likely lead to an increased market polarisation between these companies and independent players participating in this market. The major material supplier, Gummiwerk Kraiburg Austria, has identified the prospects and risks attached to this development, according to Frank Gregory, new sales director within the company’s “Retreading materials” business unit. Talking to Tyres & Accessories, Mr Gregory announced an adjustment to Kraiburg Austria’s business model, but did not disclose specific details.
(Akron/Tire Review) Jim Morton, the former Michelin North America public relations and government affairs chief who later became vice chairman of Nissan North America, has decided to retire at the end of March. Morton will continue as a government affairs advisor to Nissan management after his Apr. 1 departure.
The FIA has announced that Pirelli has won the tender to be the official tyre supplier to the 2008, 2009 and 2010 FIA World Rally Championships. It will now enter into a formal contract to supply tyres in all events of the Championship to all competitors with a four-wheel drive rally car (as defined in the International Sporting Code). After leaving the series last season, Pirelli representatives refused to rule out re-entry into the series, suggesting that supply was always a possibility. However, the news that the team will exclusively supply the series has been reported as a surprise by some commentators. Some have even gone as far as suggesting that the decision, which was made at an extraordinary meeting of the FIA in Paris, was a slap in the face to Michelin.
The nationwide driving school BSM, part of the RAC, has signed a new one-year contract with ATS Euromaster for the provision of new tyres and tyre services. The contract covers BSM’s fleet of over 3,500 dual control vehicles – the largest of its type in the UK.
As Bridgestone prepares for its role as Formula One’s solitary supplier, the tyremaker has disclosed that in 2007 it will supply teams with only four different specifications of dry weather tyres – Hard, Medium, Soft, and Super Soft.
Michelin Group shareholders have expressed their support for the company’s decision to end the production of tyres at its factory in Portharcourt, Nigeria. This decision has been one that has attracted much questioning from manufacturing sector stakeholders, as the reasons behind Michelin’s withdrawal have been shrouded in uncertainty and rumours have abounded that it must in some way be liked to existing security risks for French personnel at the plant. A recent rumour alleges that a French national employed by Michelin was kidnapped and a ransom of an undisclosed amount was required before his release.
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