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Yokohama Income Declines in H1 2008

Yokohama Rubber has announced experiencing a 53.7 per cent decline in operating income for the six months to September 30, 2008 in comparison to the same period of the previous year, to 5.6 billion yen (£37.7 million), despite a 1.3 per cent increase in net sales, to 256.6 billion yen (1.7 billion). Net income for this first half of the current financial year declined 95.7 per cent, to 554 million yen (£3.7 million). For the three months ending September 30, 2008, net sales were 133.5 billion yen (£898.8 million), an increase of 1.8 per cent. Operating income decreased 81 per cent to 1.5 billion yen (£10.1 million) and net income dropped from 29.5 million yen (£198,600) in 2007 to a loss of 7.03 million yen (-£47,000) in the recently concluded quarter of this year.

13th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Old Tyres to Tread in Timberland Shoes

When they’ve finished doing service on your car, that set of old tyres removed by the local garage or fast fit can now potentially return and see further life on your feet. Footwear manufacturer Timberland has teamed up with Green Rubber to launch two new collections featuring outsoles made using recycled rubber from discarded tyres. These outsoles will contain a 50/50 blend of Green Rubber compound and virgin rubber compound, the blend of the two materials necessary in order to maintain the durability and performance characteristics Timberland footwear is known for.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Fit Tyres to New Subaru

Subaru has chosen Dunlop for OE supplier to its 2008 Impreza WRX STi. The car will use the tyre maker’s SP Sport 01 in the size 235/45R17 94W.

Frédéric Schilling, brand director of Dunlop Europe, Middle East and Africa was pleased with Subaru’s decision: “Dunlop, with its long motorsport heritage and experience, is the ideal fitment for the Subaru Impreza WRX STI which is built upon a successful rally car heritage. The STI is more than a car, it’s a culture. From the very beginning the Dunlop SP Sport 01 has been developed with leading partners in the automotive industry to comply with the very latest vehicle design and construction. And, last but not least, its development draws on many Dunlop motorsport successes,” he continued.

10th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Audi R8 to Drive on Dunlop tyres

Dunlop has been selected as an OE supplier for Audi’s R8. The German sports coupe (dubbed by Audi the “slowest car we’ve ever built” due to its labour intensive, non-production line manufacture) will receive two top of the range Dunlop products, the UHP Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT and for the upcoming winter season the Dunlop Winter Sport 3D.

7th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

‘Pimp My Shopping Trolley’

Motorists with cash in their pockets have given chrome wheels the nod for the last decade, but in America these look-at-me vehicle accessories are losing favour with drivers pummelled by rising fuel and other costs. In an article published by USA Today, König Wheels sales manager Jim Fisher commented that the fashion for chrome wheels “might come back, but it’s going to be a while…..we’re selling something that people don’t need.”

6th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Profits Down 45% in Third Quarter

Third quarter sales grew 24 per cent year on year at Hankook Tire, the company’s latest figures reveal. However, as has been the case with so many companies in this second half of 2008, increased sales have not translated into a better bottom line.

5th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

UPDATE: Goodyear Sees Q3 Profits Fall

Despite making a significant operating loss of $19 million in the North American market – as reported on Tyrepress.com on 3 November – Goodyear has carded record sales in 2008’s third quarter, up 2 per cent to $5.2 billion. In addition, the company states that its revenue per tyre is up 8 per cent over Q3 2007 excluding the impact of foreign currency translation, a gain that reflects worldwide gains in pricing and product mix generated by the company’s strategy to focus on high-value-added tyres.

Chairman and CEO Robert J. Keegan said that the company’s “solid third quarter concludes a strong nine months of performance, reflecting the successful execution of our business strategies and continued strength in our international businesses.”

4th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear, Dunlop Perform Well in Winter Testing

The Goodyear and Dunlop brands have achieved excellent notices in the latest round of independent tyre tests for winter tyres. Both labels are hoping to capitalise on these successes on the testing track with commercial success throughout Europe. Winter tyres account for about 30 percent of total European consumer replacement tyres, so it is understandable why the companies are keen to grab a greater piece of the market. The results of these tests are generally seen as important factors in European motorists’ winter tyre buying decisions, and with the use of winter tyres a lawful requirement in several European countries, including Austria, Sweden, Finland, and the Baltics, they could prove particularly interesting to the companies.

Independent tests by the ADAC, Germany’s leading automobile club, and the auto magazines AutoBild, Stitung Warentest and Auto Motor und Sport, singled out for praise the Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip 7+, the Dunlop SP Winter Response and Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D. Meanwhile Test World, the leading testing organization based in Finland, and Swedish motoring magazine Motorforaren had words of praise for Goodyear’s Ultra Grip Extreme and the Ice Navi ZEA respectively.

28th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

New Car Tyre Factory Proposed in Yemen

Abdul-Galil Shaif al-Shaibi, vice chairman of the Yemen General Free Zones Authority and Aden Free Zone (AFZ) met with a delegation from the UAE on on 25 October. During the meeting the delegation, chaired by director of Bin Sooda Investment Companies Kareem Far’a reportedly “expressed a desire to establish a factory for producing cars tyres in Aden Free Zone.”

According to Yemeni news reports, the factory is initially expected to serve markets in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. Abdul-Galil Shaif al-Shaibi reportedly indicated that AFZ may offer investment opportunities and facilities due to the Port of Aden’s strategic importance in the region.

27th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Promotes Safety in New Ad Campaign

Goodyear is highlighting the safety aspects of its products through a new integrated advertising campaign. The advertisement, created by London based agency Leagas Delaney, utilises the iconic Goodyear blimp, portraying the airship as a flying laboratory housing a team that looks after drivers on their journey.

The safety message is bolstered by statistics highlighting the safety benefits of Goodyear’s innovations, and the campaign also introduces a new endline – ‘Safety Together’ – and a new corporate identity. The campaign will be shown across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, encompassing TV, print and point of sale.

23rd October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

New Motorcycle Tyre Sales & Marketing Director at Dunlop

Dunlop has appointed Sharon Antonaros sales and marketing director, Europe, Middle East and Africa for its Motorcycle Business Unit. He is based in the Goodyear Dunlop regional head office in Brussels and reports to Sanjay Khanna, managing director of the Dunlop Motorcycle Business Unit.

Born in Uccle, Belgium, Mr. Antonaros, 39, gained a Masters degree in European Studies from the Centre d’Etudes des Relations Européennes. Before joining Dunlop in August 2008, Antonaros was channel development director EMEA in the electronic navigation industry, where he had worked for three years. Prior to this he held senior sales and marketing positions in the computer hardware industry for Sony.

21st October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Star Driver for Asia-Pacific Region Selected

New Zealander Mark Tapper has been selected to represent the Asia-Pacific Region in the Pirelli Star Driver scheme. The 27 year-old from Auckland, along with co-driver Jeff Cress, beat nine other contenders in the selection process, which took place over two rallies in New Zealand and Malaysia.

Tapper is the second driver to be named from the five who will benefit from the initiative, organised jointly by Pirelli and the FIA, to give young drivers a foot in the door of the FIA World Rally Championship. The Pirelli Star Driver programme will give five young talents (one each from Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific regions, plus two from Europe) the chance to compete in six WRC events in a Group N or S2000 car prepared and run by a top team. The drivers who earn a place on the Pirelli Star Driver scheme next year will get a chance to show what they can do in Portugal, Italy, Greece, Finland, Spain and Great Britain.

17th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

New Size Added to Michelin X Terminal-T Range

The popular Michelin range X Terminal-T tyres is being expanded through the addition of a 310/80R22.5 fitment to the already available line-up of specialist tyres designed primarily for fitment to tractor units, tugs and trailers used for short-distance movements in ports and freight terminals.

Suitable for fitment in any axle position, Michelin reports that its new 310/80R22.5 X Terminal-T tyre incorporates an advanced industrial casing design and features a unique blend of materials, which deliver even tread wear and low operating costs, along with good machine and payload protection from shock and vibration. This new size can easily be fitted in place of 11R22.5 and 295/80R22.5 sizes in particular, as their rolling circumferences are very similar and the rim widths are identical at 8.25 or 9.00 inches.

7th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Star Driver Entrants Announced

The FIA has published a list of 18 young drivers from Europe and Central and South America who will take part in the Pirelli Star Driver competition in Freistadt, Austria. The two winners will each receive a drive on six rounds of the 2009 WRC.

The competitors have all been chosen locally by their respective national sporting authorities (ASNs), who have put them forward for the competition in Freistadt that will take place from October 23-25. This contest will select two people to receive a fully-paid drive on six rounds of the World Rally Championship next year.

6th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Sumitomo Establishes Middle East Replacement Tyre Business

Sumitomo Rubber Industries is establishing a company to handle the sale of tyres in the Middle East region. The Dubai based company, called Sumitomo Rubber Middle East FZE, will start operations of January 1, 2009, and will focus upon expanding sales of replacement tyres in the region, an area where Sumitomo has identified growth. The key products handled by the new company will be passenger car, light commercial and truck tyres.

The company, 100 per cent owned by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, will be headed by Masaru Tabata. The operations will employ approximately 15 persons.

23rd September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors