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US Firm Anticipates $100m OTR Exports to Asia – With Govt Help

Returning to our news pages once again is American Tire Corporation (ATC), the company recently noted for announcing the construction of a half-billion dollar OTR tyre plant in the US, a substantial corporate acquisition offer from an anonymous party – which ATC turned down, and, most recently the announcement of no price increases for 2008. The latest news from the enigmatic manufacturer is that its Colorado brand OTR tyres have been introduced into the Asian market.

13th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear to Cut Production in France

Goodyear Tire & Rubber is planning to reduce tyre production at its two factories in Amiens, France. The production cuts will lead to a reduction of up to 500 employees at the plants and follows employees rejection (in October 2007) of company plans to modernize and renovate the plants. According to the company, the cuts are being made because costs are not competitive. Goodyear employs about 3,800 people in France, of which 2,700 are in the Amiens plants.

“We have communicated extensively with the trade unions, explaining the need for major changes. These changes would increase our competitiveness. Unfortunately, they have rejected the plan to improve competitiveness. Therefore, we have no choice but to reduce our costs as the plants are currently uncompetitive,” said Serge Lussier, Goodyear’s Europe, Middle East and Africa vice president of manufacturing. Goodyear said production of some tyres impacted by the move would be transferred to other, lower-cost factories in Europe and elsewhere. Some products will be eliminated. There have so far been no details of which lines will be eliminated or exactly where production will be transferred.

24th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

New Goodyear Senior VP & Chief Technical Officer Named

At the end of 2007 Goodyear named its replacement for Joseph M. Gringo, who has retired from Goodyear after 41 years of service. As of January 1 Jean-Claude Kihn, formerly general director of Goodyear’s Technical Center (GTC*A) in Akron, Ohio, has taken on the role of senior vice president and chief technical officer.

“Jean-Claude has demonstrated excellent leadership throughout the time I have known him and worked with him,” said Goodyear chairman and chief executive officer Robert J. Keegan upon announcing the appointment. “He has gained the trust of our business leaders in Europe, Latin America and North America through his recent assignments in those businesses.

7th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Hercules to Launch 3 New SUV Lines

Hercules Tire International president, Joe Recchia, has announced that the Canada-based company will use its Tyrexpo Africa exhibit to three new SUV lines. “We are kicking off 2008 with the announcement of three new SUV lines and an exciting new UHP tyre currently in development,” Joe Recchia told Tyres & Accessories. “Our Ironman Radial AP, Merit All Country AT & Hercules MR IV SUV tyres are all fantastic additions to our SUV line. It’s been an incredible year,” he continued, adding: “Hercules Tire International has never looked better!”

Hercules recently announced far reaching plans to become a global operation by opening a number of regional offices in strategic markets around the world. The first was opened at the end of last year and will serve the Latin American and Caribbean markets. Next up are offices in the Middle East, South East Asia and Europe.

4th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

ME OTR Shortage Leads to 300% Price Hike in Two Years

Those buying OTR tyres in the Middle East are likely to encounter further price hikes of 20 to 30 per cent. According to an Emirates Business report, a tyre that cost £15,000 in 2005 cost as much as £45,000 2007. Now this is expected to increase by a further 20 to 30 per cent by the end of the first half of 2008.

As a result major tyre manufacturers including Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear and Pirelli have all increased product prices three times a year since 2005, the report continued. Bridgestone is likely to increase prices in the region by 10 per cent in January followed by another 10 per cent in June. Goodyear is also expected to increase prices between five and 15 per cent.

2nd January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Al Dobowi Deepens its roots in Africa

The Al Dobowi Group has decided to increase its presence in Africa by opening offices, warehouses and service centres in Ethiopia to cover the Ethiopian, Djiboutian and Somalian markets. It will distribute tyres and batteries and will also have an OTR repair facility with Rema Tip Top. In addition it will also supply Gates Fleximak hoses and manufacture Serck Radiators. According to the company, these developments will also provide Al-Dobowi’s European partners that do not have a local African presence with more avenues to increase their business in some of the fastest growing markets in the world.

2nd January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bandag and Conti go their Separate Ways

At the end of this year, the ContiTread cold retreading partnership between Bandag Europe and the Continental AG will come to an end. In a message to Bandag partners in Europe Mike Tirona, Vice President and General Manager Bandag EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), explained that the decision was made jointly and in a friendly atmosphere. The question is who will now produce ContiTread treads? Will they be made in Continental’s factories or in partnership with another manufacturer? The latter certainly appears to be the case. While no details have yet been officially confirmed, Continental representatives told Tyres & Accessories that negotiations with “another international retread supplier” are already at an advanced stage and that these are expected to be completed in early 2008, with the first Conti-Tread strips to be produced outside of Bandag’s Belgian Lanklaar factory to follow in March 2008.

21st December 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Multistrada to More than Double Capacity

Indonesian manufacturer PT Multistrada Arah Sarana has announced plans to increase its production capacity from 17,000 units per day to 40,000 during 2008. The company’s public relations manager, Prawita Hertika, said that this move was necessary to keep pace with demand, which at present is averaging 100,000 units per day.

Prawita said that the company, which produces the Multi Strada range of tyres, will expand the capacity of its factory in Cikarang, east of Jakarta to meet increasing export demand. Should market requirements necessitate still further expansion, Prawita added, Multistrada has sufficient vacant land at its factory site to accommodate additional development.

The tyremaker at present exports 85 per cent of its production, with the UK, the Middle East and the US three of its key markets.

12th December 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

EU to Form Part of Larger Goodyear Strategic Business Unit

Executives at Akron have redrawn the borders on Goodyear’s global map, combining its European Union (EU) region with that of Eastern Europe,
Middle East and Africa (EEMA). The new grouping, to be known as Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), will be the manufacturer’s second largest geographic region and second largest, after North America, in terms of annual sales revenue. In 2006 the combined annual sales revenue for the two former regions was US$6.5 billion. The amalgamation of the two regions takes effect on February 1, 2008.

11th December 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli to Raise Prices in Several Export Markets

Pirelli Tyre reports that price increases of up to 10 per cent are planned for all passenger car, SUV and truck tyre lines sold in Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific markets, effective as of January 1, 2008. The manufacturer states that the increases have been necessitated by continued increases in the cost of raw materials and energy.

5th December 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Rapid Growth the Hallmark of Yongsheng’s Short History

Exhibited at CITExpo with well-known distributor the Meir Group were products from the Shandong Yongsheng Rubber Co. This Qingdao based manufacturer has been in business for 21 years, originally producing bias tyres. However in 2003 the company invested in a new production facility for the manufacture of radial products. Known as the Shandong Santai Rubber Co., Ltd, this new factory possessed an initial capacity of 600,000 units per annum.

29th November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Interstate Tyres On Show in Kuwait

Interstate Tires are to participate at the prestigious Kuwait Automobile exhibition. From November 28 to December 4, 2007 Interstate Tires will display the company’s complete range of tyres. The Middle East is fast growing market and, according to Theo de Vries Interstate Tires are very popular in “various” Gulf states. Furthermore Interstate Tires is approved and licensed to be used in the official dealer organizations of Volkswagen, Audi, Ford and Mazda. “You can find Interstate Tires in the main hall, next to Audi and Spijker cars,” company president Theo de Vries told Tyres & Acceessories.

28th November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

China to Play a Role in SRT’s Growth

The attendance of Russian tyre major Sibur – Russian Tyres (SRT) at CITExpo 2007 was perhaps indicative of the unique position the Shanghai show holds as the largest specialist tyre exhibition in the world’s most watched market. Exhibiting alongside the Xarello Group, an important export agent for Sibur – Russian Tyres, the Russian manufacturer and the overseas wholesaler were not seeking to raise their profile with Chinese consumers, nor were they looking for local agents to distribute tyres. So what exactly then attracted the two companies to an exhibition in Shanghai?

22nd November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Bringing the World to China

China at the start of the 21st century can claim to hold a position on the world stage enjoyed by Britain in the 19th – the People’s Republic is the undisputed ‘workshop of the world’, and its swelling output of manufactured products has seen the country grow to become the world’s fourth largest economy. Included in this swift expansion has been tyre industry production – recent figures indicate that China now produces some 330 million tyres annually. Of this amount 235 million are radial types, and two-thirds of these are destined for export. However, China has not merely grown as a production site for meeting the needs of global markets. The Chinese are quickly becoming a nation of consumers, and their appetite for vehicles is voracious. While only six Chinese out of every hundred own a car, research conducted by AC Nielsen indicates that China contains more people who aspire to own a car, but currently do not, than any other country. The outlook for tyre sales within China is thus good, and domestic demand is tipped to surpass export figures in about five years’ time. Whether buying or selling tyres, China is a country that provides many lucrative business opportunities.

21st November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Hercules to Open Middle-East and SE Asia Offices

Hercules International boss Joe Recchia has told Tyres & Accessories that Hercules’ visit to the inaugural Reifen China exhibition is not about instantly accessing domestic sales in China, but rather establishing a foundation on which to build in the months and years ahead. Recchia’s plan is to grow Hercules’ export business from an international to a global player.

Up till now, Hercules has been a large manufacturer active in numerous markets all over the world – 93 at the last count, up roughly a third from the approximately 75 nations the company sold tyres to in 2006. But now the Canada-based operation is planning to turn global by establishing regional offices in a number of key markets in 2008. On the subject of China, Joe Recchia is clear that there is not much prospect of competing with Chinese manufacturers in terms of price, so the Hercules has plans to take the OE route to market. Recchia didn’t go into details of exactly which manufacturers he was referring to, but did say that the plans are expected to be underway in the middle of 2008. Hercules’ international intentions look set to focus on one of two of its private brands (perhaps even both), but Rechhia would only go as far as saying that they represent totally different distribution channels.

14th November 2007/by Tyrepress Editors