Middle East
RNF Digital and Bridgestone are reporting that their Firestone Tyre Pressure Calculator and Bridgestone Challenge apps re delivering impressive results since being launched a couple of years ago (the Firestone app is aimed at farmers and agricultural contractors and the Bridgestone Challenge was developed for use by Bridgestone’s sales teams in assisting customers and helping to land new contracts).
On 17 January, the board of Hankook Tire resolved to invest KRW 380.2 billion (£215.7) in the second stage expansion of the company’s factory in Indonesia. In a statement filed with the Korea Exchange (KRX), the tyre maker said the period of investment would extend until the end of 2015 and involve an 11.8 per cent ratio to equity capital.
As long as TPMS remains the third largest selling intelligent car component after ABS and ESC, the performance of this technology in key emerging markets will remain of significant interest to the wider industry. With this in mind, and as part of more detailed coverage in our February magazine’s TPMS feature, we have prepared this brief market overview:
According to unverified news published by Indonesian business publication Kontan and repeated in English by Reuters, tyre maker PT Multistrada Arah Saran has cancelled its plan to build new plants in Egypt and Kazakhstan this year. Even Go, investor relations officer at Multistrada, said this decision was taken due to concerns about political instability and security within the Middle East region.
The Continental truck and bus tyre factory in Otrokovice, Czech Republic will be significantly expanded, the tyre maker announced today. A total of €165 million will be invested over a period of five years to ultimately double truck and bus radial production capacity at plant to close on 1.5 million units per annum. More than 300 new jobs will be created throughout all production areas, and the enlarged plant will service the American and Russian markets in addition to the areas it currently supplies.
Cooper Tire has announced its plan to open a 6,800m2 distribution centre in conjunction with logistics expert, Milsped, in Belgrade, Serbia. The facility will be located alongside Milsped’s corporate headquarters in the Krnjesevci area of Belgrade. Due to open in December, the centre will have a storage capacity of up to 400,000 tyres.
Analysts at TechSci Research have published a new report highlighting the growth potential of the South Korean tyre market. According to the report entitled “South Korea Tyre Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2018”, the tyre market in South Korea is expected to grow at the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5 per cent between 2013 and 2018 in terms of sales revenue.
Brembo has been recognised as the first Fiat-Chrysler sustainable supplier of the year. In 2009 the car company from Turin launched specific certification procedures for its supply chain in EMEA area.
Singapore’s Stamford Tyres has appointed UAE automobile distributor Al Habtoor Motors as the official dealer and distributor of its Firenza car tyre brand. The Firenza brand is already established throughout Europe and the UK and this latest association is designed to build a sales profile in the Middle East for the future.
At yesterday’s presentation of its 2013-2017 Industrial Plan in London, Pirelli & C. SpA highlighted its performance since the presentation of its previous Industrial Plan in 2011 (which covered 2011-2015) and stated its aims for the current period. The event followed the release of the company’s third quarter figures on 5 November. The headline figures for the third quarter are net sales of €1.52 billion (down 2.19 per cent year-on-year, operating income of €201.0 million (up 2.87 per cent), EBIT margin of 13.2 per cent (12.6 per cent in Q2 2012) and net income up 27.36 per cent to €108.0 million.
Consolidated sales at Germany’s Continental AG reached €8.35 billion in the three months to 30 September, a 2.65 per cent increase on the same period of 2012. Adjusted sales were up 2.44 per cent to €8.31 billion. EBITDA rose 10.36 per cent year-on-year in the quarter to €1.32 billion (15.8 per cent of sales, up from 14.7 per cent) and EBIT grew 15.58 per cent to €886.3 million (10.6 per cent of sales, up from 9.4 per cent).
Goodyear Tire & Rubber chairman and chief executive officer Richard J. Kramer says the company’s third quarter results “demonstrate continued sustainable earnings growth and the type of disciplined execution needed to deliver on our targets in 2013 and beyond.”
Every year, Bridgestone releases a new Mid-Term Management Plan. Each covers a five-year period and incorporates rolling changes. In announcing its 2013MTP, Bridgestone says the latest plan reflects changes in the operating environment since the formulation of the 2012 mid-term plan and incorporates revisions and additional strategies and actions “as deemed necessary.” Amongst the themes covered by the new plan is the restructuring of Bridgestone’s tyre business strategic business units (SBUs).
Goodyear has reshuffled its global leadership resulting in a new head of the company’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) business unit. Darren R. Wells, who up till now has acted as the company’s global CFO has been named president of Goodyear EMEA. Arthur de Bok, currently president of this business, will move into the new role of senior vice president, responsible for driving standardized and integrated sales and marketing processes across Goodyear.
A new management role, that of ‘general manager operations’, has been created at Pirelli, and Gregorio Borgo has been appointed the first incumbent. Borgo, currently head of Pirelli’s Asia-Pacific region, will report directly to company chairman and chief executive officer Marco Tronchetti Provera in his new position.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.