Sales at Titan International amounted to US$222.8 million during the third quarter of the 2010 financial year, representing a year-on-year increase of 57 per cent. This improved result was accompanied by a gross profit of $27.9 million and a net income of $4.0 million. Year-to-date, the company’s sales have increased 12 per cent year-on-year to $648.9 million, while net income has reached $10.8 million.
The chairman and CEO of Titan International has described the second quarter as a “good quarter for a number of reasons. Maurice M. Taylor Jr, a man also known as “The Grizz” – a nickname presumably earned due to his business style rather than a fondness for bears – said “the numbers speak for themselves. If you look at the cash flow you will see that there is about an extra $1 million each quarter in depreciation and amortisation related to the new off-the-road equipment when compared to the same quarters in 2009.”
Guangdong Greatoo Molds Inc is organising an international customer conference, which is set to run between 26 August and 2 September 2010. Senior technical consultant RNK Krishnan told Tyres & Accessories that the firm is inviting all its “vip customers from many countries for this event.” According to Krishnan, it is for the first time any mould company has organised such a event for its customers and the hopes is it will strengthen working relationships as Greatoo plans to focus on international customers all the more in future.
German company cleanLASER has developed a new system for cleaning tyre moulds utilising a combination of handheld and automated laser tools. The system’s design consists of two laser optic tools that utilise laser light to clean the moulds. One tool is manually operated, while the second is automated. The system includes a beam-switch to enable the operator to select either a handheld cleaning tool for optimal versatility or a robotically mounted optic for repetitive high-speed treatments.
Nexen Tire America has put an 8 per cent price hike on all of its South Korea-produced tyres, according to Tire Review. Additionally, Nexen reportedly said it is shifting moulds for its SB702 line from its plant in China to its home plant in South Korea. The move, in reaction to the new 35 per cent added tariff on China-produced passenger tyres, will also necessitate a price increase for that line, Nexen said, but the exact amount had not yet been determined. Nexen reportedly said the 8 per cent increase is due to increased raw material costs.
News from the SEMA show in the US indicates that South Korea’s Daewoo International wishes to bring its own home brand tyres to market. The company has developed its own tread patterns and owns the moulds and plates used in production, however the tyres will reportedly be manufactured in China by several manufacturers, including Triangle Tyre. The company is looking to distribute the range internationally.
The ninth International Tyre Industry Expo in South America, PneuShow is set to take place in São Paulo, Brazil between 13 and 16 April, 2010 at the Expo Center Norte. The event will also include its second international tyre industry convention. Calling itself “the most important show for the tyre industry in South America”, PneuShow Recaufair’s exhibitors will include representatives from the tyre and wheel trades, including special application and industrial products; repair and retreading materials, machinery and moulds; and servicing and recycling equipment and tools. In 2008, the event had 100 exhibitors in a space of 4,500 sqm, with 10,800 visitors.
Yokohama Rubber has established a tyre mould manufacturing and sales company through its acquisition of Hashiba Tire Mold’s tyre mould manufacturing business in July. The aim of setting up this new company, Yokohama comments, is to further reduce costs through increasing the self-supply ratio within the Yokohama Rubber group.
Cooper Tire & Rubber has announced that, in response to consumer demand for greater vehicle fuel efficiency, it has launched its first low-rolling resistance tyre line – the Cooper GFE (Greater Fuel Efficiency). The new range is already available in dealerships across the US.
“With the recent volatility in gasoline prices, customers are looking for ways to improve their vehicle fuel economy,” said Chuck Yurkovich, Vice President of Global Technology. “Tyre rolling resistance has a significant impact on vehicle fuel economy, so Cooper responded with a new tyre specifically designed for fuel-efficient vehicles.”
Watts Tyre Group has launched its latest industrial pneumatic tyre, the Sherpa range. According to the company, Sherpa has been designed to outperform other tyres in its class through design, construction and materials. Internal laboratory tests have shown that that range is “highly durable” and “performs exceptionally across a range of applications and environments.”
Watts CEO Jean-Paul Mindermann commented: “We are very pleased to bring this product to market, it is an exceptional tyre and one that we believe will establish us as a true contender in the premium sector with a price/quality ratio which will be hard to beat…Our dealer and OEM partners highlighted to us that they wanted a high performance pneumatic product and so we have produced one.”
In spite of the economic downturn, Sinton Tyres reports that its customers are happy to continue investing in their SUVs and off road vehicles – and the Cooper All Terrain (Discoverer ATR) and mud pattern (Discoverer STT) thus remain as popular as ever, with the Discoverer ST remaining a firm favourite with those enthusiasts who want a 40 per cent on-road/60 per cent off road tyre.
The latest products to find a stall in the Cooper stable are the Zeon XSTA, which replaces the Sports HP in the Discoverer range, and the Zeon LTZ, which comes in American truck sizes but is also suitable for some UK conversions. Both are suitable for the aftermarket.
In the area of wheel balancing weights, B.F. srl believes it stands out in terms of its enterprise in researching new weights and solutions to meet all market requirements. The ISO 9001:2000 certified company reports it has made a number of important decisions in recent years, including the creation of a technical department for internal projection, which is capable of designing and manufacturing balancing weight production machinery, along with moulds and all relevant spare components.
After a quarter of century at Michelin North America, one of the company’s top researchers has launched his own high-tech start up company. Drawing upon experience gained during his time with the tyre maker, former director of external research Ralph Hulseman plans to build a company around a technology that allows the moulding of microstructures and nanostructures into curved surfaces.
Commercial grade industrial and mining tyre supplier Supergrip announced on October 21 it has selected Amerityre Corporation to manufacture and supply a new range of long wearing flat-proof polyurethane tyres. The new tyres, which will be sold under the Supergrip brand name, will be produced in multiple sizes for a variety of commercial applications, and manufactured using the proprietary polyurethane formulations developed by Amerityre.
Marangoni Tread North America has increased Ringtread production at its Madison, Tennessee Alpha-Ring manufacturing plant by 25 per cent. The company reports this greater production will accommodate both domestic and global growth. Specifically, 14 per cent more Ring moulds have been installed at the Madison facility in order to handle North American market growth and provide better service to the North American Ringtread dealer network. On top of this, the Madison plant is now shipping Ringtreads to other global markets, and further expansion is scheduled for next year.
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