North America
Despite market conditions it refers to as “challenging,” Nokian Tyres claims to have “set production records” at its North American factory in 2024, and also expanded its product range and grew market presence within the region. Monthly production highs in October and November contributed towards the “best year ever” at the 2019-opened Dayton, Tennessee factory.
AB Svenskt Konstsilke (SKS), the Swedish-based global leader in single-end cords for tyres, has announced the acquisition of the assets from Mehler EP’s 153,500-square-foot Martinsville plant in SC, USA. According to the company, the equipment will significantly enhance SKS’s production capacity at its facilities in Estonia, China, and Mexico, adding an additional 3,000 tons of single end cord capacity annually. The assets include multiple dipping lines, twisting machines, winders, and a fully equipped laboratory.
Transense Technologies plc has partnered with German software firm Tiretask GmbH to release an “all-in-one tyre management solution to the UK, North America and Australia”.
According to the two companies, the collaboration introduces “a powerful, integrated tyre management system that combines Translogik’s highly respected tyre inspection tools with Tiretask’s advanced digital management software”.
We have already reported how Donald Trump’s second term as US president is likely to result in wide-ranging import tariffs. The kind of 20 per cent general import tariffs and 60 per cent China-specific import tariffs are significant enough, but market analysts are highlighting the secondary impact of tariffs on shipping costs.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI) has announced its financial results for the nine months ending 30 September 2024, showcasing moderate revenue growth and a significant increase in business profit, despite ongoing challenges in the global economic landscape and sluggish tyre sales in key markets.
Zynga Inc. has partnered with Toyo Tires to bring a custom-built vehicle into the mobile drag racing game CSR2. Fans have been given the chance vote for their favourite custom car showcased at Toyo Tires’ Treadpass event during the SEMA Show in Las Vegas (5-9 November). The winning vehicle will then be implemented into CSR2 as a playable car in 2025.
The days of Falken and Dunlop tyre manufacture in North America are numbered. During a Board of Directors meeting held today, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI) resolved to end production at the Tonawanda, New York-based plant operated by its Sumitomo Rubber USA, LLC (SRUSA) subsidiary, and to dissolve the subsidiary after “making the necessary preparations.” This decision affects up to 1,555 employees.
ZC Rubber showed four of 13 new designs of its Westlake Gen II truck tyre lineup at SEMA 2024 (5-8 November 2024), setting the stage for a “comprehensive North American launch”. At the same time, ZC Rubber has also expanded its ARISUN passenger tyre lineup with two additions.
The SEMA 2024 show debuts today in Las Vegas, and at the event Kumho Tire U.S.A. is launching no less than three ultra-high-performance tyres for North American customers. The new arrivals are the Kumho Ecsta Sport All-Season PA71, Ecsta Sport PS72 and Ecsta Sport S PS72, tyres that “bring next-generation compound and tread design technology for superior performance without compromise.” Kumho plans to make these tyres available in the local market by spring 2025.
Cimcorp has named Pekka Natri as its new Head of Region, North America. With nearly 30 years of experience in global business development, Natri has been “a dedicated member” of the Cimpcorp team since 2018.
In his new role, Natri will “align North American teams, functions, and partners. His focus will be on serving our customers locally while supporting global growth.”
On 22 October 2024, American Tire Distributors, Inc. (ATD) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. It was the second time in around six years that the large – if not the largest – US tyre distributor made such a petition. And ATD did so leaving more than half-a-billion dollars outstanding with some of the world’s largest tyre manufacturers as well as some of some of the fastest-growing tyremakers (see Tyrepress.com and page 27 of the November edition of Tyres & Accessories magazine for further details relating to both the Chapter 11 announcement and how much money is outstanding with which tyremakers).
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The latest addition to the Pirelli Scorpion line-up takes the range’s legacy “to the next level” by “pushing the Scorpion family to its extreme.” With these bold remarks, Pirelli has launched the Scorpion XTM, an all-terrain tyre designed to meet the demands of electric, plug-in hybrid, and combustion engine trucks and off-road vehicles. The range debuts in North America, with Pirelli not yet indicating if or when it will offer the tyre in European markets.
Continental Tire the Americas has appointed Ashok Vedanayagam as head of marketing for Passenger and Truck Tires for the region covering North and South America. In this role, Vedanayagam is responsible for a broad portfolio including product management, marketing communications, public relations, e-business, market intelligence, pricing, and strategic planning for the Americas.
Continental serves its customers in the USA via seven distribution centres, none of which it owns. This will soon change, as the company has announced an investment into its first fully owned tyre distribution centre in the US market. The facility is to be located in Texas, within the Dallas-Fort-Worth-Metroplex, and will have a capacity to store more than 800,000 tyres – with potential for future expansion. Construction commences this month, with Continental aiming to start operations in the centre in 2026.
Across the Atlantic, Continental Tire the Americas, LLC (Continental) is conducting two parallel recalls. The largest relates to Continental’s ProContact GX AO tyres. According to US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) filings, centres on size 255/35R19 96H XL fitments of the tyre made between 9 May 2021 and 17 August 2024 and relates to potential belt separation issues. Continental reports that ProContact GX AO was mainly sold as an OE fitment for the Audi A4/A5. But approximately 10 per cent of the affected tyres were sold in the US replacement market. As many as 146,568 tyres are covered by the recall and Continental estimates that 100 per cent have the described defect.
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