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Pirelli Tire LLC Recertified to ISO/TS 16949:2002

Pirelli Tire LLC’s Rome, Georgia facility has been recertified to ISO/TS 16949:2002 and UNI EN 9001:2000 standards. UNI EN 9001 quality system requirements form the foundation for quality management systems while ISO/TS 16949:2002 requirements are specifically geared towards the supply chain. The two standards are coupled together for use in the automotive supply chain.

“Achieving ISO/ TS 16949:2002 registration is a fundamental part of doing good business and essential to supply our original equipment (OE) and replacement tyre customers,” said Andrew Kearton, vice-president of manufacturing and OE sales at Pirelli Tire North America. “This recertification demonstrates our commitment to maintain our established quality levels, and importantly, to continuously improve activities throughout all functions of Pirelli Tire LLC.”

29th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Aiming for 5% of US Market

Last year Toyo, said to be the world’s 11th largest tyre manufacturer, produced 30 million tyres. This figure is anticipated to rise in coming years – the company plans to produce 35 million pieces by 2010 and 50 million by 2015. Should Toyo reach this level, the tyremaker will be at the level of Yokohama, currently ranked number seven globally. The Japanese manufacturer produced a total of 49.95 million tyres in 2007.

29th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Researcher Seeks to Perfect New Manufacturing Process

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.

28th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Three MNA Plats to See Sharp Reductions

Michelin North America will significantly cut production at four of its U.S. plants as the company reacts to downturns in the replacement and OE markets. The reductions will impact MNA’s passenger and light truck/SUV tire plants in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Ft. Wayne, Ind., and Opeilka, Ala. Some 40 per cent of the workforce at those plants will be on temporary layoff, MNA said, an estimated 1,500 people. The cutback will last up to eight weeks, MNA said.

The company said eligible employees will receive state unemployment benefits during the slowdown period, and supplemental income per the company’s contract with the USW. At press time, the reductions will not affect MNA’s other U.S. or Canada plants, though there have been reports of some production slowdowns at other facilities.

As demand slows, other tyre makers have take action to reduce production. Bridgestone Americas and Goodyear both have reduced output. Cooper announced last week that it was examining its U.S. production with an eye toward closing at least one plant. Kumho has delayed construction of its planned U.S. plant in Macon, Ga. (Tire Review/Akron)

28th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Aufine Tyre Appoints Al Saeedi as Gulf Distributor

Aufine Tyre Company has appointed Al Saeedi Automotive Trading as distributor for Aufine Truck Radial Tyres in the Gulf region. Founded in 1986, the Aufine Group Company is located in China and currently employs over 6000 employees. The company describes its production process as being fitted out with advanced technology and “world class testing equipment.” Company figures put its manufacturing output at 1.5 million radial truck and bus tyres in 2007. Operating in the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Oceania, Aufine has passed the DOT, ECE, CCC certification for quality.

21st October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

All-Electric Mini to be Unveiled at Los Angeles Show

The November edition of Tyres & Accessories contains this year’s batteries feature, traditionally coverage of an important yet all too often overlooked automotive component. Yet in recent times the humble battery has stepped out of the shadows, gaining recognition as more than a means of powering up a car’s accessories. The clean, green battery is again being taken seriously as a provider of motive power, and major manufacturers are taking a keen interest in its potential. The latest to do so is the BMW Group, which in late November is revealing its new electrically powered Mini.

21st October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Opens Carbon Black Plant in Mexico

On October 17, Mexico Carbon Manufacturing SA DE CV (MXCB), a wholly owned member of the Bridgestone Group, officially opened its new carbon black production facility in Altamira, Mexico. Output from the new plant, which is forecast to be approximately 35,000 tons per annum, will be supplied to Bridgestone’s tyre factories in North America as well as Central and South America.

The MXCB operated 430,000 square metre facility, which employs around 100 workers, is the Bridgestone Group’s third plant dedicated to the production and supply of carbon black. The other two are located in Japan and Thailand.

20th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Webasto Looking for New Chief

Mark Wallace has quit as president and CEO of Webasto Product North America. “It is with deep regret that I announce that Mr. Wallace will be leaving Webasto”, said Joachim Damasky, member of the management board of Webasto AG. “He has chosen to accept an excellent leadership opportunity with a large, publicly-traded company. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors.” Fred Olson, member of the WPNA board, will assume the role of interim president and CEO, Webasto said. (Tire Review/Akron)

17th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Strong OTR Tyre Demand Continues Despite Glum Mining Outlook

In spite of a less than rosy outlook for global raw metal sales, orders for mining tyres and other items of equipment continue unabated. And manufacturers of these items are wagering that, in the long term, demand for their products will remain strong.

“Everybody agrees that in the long term, five to ten years, the Chinese, the Indian and the Brazilians will grow and they will need more minerals and more energy,” Luc Minguet, president of Michelin North America’s Earthmover and Industrial Tires division told Reuters. “We have not seen any slowdown yet, but what could happen nobody knows.”

16th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

US Tyre Safety Week Moves to June

US based tyre trade representative organisation the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) has announced that its Annual National Tire Safety Week will, as of next year, be held in June instead of April. In 2009 the campaign will be held between June 7 and 13, and the June date will be kept in future years.

The annual event is an initiative of the Rubber Manufacturers Association’s “Be Tire Smart – Play Your PART” program, a year-round effort designed to help drivers learn the simple measures they can take to ensure their vehicle’s tyres are in good working condition. For the campaign, the RMA will provide tyre retailers, auto dealers and automotive repair shops with free “Be Tire Smart” brochures and other materials. More than 19,000 tyre dealers, auto dealers and automotive repair shops participated during this year’s National Tire Safety Week.

16th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Tireco Sues Canadian Distributors

Importer Tireco has filed suit against two Canadian firms alleging they infringed on Tireco’s distribution deal with Taiwan’s Nankang Rubber Tire Co. Tireco named Fastco Cananda and YHI Canada Inc. in the suit, claiming the two “intentionally” purchased and sold “Nankang-made products in Tireco’s exclusive territory.” Tireco claims it “has an exclusive distribution agreement with Nankang Rubber Tire Company for all Nankang-made products that covers the United States, Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. territories.” The suits were filed separately in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. In the suits, Tireco seeks injunctive relief and punitive damages.

Tireco said it has previously had “other successful lawsuits filed in the United States against unauthorized distributors including Turbo Wholesale Tires Inc., Zisser Tire Company, and Sentaida International.” In a statement, Tireco General Counsel Tom Mills said: “We want the industry to be on clear notice: we are the exclusive distributor in North America for Nankang-made products. If you purchase Nankang-made product from someone other than Tireco and their authorized dealers and sell that product in North America, you will be sued. We will continue to aggressively enforce our exclusive distribution rights to protect our dealers and the integrity of the Nankang brand.” (Tire Review/Akron)

13th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Renews Supply Agreement with Largest US Transit Operator

New York City is riding on Goodyear. New York City Transit, that is, the largest transit bus fleet in the United States. On October 7 Goodyear, who has been the supplier of bus and tyre services to the transit operator for some 21 years, announced it has been awarded a further seven-year contract to supply New York City Transit tyres and business solutions.

8th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

MIRS Upgrade to Expand Pirelli NA Capacity by 20%

Pirelli has announced a US$15 million investment that will increase manufacturing capacity by 20 per cent at its Pirelli Tire North America MIRS (Modular Integrated Robotized System) factory in Rome, Georgia. The announcement was made at Pirelli’s world headquarters in Milan during Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue’s economic development mission to Europe.

3rd October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin NA Recognised as a ‘Senior Friendly’ Employer

Michelin North America has appeared in the US based non-governmental organisation AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) 2008 list of best employers for workers over 50. Ranked number 43, the tyre major – 35 per cent of whose workforce is aged 50 years or older – is praised for its treatment of older workers in a number of areas.

Two Michelin policies especially highlighted by the AARP are company pre-retirement seminars to prepare and educate employees and their spouses who are nearing retirement, and a phased-retirement programme that permits employees aged 55 or over with ten or more years of service the option of working a reduced schedule (up to 35 hours per week) while maintaining their benefits.

25th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Far Reaching Agreement

It’s a done deal. Hands have been shaken and the ink is dry: Schaeffler is the proud new owner of a sizeable chunk in Continental AG. On August 21, Continental announced it had entered into what it referred to as a ‘far reaching investment agreement’ with Schaeffler KG, Mrs. Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler and Mr. Georg F.W. Schaeffler.

The bare bones of the deal is that Schaeffler has, as of September 2, taken control of 48.32 per cent of the Hanover, Germany based company, and with this new influence comes a couple of new nameplates on the company’s most favoured office doors. Schaeffler’s buying price of 75 euros per share is a generous one; the figure represents a 39 per cent premium on the stock price prior to the takeover bid’s announcement, and 30 per cent higher than the 60 euros per share that Merrill Lynch analysts believe the value will sink to by late September. Conti has placed a total value of 12.1 billion euros upon the deal.

25th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors