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Vianor Expands into New Hampshire

The Nokian-owned Vianor tyre retail chain has continued its international expansion following the opening of a new branch in Kazakhstan two weeks ago. This time the Finnish based company has taken steps to increase its presence in North America (specifically New Hampshire, USA). Nokian Tyres has made a partner agreement with Vianor-Concord operated by South East Ventures LLC and given them the right to use the Vianor brand. According to company representatives, Nokian Tyres does not officially own Concord, in contradiction with some local news reports. Instead, the agreement sees Concord Tire and Auto Service, an independent company for 27 years, effectively licensed and rebranded as a Vianor outlet. There are now 6 Vianor outlets in the US.

29th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

CTNA “Going Well”, Says Dr. Hippe

According to comments made by Continental AG CFO Dr. Alan Hippe, the company appears satisfied with the performance of its Continental Tire North America unit during the first financial quarter. Thomson Financial news reports that, on the sidelines of the company’s annual shareholder meeting, Dr. Hippe reported “the business is going well.” He further commented that the US tyre market had suffered less from the effects of lacklustre consumer spending and the US sub-prime load crisis than had been feared. While Dr. Hippe made mention of indications the market is starting to recover, he said the company cannot rule out further price rises this year to offset raw material costs.

28th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Earns Fifth RMA Award

Pirelli Tire North America received an industry award for achieving significant improvements in worker health and safety over the last year – its fifth such award in the last five years, according to the company.

The Rubber Manufacturers Association presented its Safety and Health Improvement Program award at the organisation’s annual meeting in St. Augustine, Florida on April 13. The award was created to encourage and reward member companies for safety and health advancements made in the workplace, Pirelli said.

28th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone & Firestone Prices to Rise in North America

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire and Bridgestone Firestone Canada have announced price increases for Bridgestone and Firestone brand tyre lines, as well as all associate brand tyres. The announced increases of up to 10 per cent apply to passenger car, light truck, truck and bus, agricultural and OTR tyres, and will affect replacement, original equipment and export market products. Implementation of these price increases is scheduled to begin on June 1, 2008.

28th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Sales, Income Up at Goodyear

Goodyear on April 25 reported that its first quarter 2008 sales were US$4.9 billion, a 10 per cent increase vs. the same period last year, and a higher net income that was driven by higher prices, better product mix and favorable currency exchange rates. At the same time, the company’s tyre units sales were down compared to the first quarter of 2007. Unit sales for the first period of 2008 were down 1.7 million tyres compared to the same period in 2007, with North American unit sales down 1.5 million tyres. The company said the lower volume came primarily OE sales in North America and soft consumer replacement demand in North America and Europe, particularly for low-end tyres.

Net income for the period was $147 million, and improvement of $321 million year-over-year.

25th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

ATC Outlines Desire to Acquire Goodyear OTR Tyre Facility

Amongst the regular assortment of correspondence postal workers deliver to Goodyear each day will shortly appear a letter proposing the purchase of its Topeka, Kansas facility. The people at American Tire Corporation (ATC) have produced a letter to this affect, and it appears they have already licked the envelope seal, stuck on a stamp, and dropped the acquisition offer through the slot of the nearest mailbox.

According to ATC, under the proposal ATC would buy out Goodyear’s OTR tyre facility in Topeka at “any reasonable price.” Built in 1944 by US government, Goodyear’s Topeka tyre plant is the largest Goodyear OTR tyre facility in the world and the company’s only one in North America. Should such an acquisition be successful, ATC says it will spend US$200 million modernising this “old OTR tyre plant” (to quote ATC), increase production capacity for all sizes of OTR tyres by a minimum of 20 per cent, and “create more job opportunities with a better annual pay in the state of Kansas.”

21st April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Ford Announces 10th World Excellence Awards

The Ford Motor Company has held its 10th annual World Excellence Awards, at which the automotive manufacturer acknowledged 47 global suppliers for their efforts towards helping Ford develop higher quality and lower cost vehicles. According to Ford, the awards also recognise suppliers for embracing Ford’s vision of profitable growth, teamwork and a better world, and the list of companies so recognised includes several that fall under the ‘tyres and accessories’ umbrella.

First distributed in 1998, the World Excellence Awards were jointly developed by Ford and its suppliers. There are three levels of awards: Gold, Silver and Recognition of Achievement. The gold and silver awards are presented to Ford’s top production and non-production suppliers that consistently demonstrate superior quality, delivery and cost performance. The third award, Recognition of Achievement, is given to suppliers that improve customer satisfaction.

18th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

New CEO for Parts Manufacturer Dana Holding

US automotive parts manufacturer Dana Holding Corporation has announced the appointment of Gary L. Convis as its new CEO, replacing John Devine, who has held the role in an acting capacity since January. The company, which recently exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy, appointed Convis to its Board of Directors in January 2008, shortly after he retired from Toyota, where he had served for more than 20 years, most recently as chairman.

“Gary is widely respected as one of the leading experts in lean manufacturing and management systems, including the Toyota Production System. Along with his strong leadership and global industry experience, we believe he is an ideal choice as our new chief executive,” said Dana Executive current chairman, John Devine.

18th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Issues North America LT Recall

Pirelli Tire North America is recalling some 8,273 tyres due to concerns over tread chunking, partial tread separations and/or belt edge separations, according to the NHTSA. The tyres under recall were made by Pirelli in South America and are in size LT235/80R17 Load Range E, and were produced from July 11, 2005 to October 30, 2007. Pirelli is replacing the subject tyres free of charge. (Tire Review/Akron)

17th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

CTNA Makes Healthcare Funds Available for USW Retirees

The United Steelworkers stated on April 15 that Continental Tire North America, (CTNA) has agreed to make US$158 million in payments to a retiree health insurance fund. The settlement is in response to a lawsuit filed by the USW and a number of retirees when CTNA implemented a $3,000 cap on its payments for retiree health coverage, a change that increased monthly health coverage fees for some retirees up to $1000 or more.

“This was an unconscionable attempt by an employer to strip away benefits from retirees who had already paid for them with a lifetime of work,” said USW president Leo W. Gerard. “We couldn’t let that happen, especially given the current shambles of our country’s health care system.” The lawsuit asserted that CTNA’s changes to its retiree health care coverage in April 2007 violated federal law. Last July, Judge Jack Zouhary of the Northern District of Ohio agreed by ruling that the company had no right to reduce or terminate benefits.

17th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Invests £14 million in Ballymena Tyre Plant

Northern Ireland Economy Minister Nigel Dodds has announced a £14 million investment in manufacturing and staff training at Michelin’s Ballymena plant. The Ballymena truck and bus tyre plant manufactures products that are primarily exported to North America and Europe. According to the company, the investment will enable Michelin to maximise production efficiency through the introduction of “automated” machinery alongside a targeted training programme for all staff.

No precise details about what equipment the manufacturer will purchase have been released, however a statement on the subject said 11 separate projects would be initiated including the installation of “the latest automated production lines.”

17th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

MA-Z4S Joins Growing Maxxis Performance Range

The recently unveiled Maxxis MA-Z4S is now available in the UK, exclusively supplied by Group Tyre. The unidirectional UHP tyre is sold in sizes from 195/50 R15 to 255/35 ZR20, and brings the Maxxis performance tyre range to a total of 200 sizes with solutions for every application – from, general motoring to the demands of professional motorsport.

Tread design is intended to maximise the all-season characteristics of the MA-Z4S. Its V-shaped tread pattern features four high-void circumferential main grooves for effective water dispersal on wet roads, plus multiple grooves and siping for snow conditions. Underneath the all-season tread is a solid centre rib, reinforced casing and body ply structure designed with improved handling and high-speed stability in mind, while the hard bead filler compound is intended to deliver better cornering.

14th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone OE for New Land Cruiser in NA

In some parts of the world, says Toyota, the Land Cruiser is an essential tool for off-roading. And Bridgestone adds that tackling the toughest terrain requires the right tyre – and that is why Bridgestone-brand Dueler tyres have been selected as an OE option for the North American market versions of the latest model.

In North America the newly-styled, more-powerful, seventh-generation 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser is available with Bridgestone Dueler H/T D684 II tyres in size P285/60R18 114V. The all-season tyre, comments the tyre major, is ideal for adventuring off-road, yet is quiet and comfortable on-highway. Bridgestone adds that this makes for a performance combination particularly suited to Toyota’s upscale, go-anywhere SUV.

11th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Tire Increasing OTR and Truck Tyre Prices

Yokohama Tire is increasing prices for OTR and medium truck tyres in North America, effective May 2008. Record increases in the cost of raw materials and power are the factors quoted as driving the upcoming rises, which will be up to five per cent for OTR tyres and six per cent for medium truck tyres. Passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyres are not included in this latest price increase announcement.

“We have been doing our best to contain the soaring costs of raw material, manufacturing and transportation,” said Yokohama Dan King, Yokohama vice president of sales. “Unfortunately, Yokohama’s pricing must reflect these record costs.”

10th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Keegan: Goodyear Well Positioned Despite Economic Uncertainty

In his address at Goodyear’s 2008 annual shareholders’ meeting on April 5, chairman and CEO Robert J. Keegan said the company is well positioned for future success despite economic uncertainty in 2008. This, he said, is the result of the determination and innovative thinking exhibited by thousands of Goodyear associates around the world that helped turn the company around.

“Our company’s product, brand and customer mix has become considerably richer,” said Keegan. “We are more focused on the premium segments of the global tire markets, which have relatively inelastic pricing dynamics. Our ability to generate top-line growth is underpinned by our product leadership strategy. We focus our industry-leading new product engine on increasing our mix of high-value-added tyres. The introduction of impactful new products to our portfolio globally raised the bar again in 2007.”

9th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors