North America
Bridgestone Americas says it is honoured to be one of FCA’s Supplier of the Year awardees in the North America region. The tyre maker was one of 19 supplier partners acknowledged at the 2019 annual Supplier Conference and Award Ceremony in Detroit.
Thomas M. Conway has succeeded Leo W. Gerard as international president of the United Steelworkers union (USW). He became the eighth person to hold this position at a ceremony held on 15 July.
Midas, which has more than 2,100 franchised, licensed and company-owned Midas auto shops in 14 countries (including 1,200 in the US and Canada), recently promoted Will Helton to vice president and general manager. Helton joined Midas two years ago from Bridgestone. Prior to the promotion he was division vice president of the Central US and Canada Regions at Midas. At Bridgestone Helton was Region Manager which was the culmination of 16 years with Bridgestone.
On 1 July Hexpol announced that it has acquired Preferred Compounding from the Audax Group, a US-based Private Equity firm. Preferred Compounding is described as an “advanced rubber compounder in North America”. Key markets include general industry, automotive, power and infrastructure. Hexpol paid approximately US$232 million on a cash and debt free basis. Preferred’s 208 turnover worked out as roughly US$240 million. The firm has around 540 employees in six facilities, five in the US and one in Mexico. The business will be consolidated from 1 July 2019.
Michelin has named Alexis Garcin as the next chairman and president of Michelin North America. He succeeds Scott Clark, who was recently promoted to Michelin’s Group Executive Committee as executive vice president responsible for the global passenger car and light truck business, motorsports, Experiences (including the Michelin Guides) and regional oversight of the Americas.
Toyota has chosen Hankook tyres as original equipment for the North American market 2020 Corolla. The new model, which went on sale in April, wears the Hankook Kinergy GT (pattern H436) in size 205/55R16 91H.
Almost 60 ContiLifeCycle partners around the world, including 30 in the USA and Canada, currently retread tyres using ContiTread treads. Demand for these pre-cure treads is growing in North America. For this reason, Continental is raising production this year at its February 2018-inaugurated tread plant in Mount Vernon, USA by 300 per cent compared to 2018 levels. A second shift was added in March to facilitate this.
Marangoni Tread North America (M.T.N.A.) is preparing for a change of leadership. Bill Sweatman, the company’s president and chief executive officer, will retire on 1 May and be succeeded by Clif Armstrong.
US-based independent tyre wholesaler Tire Group International (TGI) has appointed Rick Wheeler its vice-president of National Sales. In his role, Wheeler is responsible for sales, marketing, and customer service teams for the North American market.
Michelin’s all-season tyre for light commercial vehicles will be available in the USA and Canada as of 1 April. Michelin North America has released the range seen in the UK and Europe in five C-Metric sizes, offering fitments to European van platforms that have become increasingly popular in the North American market. The Agilis CrossClimate name has also been given to a LT-Metric tyre designed specifically for ¾- and 1-ton pick-up trucks and vans. This product can be identified at a glance by its non-directional tread pattern; the LT-Metric range covers 16 sizes.
Providing an update on its USA factory project, Nokian Tyres reports it is on schedule to begin producing tyres at the Dayton, Tennessee site in 2020. Progress made so far on the facility’s construction, it adds, has been “significant”.
Giti Tire’s United States manufacturing facility in South Carolina has completed an audit by Volkswagen to supply two tyre sizes for the 2019 Volkswagen Passat. The plant can now officially begin producing the All-Season GitiComfort A1 as an original equipment fitment for the Passat in sizes 235/45R18 95H and 235/40R19 92H. Production commences in the first quarter of the year; these tyres are the US plant’s first original equipment supplied tyres.
Cooper Tire has launched the Roadmaster RM351 HD mixed service drive tyre to its North American commercial range. Engineered for mixed service applications such as construction, logging and mining operations, the tyre is designed for both on- and off-road driving, and comes in two sizes: 11R22.5 and 11R24.5, in load range H.
Pirelli is involved in 10 major championships at the forefront of American motorsport. It commits 40 personnel to a variety of races and rallies every weekend, supplying tens of thousands of tyres. The scale of Pirelli’s competition involvement this year in North America shows, the company states, that motorsport on the continent has never been more relevant. This is because motorsport represents a part of the Italian company’s research and development for ultra-high performance tyres – an “open-air testing laboratory,” in its words – pushing the extremes of performance on track to create products for the road.
Magna Tyres Group is expanding its network of offices and distribution into the United States and Canada. According to the company, Magna Tyres Group will start its expansion into the North American continent with an office in Canada.
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