North America
Unseasonable wet weather has boosted sales of Goodyear’s Aquatread 3 passenger car tyre in North America. Sales of the wet weather tyre have risen by 30%, setting record sales levels for the premium tyre brand. Some nine out of ten users said they would buy the tyre again, setting new records in customer loyalty achievements.
The Tire Association of North America (TANA), the Tire Retread Information Bureau (TRIB), the International Tire & Rubber Association (ITRA) and Tire Review have announced the creation of “The One Fund”. A unified effort to collect and distribute donations to the victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre. Donations will be accepted through until February 2002 and will be distributed to named benefactors.
DaimlerChrysler has announced it will be fitting Goodyear Eagle tyres on its new PT Cruiser. The PT Cruiser, which combines the retro styling of the late 1930’s sedan with the versatility of a 2001 minivan, will be shod exclusively with Eagle LS tyres in North America and Eagle NCT5’s in Europe.195/65 15’s will be fitted on the front and 205/55 16’s on the rear. Tyres with European specification will be produced at Fulda and Phillipsburg.
Firestone has been forced, for the second time in the company’s history, to recall tyres in North America. 22 years ago, the recall of 14 million “f 500” tyres, almost ruined Firestone. The current situation refers to the recall of 6.5 million SUV tyres, the ATX, ATX II, and Wilderness line in the size P 235/75 R 15. About 2/3 of these tyres are earmarked for Ford’s OE demand for the Ford Explorer and the Ford Ranger. Bridgestone already announced that it would take a one-time $ 350 million charge and informed analysts that earnings estimates, $1 billion before the recall situation, had to be reduced by the amount of the taken charge. Whether this is the only financial impact that BFS will have to encounter is more than doubtful. In the US a horde of consumer advocates stand ready to sue BFS, all in the name of consumer advocacy. The likely cost of litigation is not included in the $ 350 million charge. The extent of the damage to BFS and its Firestone brand cannot be evaluated, it remains to be seen how the entire industry will be affected by this recall. Without any doubt, the Firestone brand has suffered a serious blow despite the fact that up until today it has not been demonstrated that the tyres were the cause of accidents investigated by NHTSA. BFS, so it seems, never really had a chance to manage the ensuing crisis in an optimal way. Although the crisis didn’t hit BFS completely out of the blue, BFS had to take into consideration the interests of its largest OE customer Ford on the one hand, and its own interest to protect the Bridgestone brand from any spill-over effects. One thing became abundantly clear: two kinds of tyre manufacturers currently exist. One the one hand, there are those who have already had to deal with a disastrous recall situation and on the other hand are those that will have to do just that at some uncertain time in the future.
Employees at Continental General Tire’s plant in Bryan, Ohio USA have signed an agreement ensuring an increase in wages and pensions plus a regulation of working time (a four shift programme, seven days a week) up to the year 2006. The same agreement will apply in Charlotte, General Tire’s largest plant in North America, where employees had been on strike for over a year to achieve these improved conditions. Continental’s workforce has diminished from 1,450 to around 1,300 following the strikes.
Armond Boyes has been appointed general manager of Goodyear’s North American retreading operations. Boyes is responsible for overseeing Goodyear’s Next-Tred retreading program, including the design, development and sales of Next-Tred products and the installation of retread plants throughout North America.
Hayes Lemmerz has combined its sales and marketing forces of fabricated and cast wheels in North America. President of the new unit is Ronald Kolakowski, Richard Miller has been appointed vice president and four sales directors are responsible for NA oe customers.
The new administration building an R&D-Centre has been officially opened in September. The two storey building has 250.000 square meters and the costs were 40 million US-$. 540 employees, within weeks this number will climb up to 600, who used to work before in three different places in Detroit, are now working in the headquarter, which is located very close to the US-HQ from DaimlerChrysler. Continental Teves employs 2,100 people in North America. 32 % of its turnover of about 2.5 bn Euro are made in the US.
The division Speedline Truck supplies the major truck manufacturers in Europe and North America. In future the range will include flow-formed wheels – for trucks Speedline uses this technology exclusively, which has the effects of reduced weight and improved mechanical properties.
Beginning in 2001, Continental Teves of North America will supply Ford’s and Mazda’s sports utility vehicles Escape and Tribute with complete brake systems, amounting to approximately 250.000 units a year.
Sales are up in the year 2000 and profits have gone like snow in the sun. That, in short, describes the present situation of Continental General Tire in North America. But red figures are not an option. Bernd Frangenberg (59) President and CEO of CGT, vigorously denied the possibility that he could be forced to inform the parent company about red figures at the end of the year. All the necessary actions have been taken to make sure that CGT remains profitable even in a difficult climate, Frangenberg declared Tyres & Accessories. Continental General Tire employs 9000 people and runs 5 factories in the US and 2 in Mexico. Last year’s turnover was about 1.5 bn Euro.
The world’s number two for carbon black with plants in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia, Degussa-Hüls AG, is planning a price increase for this material necessary for the tyre production. In Europe Prices will rise 22 Euro/1.000 kg starting 15th March 2000.
Sylvain G. Valensi (58), who has 34 years’ service with Goodyear, latterly as Vice President Goodyear Europe, has, since the joint venture with Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), assumed the role of Vice President of Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe. Talking to this magazine during the recent “Reifen 2000” exhibition in Essen, he stressed that the major brands Goodyear and Dunlop will remain independent and will almost be in competition with each other.
Bridgestone has announced a sharp decline in net earnings for the first half of this year, which were US$ 178 m. The reason for the decline is the voluntary tyre recall in North America. Sales were down 4.8%, reaching US$ 9.35 for the first half year. The decline in the tyre sector was 5.9% and that in the non-tyre sector was only 1%. Operating profit fell by 7.6% to US$ 890 m. Interestingly, operating profit in the most profitable country, Japan, climbed once more, but operating profits in the Americas and Europe were well down.
Cooper Tire & Rubber, the US tyre and rubber manufacturer, announced sales of US$ 2.2 bn, which is an increase of 17% compared with 1998. Net income was US$ 135.5m. This figure is 6.7% up on 1998.
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