North America
Toyo Tire & Rubber’s Nitto brand will appear in the popular automotive-based Facebook game Car Town thanks to a deal between Nitto Tire U.S.A. and Cie Games. The one-year part multiple phase integrated partnership gives Car Town players the chance to participate in Nitto-branded game missions featuring the company's new line of tyres, and will also offer new in-game activities, virtual items, community contests and giveaways.
Bridgestone Americas has been given the Wildlife Habitat Council’s 2011 William W. Howard C.E.O. (Conservation, Education, and Outreach) Award for its work in creating wildlife habitat areas at its facilities and its ongoing commitment to environmental education and outreach. As opposed to other recognition levels bestowed by the WHC, this particular award honours not a single programme, but rather an entire organisation for its combined efforts.
Demand for tyres is reported to have slowed during October, showing “further weaknesses,” according to financial analysts. The October decline is said to have been especially prevalent in North America and in the truck aftermarket globally. Commenting on the news, which follows Michelin's publication of its regularly market overview figures, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote: “While we believe consensus already expects a slowdown, we think risks to fourth quarter 2011 and 2012 volume are still high.”
Titan International has confirmed its subsidiary Titan Tire Corporation paid “approximately US$9 million” for the physical assets of the Goodyear tyre plant in Union City, Tennessee, which closed in July 2011. Included in the purchase are around 480 acres of land and a 2.1 million square foot building. As part of the deal, Titan has agreed not to produce radial passenger car or 4×4 tyres at the factory and to scrap all curing presses and tyre building equipment that Goodyear requests to be scrapped. Titan will retain the scrap value of these items.
The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has reported the “huge success” of its Global Tire Expo, held in conjunction with the US-based SEMA trade show. According to the TIA, this year’s event attracted a record number of attendees and exhibitors, with more than 132,000 people attending the co-located exhibitions and 61,000 buyers in attendance. This, the association adds, signifies the value that the Global Tire Expo and SEMA have for the wholesaler and manufacturing community.
Media reports in the US indicate it may be third time unlucky for Kumho Tire’s planned factory in Bibb County, Georgia. Macon-based newspaper The Telegraph states work on the US$225 million plant has been placed on hold for a third time, a move that allegedly has prompted local economic development officials to rethink the entire project’s future and mull over the prospect of putting the greenfield factory site back on the market.
Mitas is aiming to raise the profile of the company and better communicate the strength of its products and recent sales performance in the market following the official rebranding of the UK company as Mitas Tyres Limited. With an impressive number of OE contracts under its belt, Mitas is aiming to grow market share in both the OE and replacement markets and solidify its position as “the UK’s leading off-road tyre specialist”, according to the company. And despite the fact that company is well-known for producing Continental branded agricultural tyres under licence, as you might imagine, a key part of this strategy is to highlight the Mitas name in the UK and beyond.
Hercules Tire Company of Canada Inc has announced its acquisition of wholesale distribution business Pneu Mondial Canada Inc, located just outside Montreal. The acquisition is Hercules’ first in Quebec and the company, a division of the Hercules Tire & Rubber Company, says it will allow it “to expand and better the service currently offered out of its five locations in Ontario, New Brunswick and British Columbia”. Pneu Mondial operates out of Saint Laurent, having been started in early 2007 by Jacques Gravel and Daniel Lamoureux to serve Quebec’s independent tyre dealers.
The expansion work at Rhodia’s Chicago Heights dispersible silica production facility in the US state of Illinois is now complete and the enhanced site has been officially inaugurated. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony the company, along with customers, key business partners and public officials, celebrated the addition of an additional 16,000 tons to Rhodia’s North American output, a quantity that lifts capacity in the region by a third.
Michelin North America has been honoured with a 2011 Secretary of Defense Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) Award, reports Tire Review. The award was presented to the French manufacturer at a ceremony last week at the Aerospace Industries Association Fall Product Support Conference. MNA’s aircraft tyre unit was a PBL Component-Level Award recipient for supplying tyres to the US Navy.
Yokohama’s BluEarth S34BZ eco tyre has been chosen as original equipment for the 2012 Toyota Prius V. The new crossover, which is known as the Prius + in Europe, is available to US and Canadian purchasers fitted with the BluEarth tyre in size P205/60R16 91V.
Local TV stations in the US (namely WPSD-TV in Paducah, Kentucky), is reporting that the now closed Goodyear plant in Union City., Tennessee, may open up again soon. Tire Review reports that rumours are flowing through the community that a "major company" is looking at the plant with an eye toward potentially buying, modifying and reopening the facility.
Tire Review reports that China’s Qingdao Doublestar Industrial Co. Ltd. is opening its first warehouse and distribution center in the US, with an assist by Del-Nat Tire Corp. Executives from both companies were in the city of Memphis on November 5 to sign an agreement whereby Qingdao Doublestar will warehouse and distribute Doublestar brand medium radial truck tires from Del-Nat’s facility in South Memphis.
Although Continental merged its Passenger & Light Truck Tires and Commercial Vehicle Tires divisions into a single unit, the Tires division, on August 1 this year, both remain as business units within the combined division. At the start of next year management of the Commercial Vehicle Tires business unit will be handed over to Dr. Andreas Esser, who is currently responsible for Continental’s passenger car and van tyre replacement business in the Asia-Pacific region. In his new role, the 52-year old will report directly to Tire division chief Nikolai Setzer.
In the US the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall of certain Shandong Yongtai tyres. The recall relates to size LT265/75R16 and LT235/85R16 Negotiator Commercial H/T tyres manufactured between April 2009 and May 2011. According to the NHTSA, some of these Shandong Yongtai tyres have experienced blistering or bubbles on the tyre’s sidewall, which under extended use could lead to a loss of tyre pressure.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
