North America
To better target female consumers, Cooper Tire & Rubber has signed a parternship with well-known North American online automotive resource AskPatty.com. This formal agreement continues the tyre maker’s relationship with AskPatty, which began in July with a series of online articles supported by AskPatty’s social media outlets to help educate women on the importance of tyre care.
Groundbreaking for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations' new 1.5 million-square-foot (140,000 square metre) large and ultra-large radial manufacturing facility has taken place at the greenfield site the company selected in Aiken County, South Carolina. The tyre maker also announced further information regarding the start-up team that will take the helm in overseeing construction and hiring efforts. The core team is as follows:
US-based automotive market research and product consulting firm AutoPacific has released the results of its most recent replacement tyre satisfaction study. After surveying more than 15,000 vehicles owners who purchased replacement tyres in the US during the past twelve months, AutoPacific determined Michelin to be the most satisfying tyre brand of the 28 included in the study, followed by Pirelli.
Point S and Independent Tire Dealers Group, a US-based organisation that represents more than 350 independent tyre and automotive service locations across 27 states, have announced they will make a “special announcement of global proportions” at the SEMA show in Las Vegas tomorrow. No further details regarding the announcement’s content have been made public, yet tomorrow’s statement should finally shed light on comments made by Point S Development director Jürgen Benz in April; at the time, Benz reported plans for the France-based operation to hold concrete negotiations with potential network partners in the US, and he stated he was “firmly convinced that the first Point S flags will soon flutter in North America.”
Although Continental Tire the Americas only announced in May plans to expand its Mt. Vernon facility in the US state of Illinois, five and a half months later the first tyres from the project were produced, ahead of the anticipated start date. “I am very proud of our great team here in Mt. Vernon,” said vice president of manufacturing Benny Harmse. “Our team worked diligently to ensure the success of this expansion project and it was not only on time, but actually ahead of schedule. Their diligence resulted in the early production of the first tyres from this expansion. This is helping us with the important task of meeting our customers’ demands for Continental and General brand tyres.”
Kumho Tire USA has issued the 99th individual tyre price hike in the US and Canada this year, planning to raise prices by up to 8 per cent on its passenger, light truck/SUV and medium truck radials tyres, reports Tire Review.
Portland-based independent tyre dealer group Tire Factory has announced record comparable-store sales growth through the third quarter of 2011, reports Tire Review. According to CEO John Kreidel, comparable-store (those stores that have been a member for at last one year) sales were up more than 15 per cent and member purchases were up some 37 per cent year-over-year through three quarters.
United Steelworkers (USW) president Leo Gerard has asked the Obama administration to coordinate an inquiry into the recent agreement between the University of Akron and China’s Triangle Group, reports Tire Review. In a 12 October letter written to Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, Gerard stated: “Polymer research has critical economic and national security applications and the transfer of technology contemplated by this relationship demands strict scrutiny.”
Goodyear is raising prices on OE and replacement medium truck tyres, retreads and retread tread stock by up to 10 per cent as of 1 November, reports Tire Review. The price increase is for the US only, and impacts Goodyear, Dunlop and Kelly brands. It marks the 97th unique price increase announced for the US and Canada this year, the American journal notes.
Hankook Tire reported third quarter 2011 global sales of 1.69 trillion won a 23 per cent increase from the same period last year. The tyremaker’s third quarter operating profit came in a 129.9 billion won.
On October 17, Michelin North America’s Richard Wilkerson handed over the top job in the company to Pete Selleck. US-born Selleck, previously president of Michelin’s Truck and Bus division, returned from his France-based position to take over as chairman and president of Michelin North America after Wilkerson announced his intention to retire. As chairman and president, Selleck assumes responsibility for coordinating all Michelin activities in Canada, Mexico and the United States; Wilkerson remains with Michelin as chairman emeritus.
Campaigning for the next US presidential election is underway, and even candidates’ positions on tyre-related issues are being held up to the light for further examination. One candidate to find this out is Republican hopeful Mitt Romney, who has been criticised by United Steelworkers (USW) International president Leo W. Gerard over inconguencies between current campaign claims and his previous position on Chinese tyre tariffs.
US based private equity fund Transportation Resource Partners, who focuses on investing in growth-oriented businesses in the transportation sector, has entered into a partnership with Tire Group International, Inc. and the McLarty Companies, who are active in the transportation and automotive retail and distribution sectors. While financial details of the deal between the tyre wholesaler, McCarty and the $245 million private equity fund have not yet been disclosed, Tire Group International CEO Tony Gonzalez says he is positive about his company’s joint future with its new partners.
Michelin has introduced a range of online tools for its US market consumers; these new additions to its michelinman.com website, the tyre maker comments, will make “the complicated and somewhat confusing process of tyre buying easier and more enjoyable.” The online tools include the Team Michelin Tire Selector Tool, a tyre selection guide based upon performance preferences rather than the standard year-make-model approach; Team Michelin Experts, which involves “face-to-face” advice from Michelin tyre experts; User Tire Ratings and Reviews, an archive of more than 12,000 user reviews; Tires 101, a resource the company says even non-Michelin tyre owners will find useful; and “Call Me Please”, which enables site users to arrange a call from a Michelin Certified Product Expert to discuss their tyre needs and answer their questions.
CEOs from 11 leading tyre companies have announced results from an international research project studying the potential environmental and health impacts of tyre materials and tyre road wear particles. The research reportedly shows that “there are no adverse effects from inhalation exposures to tire and road wear particles” and “the concentration of tyre and road wear particles in air and sediment were well below toxicity levels.”
The group of tyre CEOs of firms based in Europe, Japan, Korea and North America met outside Washington, DC on 7 October to review the project’s progress and set a forward-looking agenda for continuing research. The group formed the Tire Industry Project (TIP) in 2005.
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