North America
The Warren County tyre plant operated by Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has received the highest health and safety award given out by health authorities in its home state; on July 27 the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development’s Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) unit honoured the plant with its Volunteer STAR (Safety Through Accountability and Recognition) award.
The British Drift Championship’s third round at the Teesside Autodrome saw two major drifting tyre brands competing for top spots in the championship standings. Title sponsors of the series Maxxis supported third-placed drifter Paul Smith, moving him up to fifth in the Super Professional Championship, while the Falken brand supported Matt Carter claimed his third consecutive second place podium position to maintain his lead at the top, and Team Green Falken’s domination of the Team Championship.
Michelin Americas Truck Tires (MATT) is getting aggressive – the company is releasing two new tyres for on/off road applications, including what it calls “Michelin’s most aggressive drive axle tyre for extreme operating conditions, such as logging, oil fields and mining.” This tyre, the XDY-EX2, is complemented by the Michelin X Works XDY commercial truck tyre, a product designed for exceptional traction and wear in on/off road applications.
Hankook Tire has announced second quarter global sales of KRW 1,580 billion (£917 million), a rise of 21 per cent year on year, and the company’s best ever quarter. Operating profit for the quarter was KRW 110.7 billion. The region where the company experienced the greatest growth was the emerging Russian market, where Hankook nearly doubled its sales. In other major territories, sales grew by between a third and a half, with European figures at the top end of this scale. Hankook said its figures demonstrate the “increased recognition” of the quality of its tyres, as the ultra high performance segment outstripped total sales growth in its major markets, most notably in Europe, where the Korean manufacturer sold 89.6 per cent more UHP tyres year on year. Original equipment sales in the segment were also up 90 per cent in consolidated non-domestic markets.
Almost two years ago Kumho Tire announced it would delay construction of its new factory in the US state of Georgia, with a start to work pushed back until late 2013. Now local news sources say construction of the new plant may commence sooner than anticipated. According to Middle Georgia NBC network affiliate WMGT-TV, Bibb County officials who are working together with Kumho on the project anticipate a summer 2012 start to work on the new plant.
Toyo Tire USA has launched the Versado Eco range in North American markets. The new tyre is described as being an all-season, low rolling resistance luxury performance tyre designed for hybrids and other environmentally-friendly vehicles; Toyo says it has used a combination of innovative technology and environment-friendly materials to deliver low rolling resistance without sacrificing tread life, luxury or performance.
Yokohama is considering switching some of its existing tyre production from an undisclosed location to North America. In a mid-year company/industry report released by Yokohama Tire Corporation, senior vice-president Dan King stated: “We’re always looking at matching our supply and demand, and that means evaluating capacity increases and allocation changes. We’re looking at all those possibilities, including pulling allocation from one area of the world and bringing it to North America.” King commented that further consumer capacity increases are still under evaluation at Yokohama, and a new US plant may result from this. He did not specify what sort of tyres would be produced in a new North American plant, however the senior vice-president noted that despite higher production costs in the US, the company would have the advantage of being close to the market and be able to service its accounts in a “more efficient” way. “It’s a balancing act between costs and benefits, but our plan is to constantly evaluate building new plants for the future,” said King.
Veteran aftermarket executives, Kevin Judge and Cory Cheever have been hired by friction manufacturer Fras-le to help boost the company's North American light vehicle aftermarket business. Judge will serve as the company's East Coast sales manager for the light vehicle aftermarket, while Cheever will be responsible its West Coast aftermarket sales. Judge and Cheever will report directly to Randy Mordue, who consolidated the light and commercial vehicle sales aftermarket divisions as director of sales and marketing.
Daimler-Smart, manufacturer of the diminutive Smart Fortwo, has granted Yokohama Rubber a third original equipment approval. The Japanese tyre maker has been approved as an original equipment supplier for the current Smart Fortwo and will supply its S. drive AS01 in sizes 175/50R16 77T for the front and 215/40R16 82T for the rear. This latest approval builds upon a relationship with the Daimler AG subsidiary that began in 2002 with homologation of original equipment tyres for the Fortwo Coupe Brabus, and was continued with selection as an original equipment supplier for the Smart Fortwo Brabus in 2007.
In addition to the appointment of Rafael Navarro III to the role of vice-president, Communications and Media Relations, as reported on tyrepress.com earlier today, Pirelli has announced to further promotions in its North American operations.
US safety body the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that California-based company ITR USA is recalling approximately 51,000 Negotiator Commercial H/T tyres due to blistering and bubbling problems that could lead to a sudden loss in air pressure. The tyres in question were produced by Chinese manufacturer Shandong Yongtai between April 2009 and May 2011. The NHTSA reports the affected sizes are LT265/75R16 and LT235/85R16.
Pirelli Tire North America has appointed Rafael Navarro, III to the newly formed post of vice-president, Communications and Media Relations. In his new position, Navarro is responsible for all internal and external communications for Pirelli in the NAFTA region. His job description involves integrating public relations and working closely with the marketing and motorsport departments of all three country offices, overseeing brand activity. Additionally, he will continue to manage key influencer relationships in the region.
A US$135 million investment being made in Bridgestone’s Aiken County factory in the US is expected to increase its output of passenger car and light truck tyres by an additional 4,750 units a day starting from the second quarter of 2013. Plans to expand the South Carolina-based plant were announced on July 20; along with increased output, the investment will create 122 new full-time and contractor positions and expand the main Aiken County plant and mixing buildings by 266,000 square feet (25,000 square metres).
The MAM Software Group has announced the appointment of sales and professional services staff at its North American subsidiaries. The UK-based provider of business automation and e-commerce solutions for the automotive sector says the appointments strengthen its position as a growing force in the tyre and component aftermarket. The new appointees are Michael Moothart, Joe O'Regan, Scott Gaines, Ryan Putans (all MAM Software) and Jeff Carpenter, (Aftersoft Network NA).
Fras-le North America has announced that Randy Mordue is to expand his duties as director of sales and marketing, incorporating the commercial vehicle aftermarket segment. He was previously responsible for the light vehicle segment alone. His added commercial responsibilities extend to both medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. He will continue to report to Fras-le's director of operations, Zomar Oliveira.
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