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New Tiger Paw Targets Family Rides

Michelin North America has added the Uniroyal Tiger Paw AS65, a 65,000-mile radial targeting a wide range of vehicle, from compacts to minivans. “The AS65 gives value consumers exactly what they’ve been asking for in a tyre – dependability, performance and long wear,” said Kaz Holley, Uniroyal brand director. “Between the center rib and the block placement, this is the most aggressive tyre we’ve added to the Tiger Paw line. Our customers are sure to notice how well it handles in any road condition.”

18th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Pays $375,000 to Settle Advertising Complaint

In the US Tennessee state Attorney General, Bob Cooper, yesterday announced a multi-state settlement with Michelin North America “regarding alleged misrepresentations Michelin made in its advertising of Michelin fuel efficient tyres.” The manufacturer agreed to make minor changes in the copy of print advertisements it has run concerning the purported fuel efficiency of its tyres, and is paying $375,000 to cover the alleged cost of the investigation, Tire Review reports. The attorney general, though, “acknowledges that Michelin fully cooperated with the multi-state investigation and the investigation did not question the safety or quality of Michelin’s tyres.” Michelin, which said it followed prevailing Federal Trade Commission advertising guidelines, denied any wrongdoing.

The Tennessee attorney general reacted to a complaint filed by Bridgestone Americas, which Michelin claimed was the only complaint filed. However, attorney general spokesperson Sharon Curtis-Flair told Boston media that “the investigation started based on a consumer complaint, not a complaint by Bridgestone.” Other states joining the agreement include Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont. Each will receive a share of Michelin’s settlement payment.

15th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Says Truck Tyre Sales Won’t Improve Before 4Q

Michelin managing partner, Michel Rollier has spoken has predicted that the currently stagnant truck tyre market won’t get any better until at least the closing stages of 2009. Qualifying the depressing news with the positive observation that the passenger car tyre market appears to be showing signs of picking up, Rollier told reporters: “There are some improvements in light-vehicle tyres, but in truck tyres there frankly isn’t much happening at all.”

According to Michelin’s predictions, the global truck-continues its downward spiral in the next two quarters, with the full-year drop likely to be steeper than in 2008, when demand for replacement tyres plunged 9.7 per cent in Europe and 8.2 per cent in North America, according to company data.

15th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Gerstenberger Leaving CTNA for Hannover Tyre Retail Post

After spearheading the turnaround of Continental Tire North America’s consumer tyre business, Andreas Gerstenberger will now turn his attention to Continental AG’s retail store business. Gerstenberger was named executive vice president of ContiTrade, which operates company-owned and franchised retail tire stores in 12 European countries. He will relocate to Hannover, Germany, later this year. Bill Caldwell, head of CTNA’s passenger and light truck tire OE business, was named to replace Gerstenberger. He will serve as vice president of sales and marketing.

“Andreas has played a pivotal role in building an excellent marketing and sales team that contributed significantly to the turn around of CTNA’s operations,” said Matthias Schoenberg, CTNA CEO. “He developed an outstanding team, and together they delivered for us a consistent marketing strategy, which included the revamping of the Continental and General tire brands, developing innovative consumer promotions as well as growing our retail footprint to ensure profitable growth for CTNA.

15th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin NA Gets Retreader, Sells Centres

In the US, Colony Tire Corp. has signed on as a Michelin retreading franchisee, and bought three of Michelin North America’s Tire Centers Inc. commercial truck tire centres.

The Edenton, North Carolina, dealer and retreader has 45 locations – 20 of them commercial centres – and acquired TCI locations in Newport News, Belle Haven and Norfolk, Virginia. It will convert over to the Michelin Retread Technologies retreading system by the end of this month, Michelin said.

“At Colony Tire, our primary objective is to exceed our customer’s expectations for products and service,” said Charlie Creighton, CEO of Colony Tire. “Michelin’s process and product offering are a perfect match for that objective. Our customers demand high-quality retreads, and MRT enables us to provide those products, which support our customers’ long-term growth and prosperity.” (Tire Review/Akron)

13th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental OE on Freightliner M2 Trucks

Continental Tire North America, Inc. is to supply Freightliner with original equipment tyres for all its Freightliner Business Class M2 medium-duty trucks. In addition, Continental’s range of commercial vehicle tyres will be optional on other Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) brands including Western Star trucks, Thomas Built buses, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation chassis and all other Freightliner vehicles.

Melissa Clausen, Freightliner Trucks’ director of product marketing commented: “Continental’s heavy steer tyres complement our proven engineering for the Business Class M2 trucks. The M2 is designed for maximum reliability and fuel efficiency, and this is what we found in Continental’s product offering.”

12th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti, Marangoni Tie Up on Retread Plan

Under a new agreement, Marangoni Tread North America will produce custom pre-cure retreading stock for Continental Tire North America. The new ContiTread will features the same rubber compounding, tread designs and fuel-saving technologies as new Continental tyres, said CTNA, and will be
available to fleets in the US and Canada. In addition, CTNA and Marangoni are working to establish “a total retreading business model” for dealers that will “include setups of retread operations with Marangoni equipment, and sales of the ContiTread products.”

Marangoni will produce ContiTreads based on the Continental HDL Eco Plus and the HTL Eco Plus tyres, both of which are EPA SmartWay certified. Initially, the retread stock will be produced in Marangoni’s Ringtread technology; later, cut-to-length precure stock will be made available. (Tire Review/Akron)

11th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Top Heifer in All Star Dairy Herd

Perhaps it is going out on too precarious a limb to state that if cows drove trucks they would choose Michelin tyres, but there is no getting away from the fact that Michelin North America has been awarded the All Star Dairy Association’s ‘2009 Thoroughbred Award’. This supplier of the year award was presented by the association representing bovine sourced and other food product companies at its 51st annual convention, held in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Thoroughbred Award is given to the supplier the association feels has contributed the most to the success of its members. Michelin's Ricardo Coelho was on hand to accept the award. "Of the more than 150 supply companies, Michelin has set itself apart as a high quality partner with its service and products," said Jeff Sterne, All Star executive director.

8th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Scoops ‘Georgia Manufacturer of the Year’ Award

Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. (TNA) is ‘Georgia Manufacturer of the Year’.

8th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Nokian Sales “Down in Line With Market,” says Gran

Actual interim results for the January to March 2009 quarter show Nokian Tyres’ operating income to be even lower than the figure anticipated by a Reuters analyst poll. The company’s interim report, released May 7, reveals an EBIT of minus 2.7 million euros for the quarter, down from 54.4 million a year earlier. The mean estimated EBIT calculated from a Reuters survey of eleven analysts was four million euros. Net sales during the quarter stood at 155.6 million euros, 36.8 per cent lower year-on-year. A net loss of 10.4 million euros was recorded in the quarter, contrasting with a net profit of 45.1 million euros in the first quarter of 2008. The analysts surveyed by Reuters anticipated a net loss of seven million euros.

”Nokian Tyres’ first quarter net sales went down to the level of the corresponding period in 2006,” noted company president and CEO Kim Gran. “Nokian Tyres did not make profit in the first quarter due to low sales, operative streamlining measures, currency devaluation on our main markets, and the seasonal weakening in our sales mix. We took strong actions to adjust our preseason sales and production to the changed market conditions.

7th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin, TIA Partner on Truck Tyre Video

TIA and Michelin North America have partnered to create a new training video for truck fleets. The 20-minute video titled “Wheel End Safety” is “intended to provide maintenance personnel and drivers with installation and inspection guidelines to improve wheel-end performance and safety,” Michelin said. The video is available as a free download on TIA’s Web site – www.tireindustry.org – and on MNA’s Web site – www.michelintruck.com.

In order to illustrate the danger of a wheel-off incident, TIA worked with Michelin engineers to construct a controlled test at Michelin’s Laurens Proving Grounds in South Carolina, where the tyre and wheel assemblies could be filmed after they separated from a trailer. After several successful attempts, a parked car was placed in the path so multiple cameras could record the footage. (Tire Review/Akron)

7th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

First Quarter Delivered ‘Unprecedented’ Low Demand, Says Rhodia

In reporting Rhodia’s first quarter 2009 results, company chairman and CEO Jean-Pierre Clamadieu has reflected upon a difficult three-month period. “As anticipated, we faced in the first quarter unprecedented low levels of demand,” said Clamadieu. “This, combined with the absorption of costly raw material inventories, resulted in a major adverse impact on profitability.”

6th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook CEO ‘Looking Forward’ to What Lies Ahead

Hankook Tire reports that effective cost management and initial signs of a reviving market have helped it recover from negative territory in the previous financial quarter to post sales of KRW 1.1346 trillion (£599.7 million) in the first quarter of 2009. This result, 13.8 per cent up on a year earlier, is supplemented by operating profits of KRT 35.3 billion (£18.6 million), despite the market remaining, in Hankook’s words, a “challenging” one.

During the first quarter exports from Korea rose 7.3 per cent year-on-year, with export demand showing a 19.9 per cent increase to North America and 8.9 per cent to Europe from a year earlier. The company also states that its Hungarian plant, the main production facility for the European market, has seen a “significant” 24.7 per cent growth in sales from the final quarter of 2008 and an 87.0 per cent increase from a year earlier.

5th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Auto Industry Slump “Left Scars” on Conti’s Performance

Upon announcing its first quarter 2009 results, Continental AG stated that the slump in worldwide vehicle production has “left scars” on the company’s performance, with consolidated sales dropping “sharply.” The company reports its Automotive Group sales decreased in tandem with market developments, while the decline in Rubber Group sales was much less severe as to aftermarket sector sales account for a larger percentage of business. Despite the recent undertaking of the largest cost reduction programme in the company’s history, the highly negative sales trend helped push EBIT performance into the red.

29th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

New Conti Fitment Out of this World

The US Atlas and Delta single use rockets have carried nearly 1,300 combined payloads to space, with cargoes ranging from weather, telecommunications and national security satellites, to material for deep space and interplanetary exploration missions. Now Continental Tire North America is making a small contribution to this further exploration and utilisation of outer space through the provision of its tyres for a ground transporter vehicle that will be used to support Atlas V rocket launch processing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

27th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors