Solideal is to raise aftermarket prices in Europe by 4-6 per cent depending on the product line. The increases will take effect from 1 November 2007. According to the company, the increase is due to the continued rise in raw material, energy, and freight costs. “Of course, we continue to implement efficiency programmes in all aspects of operations in order to minimize the impact of cost increases,” said Cesar Clemente, CEO of Solideal.
(Akron/Tire Review) Yokohama Tire Corp. has launched Eco Treadsetters, a consumer online social network focused on environmental issues. The site – www.ecotreadsetters.com – provides daily “green: news and forums, “how to” guides, and exclusive interviews with environmentally active musicians.
“This is a content-rich site that doubles as a ‘MySpace-like’ social network,” said Fred Koplin, Yokohama’s director of marketing. “Our goal is to create an entertaining, newsy, socially relevant site. A perfect example is that we’re going to be receiving regular online reports from four recent college grads making a 40,000-mile road trip from Southern California to the tip of South America, all created to promote green living and a sustainable lifestyle.”
Gazprom subsidiary SIBUR Holding has announced it is holding an open one-stage tender for a contract to supply nylon cord. The deadline submission date is 16 October, with a planned for delivery of the products in November or December. Further details regarding the tender, supplier selection criteria and bidding procedures can be found in the basic (official) notification and tender documentation, which has been posted on the company’s website.
The increases to Continental’s workforce in Romania, announced last November by board member Thomas Sattelberger, appear to be getting underway sooner that first anticipated. The first 500 will most likely be employed within a few months, with another thousand taken on before the end of next year. The German tyremaker operates six facilities within the country, and according to Ildiko Kovacs, Continental Romania’s PR coordinator, the first intake of new recruits will be distributed between the company’s Timisoara, Sibiu, Carei and Arad plants.
Most new workers will be employed in the production sector, although a number of engineers and related specialists are also required. The employment of new staff forms part of the company’s plans to increase capacity across the board. According to 2006 figures from Romania’s finance ministry, Continental has invested in excess of a quarter of a billion euros into its operations in Romania.
Sally ‘Traffic’ Boazman, BBC Radio 2 presenter, and 25 enthusiastic cyclists have signed up for Transaid’s latest fundraiser, Cycle Kenya, to make transport for life a reality in Africa, with the opportunity for five more people to join them. Cycle Kenya will see the Transaid group cycle over 400km across Kenya’s stunning Rift Valley from 10-19 November, and hopes to raise £70,000 to help people in the developing world benefit from safe, affordable and efficient transport.
“Transaid is a great charity and I’m glad to offer my support. Good transport is something most of us take for granted but in Africa lack of it can often mean life or death. Transaid is working with governments to address these issues and to highlight the fact that transport management is often the missing link to sustainable development,” says Sally Boazman.
With three months to go, places on the expedition are limited. Participants will be required to pay a registration fee of £299 plus commit to raising a minimum of £2,750 in sponsorship, 80 per cent of which must be with Transaid by the end of August. This covers the air fare and most ground costs. Several companies are already sponsoring their employees to the tune of £3,000 to participate and Transaid is appealing to others who may wish to do the same.
Michelin’s new OTR and earth moving tyre plant in Brazil is on schedule to produce its first tyre in November. The plant, constructed adjacent to Michelin’s existing Campo Grande truck tyre making facility, has been built at a cost of some US$200 million. The facility officially opens next January, and by 2010 will be producing some 40,000 tons of 25 to 49-inch tyres. The company intends to increase this amount to 55,000 tons at a later date.
The illegal tyre dumper who received Scotland’s first environmental antisocial behaviour order last year has found himself in trouble again….and this time he may be headed to prison to atone for his deeds.
On April 23 Joseph Abate had guilty pleas lodged in his absence to illegally dumping hundreds of used car tyres. Abate was charged with disposing of tyres without a licence at a number of sites in the Glasgow area between November 2004 and March 2006.
Abate, a former Glasgow City Council employee, was convicted on similar charges last year. During those court proceedings he was described as a serial offender who caused “immense environmental damage.” This time around he faces up to six months in prison or a £20,000 fine.
Pirelli has been in discussions with AT&T, the American telecoms giant, and America Movil to sell two thirds of its controlling share-holding in Telecom Italia. Media sources have been reporting that Pirelli has been negotiating to sell the stake for months. According to an official statement published 1 April, AT&T and America Movil, of Mexico, are involved in talks to buy a third each of Olimpia, a holding company that controls 18 per cent of Telecom Italia and which is 80 per cent owned by Pirelli, the Italian tyre and property group. The deal could value Pirelli’s stake at about €9.5 billion (£6.5 billion).
The deal would value each Telecom Italia share at €2.82 minus the undisclosed net debt of Olimpia. That is expected to be way below the €4 that Mr Tronchetti Provera originally paid for his holding in 2001 but could be a third above the company’s €2.14 closing price on Friday 30 March. The offer is subject to due diligence and is valid until April 30, Pirelli said.
(Akron/Tire Review) A FedEx truck driver from Perris, California, who saved two men trapped in a burning car, was named the 24th winner of Goodyear’s North America Highway Hero award. Edward Regener, who escaped one fire before jumping in to save the men, received the honour earlier this week at the Mid-America Trucking Show.
Regener, a 13-year veteran truck driver, was named the 2006 Highway Hero because of his courage and quick thinking on after a November 4, 2006 accident on I-10 near Phoenix.
The 43-year-old truck driver was headed east on I-10 when he said he saw a westbound car headed his way across the median. At the same time, a pickup truck carrying an engaged couple was attempting to pass Regener. The speeding car collided with the pickup, pushing it into Regener’s truck. The car, resting atop the guardrail, caught fire.
The guidebook often referred to as the ‘gourmands’ bible’ and legendary for its ability to make or break the reputation of high-end restaurants in Europe is soon to be given its first Asian edition. On March 14 Michelin released word that a Tokyo edition of the famous Michelin guide would be released in November 2007.
With about 35 million people living in the Greater Tokyo Area, the city is one of the world’s largest and also home to an estimated 300,000 restaurants. Michelin’s publications director, Jean-Luc Naret, praised the quality of Tokyo’s restaurants at a news conference in Tokyo. “Restaurants here are often very simple — a counter, a kitchen and some stools — but what’s on the plate is really worth three stars,” he said. He added that the criteria for Japan were very different to that in Europe.
Between 31 October and 3 November 2007, Ukraine’s national Expocenter will play host to Rubber 2007, the 9th National Specialized Exhibition with foreign participation. The event, which is supported by the Ministry of Industrial Policy of Ukraine and the Union of Chemists of Ukraine will cover a diverse range of topics including:
Kumho Tire Co., the second-largest tyre manufacturer in Korea, has started supplying tyres to Mercedes Benz, a Kumho spokesman told the Korea Times. The spokesman said Kumho tyres will be installed on Mercedes Benz A-Class sedans. However, he declined to give more details, including the number of tyres to be supplied. Kumho Tire made inroads in the OE market when it supplied tyres to Volkswagen in 2002. In November 2006 Kumho began supplying tyres to Chrysler in the US. According to reports, Kumho plans to supply 6 million OE tyres to international carmakers next year.
As part of the strategic and operational action program Trelleborg announced at their Capital Markets Day in November 2006, the company plans to initiate consultations with their Employee Consultative Committee regarding the closure and transfer of Trelleborg’s operations from West Thurrock, in the UK.
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp is recalling at least 56,000 trucks again to repair components that were the cause of another big recall nearly three years ago, the company said. Mitsubishi Fuso, which is majority-owned by DaimlerChrysler AG, told the Japanese Transport Ministry that it would recall its ‘Super Great’ model trucks as their wheel hubs contained a flaw that could lead to the tyres falling off.
The strike at Alcoa’s US wheel manufacturing plant in Cleveland is not affecting production levels, according to a company report. Since negotiations between Alcoa and the United Autoworkers Union (UAW) broke down on November 6, salaried employees from the Cleveland plant and from other Alcoa facilities began operating the Cleveland works.
Alcoa reports that normal production levels of commercial vehicle wheels and forged specialty wheels resumed after only a short time, and at present the company is enjoying record commercial vehicle wheel production levels.
Union employees at the Cleveland plant have been striking over issues related to health care, absenteeism, wages, and pensions.
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