The global OTR market of a decade ago differed vastly from that of today. Mining tyres from established manufacturers were rarer than precious metals, used OTR tyres were changing hands for more than the retail new tyre price, and desperate machinery manufacturers even resorted to delivering equipment to customers sans tyres. In response to this […]
Maxam Tire International will exhibit its latest OTR, agricultural, industrial and construction product lines from its large stand in Hall 7 (7E19). While this positioning echoes the brand’s positioning two years ago at the last Essen event, much has since changed, with its head office moving to Birmingham and Sailun Europe head Martin West taking over as managing director. Maxam has also appointed new managers, who will attend the show.
While low prices for the major commodities and metals have affected tyre makers on a global level and prompted production cutbacks for giant OTR mining tyres, the direction coal has taken is of greater significance here in the UK. British Geological Survey figures show output at British open cast coal mines fell almost 40 per cent between 2010 and 2014. This decline has understandably affected sales of tyres to this sector, yet the news is not all bad for OTR tyre manufacturers and suppliers – local demand for other off-road applications is in much better shape. Technical manager Jock Aitken recently went through Michelin’s products for these areas with us, and shared how to get the most from them.
Three years ago, Continental began focusing on non-automotive areas of its business in order to better balance the company’s sales footprint. An early beneficiary of this new emphasis was Continental’s Commercial Specialty Tires (CST) business, with the first investments to grow the CST portfolio directed at the port tyre segment. Now, in 2016, it is the turn of earthmover tyres, and a new EM range will be introduced later this year. As was the case with the port tyre range, the earthmover products will reflect the 2013-initiated drive to establish the Continental name as the company’s primary brand in the OTR sector.
Titan International, Inc has moved John Hrudicka from his current position as chief financial officer (CFO) to the operational side of the business. Effective 2 May 2016, Hrudicka’s new position is senior vice president of North American Tire.
The Building Construction Products Division of Caterpillar, Inc., has presented Alliance Tire Group (ATG) with a fourth-quarter 2015 Business Continuity Planning award in recognition of the company’s “perfect performance” in supplying Galaxy Beefy Baby tyres to Cat’s Sanford, North Carolina, plant.
Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group has opened a new mining tyre repair facility in Australia. The operation in Muswellbrook is within the Hunter Valley coalfields, some 160 miles northwest of Sydney, and is said to be the first of several measures planned by Kal Tire as part of an expansion of its mining tyre management service offerings in Eastern Australia.
On 20 April 2016 the US Department of Commerce (DOC) revised down OTR tyre import duties
Nine firms were initially covered by the ruling, however DOC found that of these nine exporters, two mandatory respondents, Qingdao Qihang Tyre Co., Ltd. and Xuzhou Xugong Tyres Co., Ltd. made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value.
Although not all the big names in the OTR tyre sector were present this year at Bauma, Bridgestone said it was “only natural” for it as a major supplier to be there. The Japanese manufacturer’s tyre activities were represented at the construction and mining segments trade fair by a new crane tyre range, new sizes and original equipment fitments, and Bridgestone also placed a particular focus upon its ‘Total Tyre Care’ concept. This now includes a recently-commenced partnership with German retreading specialist, Rösler Tyre Innovators.
Just Easy Tools ApS is a Danish firm that develops and manufactures solutions for handling and moving tyres and wheels. The company’s handling attachments are optimised to save time and resources, as well as improve safety.
The latest OTR tyre from Michelin has been specifically designed to cater to the needs of underground mine operators who seek higher speed capabilities from their loader tyres. The new 18.00 R 25 Michelin XSM D2+ LC (Long Cycle) is an L5S tyre capable of covering a distance of up to six kilometres each hour – a significant improvement on the four kilometre limit attached to the existing Michelin product for this application, the XSM.
Bridgestone returns to the Reifen Essen with a 550m² two-storey booth (Hall 3, stand 3C36) showcasing “a wide range of commercial products” including truck and bus tyres, agricultural tyres, and off-the-road tyres as well as the DriveGuard technology and other passenger car products – the first time Bridgestone has car tyres to Essen in the last 10 years
The 63-inch OTR radial is a standard fitment on many large mining vehicles, yet the limited customer base for these behemoths and the complexities involved in their production means only a handful of tyre makers deal with this particular tyre size. The list of 63-inch OTR tyre manufacturers may be a short one, but one further name has now been added – Triangle.
Camso has introduced a pair of telehandler tyres that it says “set new standards for stability, traction and resistance to damage.” Indeed, with the launch of the two tyres, the executive director of market development for the company’s Construction sector business says Camso is “building on our ‘tough is our way of life’ promise.”
Nokian Tyres describes its new skidder tyre, the Logger King LS-2, as the “ultimate workhorse for full-tree forestry work.” The all-new range is available in five sizes – 23.1-26, 28L-26, 24.5-32, 30.5L-32 and 35.5L-32 – with an ‘Extreme’ version available for extra demanding forestry applications at times when, as Nokian says, “normal is just not enough.”
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