Following months of sky-high raw material prices and a run of price increases from large and small tyre manufacturers around the world, one Chinese company has opted to buck the trend. Sihong Benteng Rubber Products Co, Ltd, which produces Threestones branded industrial tyres and rubber track products wrote to Tyres & Accessories informing us of the impending price drop for the Threestones brand.
Eurotire’s Ukraine training centre, located in Dnepropetrovsk, has opened its doors. According to the company, the Eurotire Training Center will act as an educational facility for Eurotire employees and customers alike. Training will include technical, safety, commercial, and industrial instruction. The aim of Eurotire’s training centre is said to be to further education in the mining industry regarding all OTR related matters. Jack James, a long-time OTR veteran and experienced OTR instructor, has been named director of the centre.
The formation of a new group to handle Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations’ commercial tyre business has led to the elimination of some 30 jobs within the organisation. Bridgestone Americas reports the job reductions are effective immediately; the creation of the Bridgestone Commercial Solutions Group to handle the company’s Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions and Off Road Tire, US & Canada Tire Sales divisions has rendered these positions superfluous.
On May 1 Heuver Tyrewholesale celebrated 45 years in the business. Mans Heuver established his regional tyre business in the Netherlands as a ‘one-man band’ in 1966 and the company has grown to employ 230 people. For the last two decades Heuver has operating internationally and in recent months has placed greater emphasis on the UK market, yet the wholesaler says it has by no means reached the limits of its ambitions. In this 45th anniversary year, Heuver says it still has a host of plans for the Netherlands and international markets.
Triangle Group, one of the largest tyre makers in China and arguably the largest producer of radial OTR tyres in the country, is celebrating winning a SQEP platinum supplier award from well-known off-road vehicle manufacturer Caterpillar.
Just a few years since the last earthmover tyre shortage peaked industry sources are predicting another squeeze on the production of some of the biggest tyres there are. Last time the problem centred on simple supply and demand, but since then the likes of Michelin and Bridgestone have invested hundreds of millions investing in production. This time the root causes seem to be the delay between investment and construction of new capacity and continuing demand, complicated by the earthquake in Japan.
Prices for all OTR tyres sold by Yokohama Tire Corporation in the US will increase by up to ten per cent on May 1. The tyre maker states that, in addition to this increase, other in-line adjustments will be announced at a later date. Announcing the scheduled increase, Yokohama Tire Corporation’s vice-president of OTR sales, Gary Nash, reassured consumers that the revised pricing was not due to the recent earthquake in Japan: “It’s from the escalating costs of raw materials, such as natural rubber,” he said, adding that additional factors necessitating the increase are the rising costs in transportation and manufacturing. “We do our best to integrate our operational efficiencies, technology and environmental procedures to produce the best OTR tyres at competitive prices. The increasing costs, unfortunately, must be reflected in our product pricing.”
The sale of Goodyear’s Latin America agricultural tyre business to Titan Tire was completed on April 1. Goodyear reports completing the sale for approximately US$99 million, subject to post-closing conditions and adjustments. The transaction includes the company’s Sao Paulo manufacturing plant, property, equipment and inventories and a licensing agreement that will allow Titan to sell Goodyear-brand agricultural tyres in Latin America and North America.
A couple of months ago, Marangoni began producing and marketing retreaded truck and OTR tyres under the “Marix” brand, a name previously reserved for passenger car, light commercial and 4×4 tyres. The Italian retreader previously relied upon the strength of its “Marangoni” brand, however it chose to respond to a changing competitive landscape by modifying its brand concept and in future will, according to Brenno Benaglia, pursue a clearer brand concept.
The United Steelworkers in Canada have donated $20,000 toward earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan. Nearly 10,000 confirmed deaths occurred in the March 11 disaster. The donation came from the USW Canada’s Humanity Fund. The Steelworkers' contribution will be channeled through International Chemical Energy and Mining Unions Federation affiliates in Japan, and the Canadian Labour Congress.
Goodyear has announced a number of key personnel changes in the Asia Pacific region. On March 1, Mike Martens took charge of the tyre maker’s Melbourne-based Australia and New Zealand business, replacing Judith Swales, who, according to Goodyear’s Asia Pacific president Pierre Cohade, has “decided to leave Goodyear to pursue her interest of holding non executive board positions in Australia.” The 25-year Goodyear veteran will continue his role as vice president of Asia Pacific OTR.
The Al Saeedi Group in the United Arab Emirates has announced that it has been appointed as the distributor of Rader Vogel wheel and wheel-related products in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and its home country of the UAE. Based in Hamburg, Germany Rader Vogel is one of the leading manufacturers of Vulkollan wheels and castors in the world. The company manufactures a wide range of industrial wheels to suit various applications.
Dutch wholesaler Heuver Tyrewholesale has extended its OTR business into the UK and Ireland and says it is actively targeting this region, a move it describes as a further development of its “strong European position in the OTR sector.” Heading up the British operation is 43-year old Phil Bradburn, who is based near Manchester and has worked with Heuver for a number of years.
For the fourth consecutive year, Yokohama Tire Corporation’s off-the-road division has been awarded a Gold Alliance Supplier award from Alabama, US-based Vulcan Materials Company. Vulcan is a major producer of construction aggregates, which includes crushed stone, sand and gravel used in nearly all forms of construction.
It’s now more than fifteen years since Balkrishna Industries Ltd., or BKT, wound up its two-wheeler, car and truck tyre business in favour of a focus on off-road tyres. This ‘place every egg in one basket’ decision was a major step for the then seven year old company, yet it is one the Indian manufacturer has never regretted. Since the changeover to off-road tyres in 1995, BKT has grown at an enviable rate and produced some 1,900 SKUs of OTR, industrial and agricultural tyres. Recently, Tyres & Accessories was given the opportunity to observe first-hand the result of a decade and a half’s specialisation within the off-road sector and gain a clearer picture of where the company aims to go.
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