PERSONNEL
Nigel Lewis, currently purchasing director for Avon Tyres in Melksham, will as of June 1 take on the role of managing director of Cooper Tire International Trading Company in Singapore. In this capacity he will be responsible for overseeing the operations of the Singapore buying office and procurement of natural rubber.
Falken Tire Corporation chairman and CEO Yasushi (Tank) Tanaka has been promoted to executive officer of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Falken’s parent company, reports Tire Review. Tanaka will continue to head Falken’s North America business. Tanaka joined SRI in 1976, and has spent the majority of his career in the export and OE departments of SRI and SRI Tire Trading Ltd.
Cooper Tire & Rubber has appointed Jon Huffman to the role of director, Pricing and Program Management. In his new position, Huffman will oversee all aspects of pricing, and will also assume responsibility for Cooper's three retail stores in Findlay, Ohio, Texarkana, Arkansas, and Tupelo, Mississippi.
In Japan, only 1.4 per cent of executives are women, so Sakie Fukushima’s rise to become the first woman ever to be elected to Bridgestone’s board of directors is gaining plenty of attention, not least from CNN, which describes the move as “breaking the ‘bamboo ceiling’”.
Titan Tire Corporation has introduced the second generation of its 007 MFT mining tyre product line. This new product, says the US manufacturer, offers enhanced durability, a more ‘aggressive’ tread pattern, improved heat dissipation and the ability to carry a larger payload. Sizes currently offered in the range include 59/80R63, 53/80R63, 40.00R57 and 27.00R49.
Two Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations facilities and a retired BATO plant manager were each recognised for environmental initiatives by state agencies and environmental organizations recently, reports Tire Review. The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources recognized the Wilson, North Carolina, plant as an environmental steward; the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control awarded the plant in Aiken County, South Carolina, the 2010 DHEC Earth Day Award for Large Businesses; and Ron Brooks, recently retired plant manager at the BATO facility in Warren County, Tennessee, was named Community Servant Leader of the Year at the Green Business Summit at Lipscomb University.
Pierre Jambon has been appointed vice president of Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s off-highway business. In his new role, Jambon will run Goodyear's global aviation and off-the-road businesses as well as its North American racing and motorcycle/ATV businesses. He will report to Curt Andersson, president of the company’s North American Tire operation. Jambon takes the place of John Cavanaugh, who has now stepped into the role of vice president of finance for global procurement. In that role, he will report to vice president and chief procurement officer Mark Purtilar and executive vice president and chief financial officer Darren Wells. Cavanaugh had been vice president, off highway, since September 2008.
Following a tyre industry career spanning 39 years, Yokohama Tire Corporation executive vice president and chief operating officer Jim MacMaster has announced his intention to retire in June. MacMaster, who also served as chairman of the Rubber Manufacturers Association from 2007 – 2009, began his career with a three-year stint in the Navy, followed by work in the defence and computer industries and then ten years on the manufacturing and dealer side of the tyre business. He ultimately joined Yokohama in January 1981.
Albert Bartlett has joined GITI Tire (UK) Ltd. as regional sales manager – truck and bus. Formally with Goodyear Dunlop, Albert has over 36 years experience within the tyre industry selling motorcycle, passenger car, agricultural, earthmover and truck.
Nexen Tire has elected H.B. Lee as Nexen Tire vice chairman and CEO along with the appointment of Byung-Woo Lee as vice president sales division. Hyun-Bong Lee, the former CEO of Samsung Electronics, was elected as vice chairman and CEO in the meeting at the KOSPI 200 company’s recent annual shareholders meeting.
In spite of the economic downturn in 2009, last year Nexen Tire broke its all it records with sales of $760 million, 28 per cent up over 2008. According to the company, “this outstanding performance came from aggressive marketing strategy to US and European markets and uplifting brand power in Korean domestic markets.”
Roger Everson, sales and marketing manager with Avon motorsport, the competition division of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe, has announced he will retire in March, after 27 years working for the company.
Bridgestone Americas has promoted Scott Damon to vice president of marketing for its Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions unit. Damon was director of strategic channels and products for Bridgestone Bandag.
Conservative estimates from Supertracker place the daily number of wheel alignments carried out using its equipment at around 18,000. Therefore the company has no doubt that training in the correct and most efficient use of the machinery has never been so important for the industry.
Christine Karbowiak, who currently serves in the role of executive vice president, Community and Corporate Relations and member of the Board of Directors at Bridgestone Americas (BSAM), has been appointed to the newly created position of BSAM chief administrative officer, effective April 1, 2010. In addition to her current Community and Corporate Relations’ responsibilities, which includes government, media and community relations as well as internal communications and overall brand oversight for the companies under the BSAM umbrella, Karbowiak will also be responsible for roles related to Environmental Affairs, Internal Audit, Safety and Industrial Hygiene, and Corporate Security.
Viking International has welcomed a number of new area sales managers to the company following the restructuring of its sales team. Primarily, the new area sales managers will be field-based; focusing on identifying new business opportunities and relationship building with customers across the country.
Neil Hughes has been appointed to look after Manchester region. Hughes has a great deal of experience having previously worked for Bridgestone, which involved working with dealers and large commercial fleets. Steve Barnes has joined the team in Tonbridge and brings with him a wealth of experience which includes 25 years in the tyre industry most recently working for WJ Wood, part of Group Tyre, as a business development manager, responsible for developing new and existing business with car dealerships.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
