PERSONNEL
Dave Taylor, vice president of technical services at Toyo Tire USA, has announced his retirement after 23 years with the company, reports Tire Review. Toyo said Taylor played a key role in the pioneering of niche sizes and products such as the Toyo Open Country M/T and Proxes S/T. Earlier this week, sales vice president Armand Allaire left Toyo to become Kumho Tire USA’s new national vice president of sales.
Snap-on has appointed Sarah Philpott as acting marketing manager. Philpott, who holds several qualifications in business management and administration (including an MBA from the University of East Anglia in Norwich) joined Snap-on Diagnostics in 2002. In addition to her new position, she also remains responsible for her primary role as sales support manager.
UK-produced reference book, Tyre Essentials has been completed and is now readily available for sale at £17.00 (plus p&p), with attractive discounts for multiple purchases. Spanning 134 pages, Tyre Essentials is a compilation of tyre information, technology terms and definitions. It includes a thesaurus that will provide an ideal, informative reference and training guide for personnel engaged within the tyre and transport industries. Brian Lawton, a director of Newlaw Associates Limited (who specialises in the forensic examination of tyres) has written the book based on his extensive knowledge and experience within the new tyre and retread tyre industries.
Nokian tyres has unveiled its brand new housing complex built for workers at its factory in Vsevolozhsk, Russia. Known as ‘Hakkapeliitta Village’, the 167 apartments are located some ten kilometres from the plant and cover a total area of 10,300 square metres. The company has invested more than ten million euros into the project in the aim of attracting and retaining qualified staff at the facility; a Nokian press release explains that in exchange for a commitment to remain at the plant for at least seven years, employees can purchase an apartment within the complex for substantially less than the average market price.
Industry veteran Armand Allaire has joined Kumho Tire USA as the national vice president of sales, reports Tire Review. Most recently Allaire was vice president of sales for Toyo Tire USA, and previously was a sales and marketing director for the then Bridgestone USA Inc. “Armand brings a unique blend of salesmanship and management experience to Kumho,” said JB Kim, Kumho's president and CEO, “we look forward to his guidance and vision as we build Kumho Tire for the future.”
The Infleet network is unfurling a new business development plan, and on board to spearhead its progress is recently appointment UK sales manager David Tattler. The tyre industry veteran will tackle his new role with the support of a state of the art management information technology system being introduced by Infleet at its new Cannock, West Midlands office.
Carlisle Companies Inc. has appointed BorgWarner executive vice president, CFO and CEO Robin J. Adams to its Board of Directors. Mr. Adams also serves as a member of BorgWarner’s Board of Directors and on the Supervisory Board of Beru AG. “We are pleased to have Robin join our board,” commented Carlisle chairman, president and CEO David A. Roberts. “His wide range of financial experience and expertise, coupled with his 30 years of worldwide industry experience, will serve our shareholders well as we expand our company globally.”
(Tire Review) Goodyear has promoted John Peer to vice president and general manager of its North American retail operations. Peer had served as director of dealer sales and retail operations for Goodyear’s North American Tire unit. He replaces Scott Vogel who has left the company, according to Goodyear. Paul Wanstreet has been moved from vice president of Goodyear’s Wingfoot commercial centres to director of retail operations. He will report to Peer, who, in turn, will report to Steve McClellan, president of consumer tyres.
(Tire Review) Continental Tire North America has made staff changes to its industrial tyre group. David Whitmore was named the unit’s new OE sales manager, while Paschal Dellavedova is the new south-central US region account executive for industrial tyres. Mark Madding is the new account executive for replacement industrial tire sales in the western US.
With great sadness Hawleys Tyre Services Ltd of Sheffield has announced the death of its chairman David Hawley aged 75. According to grandson Tim Hawley, he died suddenly at his home in Norfolk. David Hawley was well known in the tyre trade having worked in the family business for 45 years before retiring in 1992. A memorial service will be held at Hillsborough Trinity Methodist Church, Middlewood Road, Sheffield at 2pm on Friday 23 October 2009.
Although confirmed as the man for the job in September, the tenure of Prof. Dr. Ing. Wolfgang Reitzle as chairman of Continental AG’s Supervisory Board became official as of October 19 after his election during the day’s meeting. The Supervisory Board also made two other appointments during the October 19 meeting: Wolfgang Schäfer was confirmed as a regular member of the Continental AG Executive Board. He will take up his appointment on January 1, 2010, and will be responsible for the areas of finance, controlling, IT and law. Also assuming his position on the board next January 1 is José A. Avila, who is taking over as head of the Powertrain division.
(Tire Review) Still mourning the sudden loss of long-time executive director Nelson “Bulldog” Drummond, the Arkansas Independent Tire Dealers Association has named a new executive leader. Eddie Warrington was hired in August by the AITDA board of directors as its new executive director. Warrington was a member of AITDA for 28 years and served a term as president in 1991. With the resignation of president Eric Street, the AITDA also named first vice president Dennis Bartlett as president. Bartlett, president of Bartlett Tire Center in Heber Springs, Ark., will serve out the remainder of Street’s term, and then complete his own through 2010. With the change in leadership, the AITDA has a new address: #2 Robinwood, Searcy, AR 72143, USA.
Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) secretary general and Imported Tyre Manufacturer’s Association (ITMA) director Peter Taylor received his OBE during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, 15 October. The award was presented by Her Majesty The Queen. Taylor received the award for services to the tyre industry and for his contribution to the businesses ground breaking tyre recovery and recycling programme.
Hankook Tire has announced plans to top up the talent pool at its Europe Technical Center (ETC) in Germany. The Korean tyre maker intends to take on three new engineers before the end of the year, increasing the number of developmental team specialists at the Langenhagen site near Hanover to 36. These new additions follow three other new appointments at the centre this year; in total, the developmental team will grow by more than 16 per cent during 2009 – a growth rate, as Hankook notes, that meets the company’s economic growth.
Chuck Taylor’s time in the role of general manager at Cooper Chengshan (Shandong) Tire Co. Ltd. (CCT) is drawing to a close, and Cooper Tire has named his successor. On December 11, new general manager Steven Zhou will take over responsibility for planning, directing and coordinating the manufacturing operations at CCT. Zhou will report directly to Asian Operations Vice President and General Manager Allen Tsaur.
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