The Malay Mail reports that four armed intruders forced their way into a used-tyre factory in the township of Bandar Bukit Puchong, Malaysia, overpowering a security guard, who was bound and gagged, before driving off with a trailer loaded with 319 tyres.
A groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of expansion work on Yokohama’s tyre factory in the Philippines took place on May 23. The Clark Freeport Zone plant, located some 40 miles northwest of Manila, is being enlarged to around 460,000 square metres – about three times its current area – through a 50 billion yen (£376.6 million)) investment that by 2017 will boost annual capacity from seven to seventeen million tyres.
To fulfil plans to increase tyre making capacity, Yokohama Rubber has signed a contract to lease a 300,000 square metre section of land adjacent to the Yokohama Tire Philippines plant, some sixty kilometres northwest of Manila. The leasing contract for the land at the former US Air Force base was signed between Yokohama and Clark Development Corporation on February 12. The capacity expansion plans were first announced in late January and involve a total investment of 50 billion yen (£371.3 million) in order to increase capacity 143 per cent to 17 million units per annum.
On 14 February 2011, the board of directors of Yokohama Rubber decided the following management changes in board membership and corporate officers, which take effective on 1 April 2011. The changes include the promotion of Hikomitsu Noji to director and senior managing corporate officer, president of Tire Group. He is currently director and managing corporate officer, president of the Tire Group, general manager of Tire Global Production Division.
Tata Motors is considering building a manufacturing unit in Indonesia which will be used to manufacture the famous Tata Nano model. According to Indian motoring sources, the plan is under “constant vigilance” by the various study teams. The report cited a Tata spokesperson as saying “Yes, we will be establishing a manufacturing unit in Jakarta. We will be announcing this piece of news shortly, but till then it is all under wraps.”
For the second year in a row, Yokohama Tire Philippines Inc. (YTPI) has received an Outstanding Recognition for Overall Performance award from Clark Development Corporation (CDC). YPTI president Takayuki Hamaya received the award from Philippines president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during a ceremony held on April 21.
Following the success of the programme it introduced early in 2008, Federal Tire has further developed its marketing plan for tyre dealers. In order to strengthen its market position, the company has released an “image corner” – a move it hopes will help consumers gain a better understanding of Federal. The company says it aims, through the introduction of these displays in its export markets, to create a presence that “established the essence of the Federal brand” and helps the company sustain a competitive edge while improving business.
Off The Road Tyre Mart Inc. of the Philippines has joined TRIB, reports Tire Review. The new member is a well-established tyre distributor and is considering adding a medium truck radial retreading facility in the Philippines, TRIB said.
Yokohama Tire Philippines (YTPI) is lending a hand to the victims of the Mt. Arayat mudslide, which was brought about by Typhoon Ondoy. As part of the company’s relief operations, on October 2 YTPI employees gave each affected family at the Arayat, Pampanga evacuation area a set of equipment including a mat, mosquito net, blanket, pail and charcoal stove. Approximately 297 families, left homeless after the mudslide, received assistance from YTPI.
Goodyear Philippines has launched its first Goodyear Racing Zone concept retail outlet for ultra-high performance tyres in Iloilo City.
Established in 1996, Yokohama Tire Philippines was the first international company to establish a presence in the Clark Freeport Zone, the redevelopment of the United States Air Force’s former Clark Air Base. In acknowledgement of its long-term contribution to the zone in terms of investment, employment, environmental management and employee heath and safety, on July 13 the company received an Outstanding Recognition for Overall Performance award from the Clark Development Corporation (CDC). At the ceremony, Philippines president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presented the certificate of commendation to Yokohama Tire Philippines president Takayuki Hamaya.
Goodyear has announced that it is to close its Philippines tyre plant, cutting 83 per cent of its staff within the country in the process, reports The Wall Street Journal. The reduced demand and the high costs of running the facility mean that the Las Pinas plants products “are not competitive in the marketplace,” according to Pierre Cohade, Goodyear Asia-Pacific regional president.
The closure will happen at the end of the current quarter, with 500 out of the 600 Philippines workers laid off. According to reports, the company’s sales and marketing departments will remain unaffected. As previously noted on Tyrepress.com, Goodyear plans to cut much of its worldwide capacity over the next two years, and this latest closure will account for 2 million of the 15 million units of annual production due to be shed. The Wall Street Journal report concludes that Goodyear will record approximately $20 million in charges as a consequence of the closure.
The Philippine government’s Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) has raided a warehouse on the northern island of Luzon, seizing some 10 million peso (£133,500) of counterfeit tyres and motorcycle spare parts. According to a PASG statement, the agencies raided the warehouse after receiving surveillance reports indicating the illegal nature of the activities within. The tyres confiscated from the warehouse are said to have been counterfeit Dunlop tyres.
A second manufacturing site belonging to Continental AG has been opened in Calamba, the Philippines. The factory, inaugurated September 25, produces inertial, speed, and advanced sensors, chassis components, passive safety and ADAS components for the company’s Chassis & Safety Division as well as ECUs, transmission controllers, sensors and actuators for the Powertrain Division. This event reflects Continental’s strategy to build and strengthen the network and manufacturing operations in Asia, where the company intends to make between 20 and 25 per cent of its total sales in this region by 2015.
The Manchester based shared service centre operated by Michelin has become a victim of outsourcing, with the resultant loss of 200 jobs. As of July the French manufacturer has opted to use the IT consultancy Logica to handle the centre’s tasks, with the work carried out in Spain and the Philippines.
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.
