Bridgestone EMIA will either temporarily close or reduce production plants across its European manufacturing network in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its Béthune plant in France and the Bari plant in Italy will be closed until 6 April.
Almost 18 months ago, Bridgestone announced it would invest at least 160 million euros in its passenger car tyre plant in Poznań, Poland. A stage in this factory expansion project began on 20 January with the laying of a foundation stone for additional production buildings.
The European Commission has approved 3.2 billion euros of battery research and development support under EU State aid rules. The funding comes as the result of an Important Project of Common European interest (IPCEI) application jointly notified by Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden to support research and innovation in the common European priority area of batteries.
Michelin is the most search tyre brand on Google in Europe, according to price comparison site Rezulteo. Rezulteo studied the popularity of tyre brands in Europe using Google search volume data for tyre manufacturers in each country from 1 August 2018 to 31 July 2019. The study took “brand name” + “tyre” queries in the official languages of each European country into account.
Construction work on a project to expand STARCO’s operation in Poland officially commenced last week. STARCO says the addition of new warehouse and fitting facilities at the Mielec site, around 50 miles east of Krakow, will increase floorspace from 2,500 to 5,500 square metres. The new facilities should be operational early next year.
Vipal Rubber, one of the world’s top manufacturers of tyre retreading products, has participated in the ProfiAuto Show 2019 (8-9 June in Katowice, Poland) in partnership with exclusive Polish distributor, Arko-Gum. The partnership between the companies, vital in ensuring Vipal provides the most relevant solutions for the Polish market, has been in effect for nine years.
VMI is opening two additional manufacturing halls in Poland following the “unprecedented success” of its original project in the city of Lezsno. In addition, the company announced the appointment of Magda Sadowska as general manager of the Lezsno facility.
Lighting and electronics specialist Hella has concluded the sale of the Danish and Polish wholesale businesses FTZ and Inter-Team. After approval by the antitrust authorities responsible, both companies were transferred to the Swedish wholesaler Mekonomen. Subject to the terms of the transaction, the purchase price amounts to 395 million euro.
Approximately £145 million will be invested in the Bridgestone tyre plant in Poznań, Poland over the next half a decade in order to boost production capacity by around 30 per cent. Quoted in a Bridgestone press release, Roman Staszewski, plant manager and managing director of Bridgestone Poznan, said close to PLN 700 million would be invested and, by 2022, new technology would be added and current production lines upgraded in order to increase daily production capacity from 31,000 to more than 40,000 tyres.
On 5 September VMI opened a new factor in Leszno, Poland. The location was officially opened by Lukasz Borowiak, mayor of Leszno and Alexander van der Lof, chairman of the executive board of TKH Group.
Avon Tyres’ Storm 3D X-M has helped Polish stunt rider Maciej “DOP” Bielicki set a new world record for the longest recorded rolling burnout on a motorcycle. Using a specially closed road near the Harley-Davidson dealership in the city of Rzeszów, south-east Poland, Bielicki set the record on his Street Rod bike, spinning the rear wheel for just under three miles. Watch the video below on Tyrepress.com.
Poland’s electromobility market is ripe for growth. Favourable government initiatives such as the Electromobility Plan and Electromobility and Alternative Fuels Act are reshaping local mobility and igniting innovative clean technologies to achieve higher competitiveness and energy optimization. Growth will be augmented by consumer incentives and the simultaneous development of infrastructure, energy distribution, and product offerings. Players should look for opportunities in charging point infrastructure development, automotive supply chain transformation, and public transport modernisation to gain a competitive advantage.
A 12.2 per cent increase in sales during 2016 lifted Uniwheels AG’s overall sales volumes to more than 8.77 million wheels last year, and the recent completion of expansion work at its facility in Poland will push capacity beyond 10 million units this year. Demand from OEM customers continues to grow, and as a result, Uniwheels is now looking to set up a fifth plant as well as a further expansion of its operation in Poland.
Logistics provider Kuehne + Nagel Poland is now managing Michelin’s warehouse activities in Poland. This arrangement is the first new business under a global master agreement for contract logistics recently signed by the two companies.
VMI Group broke ground on its new manufacturing plant in Leszno, Poland on 2 November 2016. In the first phase, the company is building a 13,500 m2 facility on its 8 hectare plot of land with goal of extending the current manufacturing capabilities of the company. VMI Group now has entities in 8 countries on 5 continents.
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