It is forty years since Yokohama Tire Corporation commenced business in the US. The company’s first headquarters – the first sales operation to be set up outside of Japan – was located in Los Angeles and opened its doors for the first time on November 24, 1969. Four decades later, YTC services a nationwide network of more than 4,500 points of sale through its four distribution centres.
Tire Review reports that venerable British band The Who – well, the two surviving members at least – is being lined up to provide the halftime entertainment for Super Bowl XLIV. Bridgestone Americas are the exclusive sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime.
The solitary remaining tyre manufacturer in Zimbabwe marked its 50th Anniversary on November 18, and company management have taken the opportunity to express their optimism for the future. At an event held by Dunlop Zimbabwe and attended by numerous dignitaries, company chairman Dr Luis Cenevis stated that the tyre maker had managed to survive the previous years’ trials and was looking forward to production levels returning to full capacity.
As of December 1 prices for Goodyear consumer replacement tyres will go up by as much as six per cent in North America. The company announced these increases are being made in order to offset higher raw materials costs. This is the first Goodyear price increase for this segment since September 2008, when a 10 per cent increase was implemented.
Mytyres.co.uk – the UK part of Europe’s largest online tyre retailing group Delticom AG – is warning the increasing number of motorists considering part worn tyres that this is an example of false economy and a potentially dangerous decision. Whilst it is difficult to establish the number of part-worn tyres on sale in the UK, research suggests that the number of tyre retailers looking to supply this type of tyre because of the current economic climate is increasing. Tyres & Accessories’ best estimate for the size of this market puts the figure at up to 2 million units.
Pirelli reports that growing raw materials and energy costs are the reason for announcing a 10 per cent price increase for all car, motorcycle and truck product lines in its Middle Eastern and African markets. The price increase will being to take effect in the various markets in mid November 2009.
Last year the Michelin Fill Up With Air campaign showed 35 per cent of motorists to be driving around on dangerously under inflated tyres. Yet despite the French manufacturer’s very worthwhile efforts, the tyre safety message just doesn’t seem to be sinking in – Michelin’s 2009 Fill Up With Air campaign results reveal that this figure has crept up to 36 per cent.
Apollo Tyres’ new Rs 20 billion (£257 million) facility in India’s Chennai state is expected to be operational from the start of December, and the company states the plant should attain a peak daily capacity of 14,000 tyres by the middle of next year. Of this total, commented the company on November 8, 8,000 will be passenger car radials and 6,000 truck and bus radials.
The Primewell range of tyres is manufactured by GITI Tire, one of the world’s top ten largest tyre makers. The Chinese manufacturer produces a complete and modern range that is exported to over 100 countries. In the UK Primewell is exclusive brand of Stapleton’s Tyre Services, and the distributor has recently launched its Primewell Key Dealer Programme.
According to the Pirelli Group, the first nine months of the 2009 fiscal year delivered “positive” operating indicators that are “overall in line with what was set out in the 2009-2011 industrial plan.” The company forecasts that, barring unforeseeable events, it will in the full year 2009 reach the targets identified in the plan presented last February, and due to Pirelli Tyre’s positive performance may even surpass these targets.
Nokian Tyres’ net sales for the first nine months of 2009 totalled 550.8 million euros (down 32.2 per cent on 813.2 million euros in January to September 2008). Meanwhile the company’s operating result amounted to 61.2 million euros in the period. According to the company, sales and operating result improved clearly in the third quarter. July to September operating profit fell 39 per cent compared with 43.7 million euros (£42.492 million; $64.6 million). Reuters reported that this figure beat all of the forecasts in its poll. During the same period, sales fell 28 per cent to 204 million, in line with expectations.
Sales and operating margin is said to have improved, compared to previous quarters, due to pre-season deliveries of winter tyres, restocking of heavy tyres by OE customers, production restructuring and reduced raw material cost.
Citing lower raw material costs, continued manufacturing improvements and a better utilisation of capacity as the key driving factors, Cooper Tire & Rubber has reported a US$41 million net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2009, a $102 million improvement over the same period last year. The company’s net sales for the period were $803 million, a year-on-year increase of $9 million, while operating profit was $71 million for the quarter, a $118 million improvement from the corresponding months in 2008.
The fact that VOSA has revised its 'Requirements for Authorisation for Vehicle Test Stations’, means that from November 2009, many existing MOT Class IV stations that would otherwise have been ineligible because of garage size etc, will now be able to upgrade their premises to ‘One Person Testing’ or full ATL standard. As a result, the Trade Group which claims to be “the UK’s foremost experts in MOT and ATL installations,” is offering “free survey reports,” without obligation, to any existing Class IV MOT stations, to see if they are now able to take advantage of this important revision to the regulations and make this a potentially lucrative upgrade for their business.
Apollo Tyres Ltd’s second quarter 2009/10 results show the company achieved 20.46 billion rupees (£269.8 million; 296.8 million euros; $443 million) of consolidated revenue in the period, up 62 per cent over the same period last year. Operating profit totalled 2.9 billion rupees (£38.278 million; 42.151 million euros; US$ 62.872) more than tripling the 818.3 million rupees the company brought in the year before.
Onkar S Kanwar, chairman, Apollo Tyres, commented: “The steady growth achieved by Apollo Tyres despite rising raw material prices reflects the true spirit of our most valuable asset, the employees. In the quarter under review, higher raw material costs were absorbed by the company in order to protect consumers’ interest. This was possible only because of our continued emphasis on managing costs and efficiencies internally, which began in the first quarter of the last financial year.”
Wheel manufacturer Kei Racing has apparently gone all ‘old school’ on us with its latest design, the Okoyama. Named after the famous circuit in Japan, this pseudo split rim serves up a dollop of authentic JDM style with a deep polished lip and eye-pleasing rivet detailing.
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