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Schaeffler Appeals for Investment

Schaeffler Group is reportedly fighting against the possibility of a company breakup, as the automotive supplier struggles under the weight of 11 billion euros of debt it acquired when buying Continental AG. Over the weekend the owners of the Schaeffler Group, Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler and her son Georg Schaeffler, commented on the situation in a public statement which saw them deny the company gambled on the purchase of Continental AG and appeal for outside support.

“…Schaeffler Group requires support for a limited period of time. Our talks with politicians are about securing interim financial aid in a special exceptional situation for a company that is sound at the core,” the statement read, adding: “The Schaeffler Group will present a viable concept to the federal government and the states. We are well aware that the viability of this concept will be scrutinized by the responsible public authorities to ensure that an interim financial aid package will not burden the taxpayers, and we realize that the Schaeffler Group must pay the statutory interest and fees incurred due to the bridgeover.”

9th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Announces Participation in 3 Motorcycle Championships

Michelin has announced its participation in three motorcycle speedway racing competitions in 2009 – the Endurance World Championship, along with national speed championships in Spain and Italy.

This year, Michelin will provide tyres for the Yamaha Austria Racing Team, which finished second over all in the six-race 2008 Endurance World Championship. The partnership, says Michelin, will enable the company to measures its tyres against its competitors’ products. And while this is Michelin’s main reason for taking part in the competition, it comments that racing also serves as an important testing ground for developing tyres for the consumer market. With this in mind the company will enter – for the first time ever – a motorcycle displaying its own colours in all Endurance World Championship events. The Michelin Power Research Team, with riders William Costes, Hugo Marchand and Josep Monge, will focus on gathering technical data to be used in designing the brand’s future motorcycle tyres.

9th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

China Expresses Concern Over India Investigations

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has voiced “deep concern” over the Indian government’s trade investigations into and import restrictions upon Chinese products. On February 9 Ministry spokesman Yao Jian stated that vice commerce minister Zhong Shan had expressed China’s concern to India’s Ambassador to China, Nirupama Rao, during a recent meeting held at China’s request. Mr. Zhong told Ms Rao that China hopes to bring the trade disputes to an end through government and industry level communication and exchange between the two countries.

9th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Releases First Green Guide Japan

With its manga, animated films, video games and sushi, Japan is, after the US, the world’s second largest exporter of cultural goods and is increasingly present in day-to-day life, especially in youth culture. Since the launch in 2003 of the “Visit Japan Campaign,” which set a target of 10 million visitors to the country in 2010, Japan has seen a rise in tourism. In 2008, Japan hosted 8,351,600 visitors.

9th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Titan Tire Promotes Two

Titan Tire Corporation has announced two senior staff promotions. Jeff Kramer, previously operations manager for the company’s Des Moines, Iowa facility, has taken on the role of vice president of manufacturing engineering, and Dave Fines is taking Kramer’s place in Des Moines.

Jeff Kramer has been with Titan for 13 years and has held positions in tyre engineering, curing area management and production management. As vice president of manufacturing engineering, Kramer will oversee manufacturing engineering projects at all Titan Tire locations.

9th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Tyres Launches New Alloy Wheel Range

Apollo Tyres has launched its new alloy wheel brand, Acelere Wheelz. The first products in the range, the ‘Fall-Winter’ collection, are already available through tyre dealerships across India. Apollo Tyres says that a new collection will be introduced onto the Indian market every six months, in line with its concept of the wheels as fashion accessories. The company comments that the Acelere Wheelz range is a ‘natural extension’ to its tyre range.

9th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Triple P showcases Gulf Lubricants

In addition to the presence of tyre makers, the Aftermarket Show at Autosport International proved to be the ideal stage for Triple P, a division of Universal Automotive, to demonstrate its ability to attract performance brands, with the announcement of a distribution agreement with Gulf Lubricants UK. The road-going version of the Gulf-sponsored Le Mans winning Aston Martin DBR9 was the centre-piece of the company’s stand.

Keith Jewers, Gulf UK retail sales director joined the rest of the Triple P team and was present for the duration of the show to answer any questions about the brand. “Being at the heart of the Aftermarket Show and featuring in the TalkShop forums provided the perfect platform to really get the message across to both trade and consumer that Gulf Lubricants are back in a big way,” he explained. “The Gulf brand is synonymous with quality and innovation, and the high performance range of products we are offering through Triple P will be extremely comprehensive and competitive.”

9th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Johnson Announces Retirement, Berry to Lead ATD

Bill Berry has been tipped to be American Tire Distributors’ new CEO and president with the pending retirement of Dick Johnson, who will step down on 5 April. Berry, currently president and COO, joined ATD in 1998 when ATD (then Heafner Tire) merged with Itco Tire Co. He became executive vice president and COO in January 2002 and was named president and COO in May 2003.

Johnson will remain as chairman of the company for the next two years. He became chairman and CEO in May 2003, and during his tenure ATD doubled its sales to more than $2 billion and led the acquisition of numerous tyre distributors, including Am-Pac in late December.

“It has been my privilege to work closely with Bill Berry and the rest of the leadership team over the past decade to build a company that is stronger than ever and ready to shape the future of our industry,” said Johnson. “The changes announced today are the result of a succession plan developed over several years and designed to ensure a seamless transition and strength, stability and continuity of leadership for our company.” (Tire Review/Akron)

9th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin MBA Network Strength Outlined at Dealer Meeting

Business owners and senior managers from nearly 70 Michelin accredited independent truck tyre distributors across the UK and Republic of Ireland gathered in Paris on 30 January for the third annual Michelin Business Advantage (MBA) dealer conference. What the representatives from the MBA network heard during their time in France was music to the ears in these difficult times for the automotive sector.

“The latest figures from Europool highlight that whilst the replacement market for new truck tyres dropped by 10 per cent in the UK in 2008, Michelin continued to gain market share and is still the number one selling brand,” said Phil Baldock, MBA manager at Michelin. “We also bucked the trend in the market for retread tyres, with our penetration increasing in a marketplace which also fell by 10 per cent.

9th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

EW Swiers & R Grainger See Demand Increase

Tyre recycling’s growth is illustrated by the story of a relatively new company’s plans to expand its operation with a new pre-shredder. The father-daughter partnership of EW Swiers & R Grainger Tyre Disposal and Rubber Chip, started early last year when they set up a tyre shredding facility at Ruffort, on the outskirts of York, North Yorkshire. A year ago, the company took delivery of a shredder to produce 20mm chips, stripping out the wire, for the Equine Market. Within the year the company has met 80 per cent of its targets.

Swiers comments “We feel we were getting positive signals of increased demand about 12–14 weeks ago, so we ordered an additional pre-shredder from New Zealand that will increase our throughput three fold, thus meeting our current demand for the Equine Market.”

6th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Before Chipping: Crushing and Cutting

Tire Service Equipment and Saf-Tee Siping & Grooving, or TSISSG as it is known to its friends, is perhaps best known for its machinery dealing with the maintenance of tyres. However, Scottish retail business Overton Garage is heartily behind the company’s series of wheel crushing and tyre cutting equipment, having sold hundreds of examples over the years. The company reports great results for those who have made the investment; if it is time for a beloved set of rims and rubber to go to the great recycler in the sky, you may as well do them the service of making the job a quick and efficient one.

For over 25 years TSISSG has been a leading manufacturer and innovator of products and equipment for the tyre service and tyre recycling industries. Its products are designed and developed by experts in the respective industries with a passion for testing and quality, manufacturing almost all of its products in the USA.

6th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

E and H Ramps up Shred Speed with Evashred

Having made the purchase of an Evashred EV60E dual shaft tyre shredding machine complete with force feed hopper from Ecosystem Limited, Northampton’s E and H Tyres is looking, in the words of manager, Rob Holloway, “both [to] increase the number of tyres shredded per hour and save ourselves money on repairs on our existing equipment”. E and H Tyres currently process an average of 3000 tyres per day through the machine.

The Evashred EV60E tyre shredder will slot into the company’s existing system in front of the main shredder, preparing the tyres for the machine to more efficiently process them. The machine can process 2 tonnes, or around 250 car, van, 4×4 and light commercial tyres per hour. Its force feed hopper eliminates blocking and bridging on the shredder.

6th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Australia Announces Temporary Plant Shutdown

Bridgestone Australia Ltd has announced a temporary pause in production at its Salisbury manufacturing facility in South Australia. Shawn Hara, group chairman and managing director of the Australian Bridgestone operation, said the plant, which employs around 600 people, would be taken offline from April 14 to 27 2009 inclusive to reduce inventory holdings in line with consumer demand. No jobs will be affected by the closedown, notes the manufacturer, and employees will have access to leave entitlements. Hara also stated that no further shutdowns were planned for 2009.

“The economic slowdown is having an impact on consumer demand around the world and Australia is no different,” Hara said. “This step is a reflection of Bridgestone Australia’s ability to react quickly and prudently to the current situation to ensure we protect the long-term viability of our manufacturing business and the jobs of our valued employees.”

6th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Becomes a New York Cab Supplier

Kumho Tires reports it is “excited to have its beloved tyres sported by the iconic yellow taxicabs of New York City.” Recently Kumho Tire USA announced it has been providing tyres to New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (NYTLC), an agency that regulates New York City’s yellow taxicabs. The South Korean manufacturer’s products are being fitted as replacement tyres to yellow cabs operating in Manhattan, joining several other replacement tyre manufacturers, including Goodyear, Pirelli, Michelin and Continental, which also supply the taxis.

“We have supplied two thousand tyres to NYTLC since 2008, we expect the amount of supply to continually increase through local distributors for years to come,” said a Kumho Tires official. Currently around 1,500 yellow cabs ply the streets of Manhattan, assuring the tyre maker a steady stream of business.

6th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Stamford Tyres Bringing Several New Lines to Tyrexpo Asia

Stamford Tyres has been busy this past year. The Singapore based company brought a number of new products to market in 2008, including the Sumo Firenza ST07 range. Initial production began in mid-2008, with new sizes being gradually introduced throughout the rest of the year. The complete range, which covers 13 to 16-inch rim fitments in 60 and 70 series, includes 26 sizes in total. The ST07 features a directional tread pattern that features twin centre grooves for water drainage, and slash sipings intended to reduce noise levels and effect faster water drainage.

6th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors