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Caterpillar Attack Not Threatening Plantation

A widespread outbreak of plant destroying caterpillars has yet to have any impact of Bridgestone Americas’ rubber plantation in Liberia, said the company.

“Firestone Liberia has not been affected to date by the caterpillar plague that is currently making headlines,” said Christina Gaines, director of pubic affairs for the company’s Firestone Diversified Products unit. “Our rubber trees are presently safe from this threat. We have received reports that the caterpillars appear to be attacking banana trees and other food crops. We will continue to work with the Liberian Ministry of Agriculture to monitor this situation.”

The Ministry reported that the outbreak has affected some 400,000 people in more than 100 villages. Reports say that the caterpillars are clogging wells and eating crops including banana, plantain, coffee and cocoa. “Definitely we have a crisis on our hands,” said U.N. Food and Agriculture Representative Winfred Hammond. (Tire Review/Akron)

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Hankook – “Kontrol Technology”

“Kontrol Technology” is Hankook’s technology philosophy, which reflects how the tyre should perfectly control the interaction between the driver, the car and the road while in motion (the ‘K’ stands for kinetic). It is implemented to ensure that Hankook provides the greatest benefits and driving experiences to customers in terms of safety, driving comfort, handling, performance and environmental friendliness.

As well as a Kontrol Technology information booth at Sema, Hankook showcased its new, environmental tyre – enfren – which has completed the Kontrol Technology cycle and was launched in Korea. Hankook is exploring the possibility of a North American version within three years.

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Michelin & Renault Crossing World Together in 2009 Cape-to-Cape

Michelin has been selected by Renault Trucks as exclusive tyre supplier for the upcoming Cape-to-Cape rally. This is the second occasion on which the two companies have together embarked on such an undertaking – in 2005 Michelin and Renault jointly participated in the Silk Road event. The new adventure, which gets underway on 1 March, 2009, will see six Renault Kerax and six Renault Sherpa trucks drive the length of the planet, north to south, on Michelin XZL tyres. The vehicles (and their tyres) will cross 21 countries, covering a total of 30,000 kilometres in extremely challenging conditions, ranging from the icy cold of northern climates to the oppressive heat of the desert and from harsh, rugged terrain to soft, loose ground.

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Nankang Rubber Celebrates its 50th Anniversary

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The predecessor of Nankang Rubber Tire Co. Ltd, Nankang Rubber Plant, was founded in Taipei city, Taiwan in 1945, mainly producing rickshaw tyres, rubber shoes and industrial products. In 1959, the company underwent privatisation and was reorganized as Nankang Rubber Tire Co. Ltd., as it has been for the past 50 years. To meet the growth of business scale, a second plant was established in Shin-Fung, Hsinchu County in 1973. In 1997, the latest plant, Nankang International Co., was finally set up in Zhangjiagang free trade zone, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China, with the highest production capacity of 37,000 pieces a day. This month, as the company reaches the half century mark, Tyres & Accessories looks over the company’s five decades of history.

Back to 50 years ago, when the economic and industrial infrastructure was insufficient, and when the technology and raw material of the rubber industry was not easily accessible, Nankang Rubber Tire Co. had to rely on its own to overcome the challenges in terms of technical procedure, design and facilities.

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Buying in Bulk Enables Star-Tyre to Pass Savings Onto Customers

Over the past several years, tyre distributor Star Group Shanghai Co. Ltd. (Star-Tyre) has experienced rapid growth. The company’s inventory encompasses over twenty-three different popular brands of Chinese tyres, and the company reports it has strategically aligned itself with a number of China’s leading tyre manufacturers – a move Star-Tyre believes has brought about one of its greatest advantages.

The Shanghai headquartered firm operates distribution warehouses in China’s Qingdao, Shanghai, Dalian and Tianjin regions, and keeps considerable stock in its premises, which are located near major international seaports. This gives, says Star-Tyre, the company the opportunity to provide faster and more effective delivery to its clientele in any world destination. The distributor adds that its ability to purchase products in volume affords it a price advantage over competitors – an advantage Star-Tyre says it passes onto its customers in the form of a better purchase price.

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Marangoni MiTo Goes Flat Out

Just a couple of months after its debut at November’s Essen Motor Show, Tyres & Accessories has heard that Marangoni’s souped-up 233 bhp Alfa Romeo MiTo project car recently encountered an altogether more normal problem. Yes, you guessed it, the MiTo’s specialist Mythos tyres decided to suck up a nail. However, all was not lost as company representatives decided to practice what they preach and make use of their own lifetime warranty.

The rogue nail attacked the MiTo’s special “fire red” 18-inch Marangoni Mythos tyres during a recent test drive by a leading consumer press title at Bruntingthorpe Test Ground. Unbeknown to the test drivers, the puncture occurred just one week and only 1,000 miles after this set of tyres had been fitted. The puncture only became apparent when preparing the car for a special press photo shoot.

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Michelin US Recalling Mislabelled Pilot Alpin Tyres

A recall of US market Michelin Pilot Alpin tyres is underway in the US. A total of 784 Pilot Alpin PA2 ZP 225/50R17 94H tyres manufactured between September 17, 2006 and June 14, 2008 are included in the recall. These tyres, reports the NHTSA, fail to conform to US labelling requirements as the “DOT” symbol is not present of the sidewall and therefore the tyre contains no declaration as to its certification.

Michelin will notify owners and replace the noncompliant tyres free of charge, including mounting and balancing. The recall is expected to begin during January.

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Schaeffler Walks Away Without State Aid After Initial Talks

Schaeffler Group and Continental AG walked away empty handed from financial support talks with federal ministers. They also received this advice: a “viable and forward-looking” plan, agreed on with creditors, is “a prerequisite for further negotiations.” According to an earlier Reuters report, Schaeffler Group had “sounded out” the German government about the possibility of 4 billion euros ($5.23 billion) in capital. The Federal talks came after talks with German states, including Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Baden-Wuerttemberg were unsuccessful. For its part Bavaria’s government said only loan guarantees would be considered.

The delegation will have to rethink its approach after German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said taxpayers wouldn’t be funding Schaeffler: “It’s not the job of the state to intervene in cases in which business decisions were possibly not thought through enough,” Steinbrueck Berliner Zeitung.

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PYReco to Build Heat Degradation Tyre Recycler

Tyre recycling firm PYReco plans to build a pioneering £80 million tyre recycling plant in North East England, the first of its kind in Europe. The scheme is underway thanks, in part, to the support of Renew, an organisation tasked with driving a low carbon and sustainability agenda with industry in the region.

The plant will be built at the South Tees Eco Park (STEP) in Tees Valley by 2010. It will use the relatively novel process of pyrolysis, a method of degrading material through heat, to recycle 60,000 tonnes of used tyres a year, the equivalent of 7.5 million tyres, without waste or harmful emissions. It is estimated that plant will create 90 jobs for the region.

Traditionally the uncompromising properties of the material have meant that tyres have been difficult to re-cycle, most often burnt in cement kilns. PYReco’s plant will provide a closed loop recycling route, breaking down used tyres into their component parts capable of being used in the production of brand new units.

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Cabot Chemicals Announces Closures and Layoffs

Specialty chemicals producer Cabot Corporation announced on January 28 that reduced sales have caused its fiscal first-quarter profit to drop 88 per cent versus the previous year. In hand with this news, the company announced it would cut 500 jobs, some 12 per cent of its workforce, as part of a comprehensive restructuring plan.

Net sales of US$652 million were recorded in the first quarter of fiscal 2009, compared with $711 in the first quarter last year. This represents a decline of 8.3 per cent. Net income for the quarter was $4 million, as opposed to $36 million in Q1 2008.

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Conti Names New Interim CFO

Following the announced departure of Dr. Alan Hippe from Continental AG and his appointment as CFO of ThyssenKrupp, the German tyre and automotive component manufacturer has announced a successor to fill Dr. Hippe’s shoes – for the time being. According to the German Press Agency, Continental manager Gérard Cordonnier will take on the job of acting CFO as of March 1. Cordonnier will assume this position in addition to his current role of financial chief of the company’s Interior division. He will not, however, become a member of Conti’s Board.

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Bridgestone Revises 2008 Fiscal Projections Following EC Fine

Following the January 28 European Commission decision regarding the international marine hose cartel, Bridgestone has once more revised its consolidated financial projections for the 2008 fiscal year. The company anticipates net sales of 3,250 billion yen (£25.5 billion), an amount unchanged since it last revised its projections on December 22, 2008 and 170 billion yen (£1.3 billion) less than the company’s original 2008 year projection, announced on August 8, 2008. Operating income, at 118 billion yen (£926.7 million) and ordinary income of 64 billion yen (£502.6 million) also remain the same as the December 22 projection. Net income, however, is now projected to be 7.5 billion yen (£58.9 million), a reduction of 4.5 billion yen (£35.3 million) or 35 per cent from the December revisions. Last August the tyre major had anticipated net income of 66 billion yen (£518.3 million).

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Protyre to Supply BFGoodrich Rally Tyres in UK

Protyre Motorsport has followed up news of its agreement to supply Michelin track tyres in the UK and Ireland with the announcement of a new deal to supply BFGoodrich rally tyres to competitors in the UK. The range of tyres to be provided by Protyre Motorsport includes dry weather asphalt tyres which deliver both consistency and versatility; gravel tyres for the three categories of loose surface rallies with tyres that offer soft, medium and hard compound; and snow tyres for all the winter fixtures. Protyre Motorsport will also provide service, support and advice for competitors at key rallies in the UK during 2009.

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Kumho Tires Begin 2009 With Motorsport Triumphs

Kumho Tires’ motorsport season started off on the right footing following a win at the opening round of the 2009 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and its highest ever rank at the Dakar Rally.

Eugene Donelly, driving a Skoda equipped with Kumho rally tyres, competed in the A8 class (Over 2000cc, Group A) finishing in first place in the initial round of the Irish Rally, held in Galway on the weekend of 16-18 January. In addition to Donelly, three other vehicles equipped with Kumho rubber ranked first and second in N4 Class (fifth and sixth overall), and first in A7 Class (seventh overall) among 139 vehicles.

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Michelin Installing Europe’s Largest Photovoltaic Roof

Michelin will soon be the proud owner of Europe’s largest photovoltaic roof panel installation – the company plans to fit more than 147,000 square metres of solar panels on the roof of its facility in Cuneo, Italy. With annual production of nearly 10 million kWh, the panels will provide electricity for 2,000 inhabitants while reducing the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere by 1,200 tonnes a year. The photovoltaic power plant is scheduled to be operational in early 2010. It will be developed and operated by Frey Nouvelles Energies, a company that produces electrical power from renewable energy sources.

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