Product News Archives - Page 108 of 260 - Tyrepress

Tyre industry professionals need to know what the latest product developments are. Look no further than the Tyrepress.com product news tag,

Posts

Free Tyres Offered to Lure Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Competitors

Motorsport is admittedly not the cheapest of pastimes, but at least competitors taking part in this year’s Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship will not have so many worries about tyre costs. Pirelli, in conjunction with the Association of National Championship Rally Organisers (ANCRO) has announced that all registered competitors will be eligible to receive four brand new Pirelli tyres, completely free of charge. This decision has been taken, say the organisers, in a bid to tempt competitors to contest the eight-round national series.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Gives Visitors The Needle

Visitors to the Dunlop Stand could take away a permanent reminder of the Sema show, as the tyre manufacturer was offering what was surely one of the more bizarre attractions of any exhibition – a tattooing service.

On the tyre side, a great deal of interest was generated by Dunlop’s latest uhp summer tyre, the Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec. Described as “the tyre for hard-core driving enthusiasts and car club members”, the new tyre features a special compound, Dunlop Jointless Band Technology and a high-response directional tread pattern with circumferential grooves. These elements help improve grip, create a consistent contact patch and maintain the tyre’s structural integrity at high speeds.

The Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec is available in 20 sizes for fitment to most of today’s most popular amateur motorsports vehicle choices. Rim sizes are from 15″ to 18″, aspect ratios from 55 series down to 35 and the tyre is V- and W-speed rated

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

‘Ledbetter’ Discrimination Bill Almost Ready for Obama’s Approval

A piece of legislation stemming from a pay dispute involving Goodyear was passed by the US Senate on January 22. It now only needs approval from the House of Representatives before it reaches Barack Obama’s desk for signing.

The Senate passed the bill after a 61-36 vote, and an article posted on the White House blog on Sunday indicates the president supports it. The bill could well become the first that President Obama signs into law. If so, it will overturn a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that said former Goodyear supervisor Lilly Ledbetter could not sue for wage discrimination after being paid less than male employees performing the same job as she had not filed her suit within 180 days after the company first acted in discriminatory manner. The legislation will instead allow aggrieved workers to sue after the most recent discriminatory payment received, not the first one.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Schaeffler Seizes Control of Conti Board

Schaeffler Group seized control of Continental AG’s supervisory board on 24 January. The Emergency General Meeting (EGM) held at the weekend concluded with chairman Hubertus von Gruenberg stepping down, reportedly to be replaced by Rolf Koerfer, a long-term Schaeffler Group legal aid and partner at Dusseldorf- based law firm Allen & Overy. At the same time, the ball bearing maker was able to negotiate the nomination of group owners Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler and Georg Schaeffler, not to mention company CEO Dr. Jürgen M. Geißinger to the Conti board.

This shift in the balance of power led to the supervisory board “taking note” of Conti executives’ suggestion to “initiate a process to create an organizationally and legally independent Rubber Group.” In Schaeffler’s words, to “carve out” the rubber group into a separate entity. According to the company, this process will be overseen by the current (but apparently outgoing) chairman of the supervisory board, Hubertus von Grünberg. So while von Grünberg “wants to make his chairmanship available at short notice” he will continue to be a member of the supervisory board.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dr. Hippe’s Departure from Continental Announced

Continental AG has officially confirmed media reports surrounding the future of Dr. Alan Hippe. According to a press release issued following the company’s January 24 Supervisory Board meeting, Hippe, who is currently chairman of the Executive Board, CFO and head of Conti’s Rubber Group, will leave Continental AG as of February 28. Continental says the decision on Dr. Hippe’s departure is a mutually agreed one, and his successor will be appointed in the coming weeks.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Kesoram Industries Rords Drop in Net Profit

Indian tyre manufacturer, Kesoram Industries has carded a 63.55 per cent reduction in net profit over the final quarter of 2008, finishing at 391.5 million rupees (5.8 million pounds sterling). The company has declared a suspension of work between 17 and 31 January to deal with the general market stagnation, an action first taken between 17 and 31 December , 2008, reports India’s Business Standard.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear South Africa MD Announces Retirement

After more than three decades in the industry the managing director of Goodyear South Africa is to retire. Derek de Villiers, 61, will be replaced in April by current Dunlop Germany managing director Jean-Jacques Wiroth.

The appointment was announced by Goodyear’s Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region president Michel Rzonzef. “Derek has been a strong leader for many years, both in South Africa and the Middle East. He is highly regarded by his peers both inside and outside the company. We thank him for his very considerable contributions,” said Rzonzef, paying tribute to de Villers’ 34 years with the company.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Kisby’s Easy Autocentres Acquires 27 HiQ Outlets

A number of HiQ fast fit premises have been taken over by Chris Kisby’s Easy Autocentres. A total of 27 centres are included in the deal, including the company’s flagship Nottingham outlet. Following the acquisition from Goodyear Dunlop, Easy Autocentres is set to become one of the Midland region’s largest fast fit operators, with a turnover of around £10 million.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Achieves ISO Certification in Hungary

Hankook Tire has announced that its European facility, located in Rácalmás, near Dunaújváros, Hungary, has achieved full ISO-certification. The certification attained by the plant includes both the factory’s Quality Management System, certified according to ISO/TS 16949:2002 as well as its Environmental Management System certification according to EN ISO 14001:2004. The plant’s 1,200 employees, adds Hankook, are now producing a daily capacity of 15,000 tyres (5 million per annum), and manufacturing over 300 different sizes for European passenger cars, SUVs and light trucks.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Opens New Thailand Test Track

January 22 marked the official opening of Bridgestone’s all-new proving ground in Thailand. It is less than two years since Thai Bridgestone Co. Ltd received official from the Thailand Board of Investment to go ahead with construction at the site in Ayutthaya, some 70 kilometres north of Bangkok, and in that time a range of facilities have been built on the 53 hectare site. Amenities include a 3.3 kilometre oval track and a 5-hectare site for testing control, balancing and handling. A wet performance section and a surface course featuring road conditions encountered in various locations around the world has also been constructed to facilitate the development and testing of tyres for other markets.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

OTR Tyres Orders ‘Pneu’ Data Capture System

OTR Tyres a leading international earthmover tyre specialist has integrated an RFID-based data capture system into their tyre management system – TotalTyreLogic. According to the company, this is the world’s first commercially available, fully electronic, inspection and tyre management system.

The data capture system has been developed in partnership with Derbyshire based Pneu-Logic and is reportedly the first part of a multi-phase technology programme planned between OTR and Pneu-Logic. It involves using a handheld device to electronically capture and transmit tyre pressure and tread depth and wirelessly input it into OTR’s TyreLogic tyre management system.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Is Schaeffler Seeking Complete Control of Conti?

Speculation is mounting that Schaeffler Group executives are positioning themselves for a complete takeover of Continental AG. Following the ball-bearing maker’s successful bid for just under half the company, Schaeffler Group, is now responsible for 11 billion euros ($14.3 billion) of debt relating to the deal. However, the increasing negative global economic climate, especially with relation to the automotive supply business has led some observers to characterise Schaeffler as being backed into a corner. According to Bloomberg, “Schaeffler has one way out: gaining full control of Europe’s second-largest car-parts maker.”

Continental will now hold an emergency supervisory board meeting on 24 January (tomorrow), a gathering that has been arranged in the wake of Schaeffler’s reported demands for the resignation of Continental supervisory board chairman Hubertus von Gruenberg. According to the Financial Times this threat was delivered alongside an ultimatum – either Continental forces out von Gruenberg and gives Schaeffler representatives four seats on the board or the ball bearing member will push for the replacement of all 20 investor representatives on the 20-member board.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

PCR & LTR Production to End at Bridgestone LaVergne Plant

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) has made was it calls “a difficult decision”. On January 22 the Bridgestone Americas unit announced that, in light of negative economic conditions, it will cease the manufacture of passenger car and light truck tyres at its factory in LaVergne, Tennessee. This sombre news follows a December 1, 2008 notification that 148 hourly and 10 salaried positions were being eliminated at the facility.

“Based on current economic forecasts, it appears that the global economic crisis is going to get worse before it gets better. We are not immune from these challenging times,” said Steve Brooks, president, US, Canada and Monterrey Manufacturing Group, BATO.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Construction of Kumho US Plant to Start This Year

Following a delay attributed to the economic slowdown, construction work on Kumho Tire’s new factory in the US state of Georgia is tentatively set to begin before the end of 2009. If work proceeds according to this schedule, the factory should be producing tyres in 2011, slightly more than a year after originally anticipated.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Sibur to Buy $600M of Amtel-Vredestein Debt

On January 22 Amtel-Vredestein N.V. reported its postponement of the general meeting of shareholders planned for the second half of the month. This decision was taken, the company discloses, because it is not yet “in a position to submit a decision on the disposal of its subsidiary Vredestein Banden B.V. to the general meeting for approval”. Amtel-Vredestein says plans regarding the subsidiary’s disposal are continuing, however it admits the sale process “may be impacted by certain legal actions taken by creditors of the company”. In a press statement, the company says it intends to conclude the sale process as soon as possible, thereby offering maximum value to all stakeholders. This is, admittedly, a best-case scenario; the statement contains the caveat that there can be no certainty of the successful sale of Vredestein Banden B.V.

23rd January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors