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Dunlop says that business is booming at its Fort Dunlop motorsport factory. Currently the plant is turning out 200,000 bespoke racing car and motorcycle tyres per annum, and victories achieved on the factory’s tyres, including last year’s Le Man and Isle of Man TT, mean that the 300 staff at Fort Dunlop are being kept very busy indeed.
In addition to its sale of 5.48 per cent of its share in Continental AG to Sal. Oppenheim, the Schaeffler Group has sold a 3.99 per cent parcel of shares to the German private bank B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. In a January 5 regulatory filing, Continental said the amount of its voting rights held by Schaeffler had thus fallen from more than 20 per cent to 15.2 per cent.
At last October’s Intermot show in Cologne, Germany, Pirelli displayed a prototype of a new tyre that was, to say the least, eye-catching. Called the Angel ST, the resplendent tyre at the exhibition was shown off complete with a unique tread design featuring angel or devil patterns. At the time, Pirelli product manager Federico Bodini explained that the tyre maker had utilised angels and demons in the tread pattern as “it translates how the consumer wants to use their motorcycle.”
North Carolina, US based company American Tire Distributors has purchased California based Am-Pac Tire Distributors through a stock purchase deal. The acquisition, announced in December, is said to bring together two former competitors in a way that strengthens American Tire’s geographical distribution and builds upon its existing marketing through Am-Pac’s ‘Tire Pros’ franchise programme.
American Tire bought Am-Pac from Itochu Corporation. The Tokyo, Japan-based conglomerate had owned Am-Pac since 1999. Itochu also owns leading UK tyre distribution business, Stapleton’s.
According to an article published on the website of Rockford, Illinois based CBS television affiliate WIFR, Titan Tire has commented that “when the fall hit, things sort of ground to a halt.” The market downturn caught up with the company late last year, and the company responded by laying off 83 employees, about 14 per cent of the workforce at its Freeport, Illinois plant. Titan at this time also instigated a six-week on/two-week off operating schedule.
A book on Microcylcus uleï, the parasite fungus attacking South America’s rubber trees, has just been published by the International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRDB) and the Common Fund for Commodities. It has been compiled following the international work group that was organised at Michelin’s Bahia Plantation in Brazil from November 26 to December 2, 2007. The book lists what is known about the disease and how to fight it.
Thorite recently launched a new tyre inflation product. The new Portatyre portable inflator is priced at £59.95+VAT and provides a light-weight source of compressed air. Portatyre means tyres can be checked and inflated anywhere on the forecourt and comprises a 24 litre capacity compressed air tank, inflator gun with pressure gauge, coiled air hose and couplings. The new Portatyre portable tyre inflator is available from the Thorite webstore, from any of the company’s nine regional Sales and Service Centre’s throughout Yorkshire, Lancashire and the North East, or for next day delivery from Thorite’s National Distribution Centre.
The wholly owned Accuride Corporation subsidiary, Imperial Group, L.P., has sold the assets at its facility in Anniston, Alabama to the sole customer for products manufactured there, North American Bus Industries (NABI). Prior to the asset sale, Imperial Group had produced bus frames and certain components related to the bus frames for NABI at the Anniston facility, as well as supplying NABI with bus chassis and other components from its Portland, Tennessee, plant. Accuride says that Imperial Group will continue to supply bus chassis and other components to NABI from the Portland facility.
Schrader-Bridgeport International, Inc. has launched a new “AirAware Learn and Test Tool Kit” that includes an OBD adapter designed for Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, and Kia Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS). The new Learn and Test Tool Kit includes a Learn and Test Tool (21220) and OBD Connector Assembly (21225), which captures TPMS sensor ID’s, and programs them directly to the vehicle. The kit works as both a scan tool and a TPMS tool, and eliminates the need for separate OE or aftermarket scan tools for these vehicles.
The new kit is currently compatible with Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia models, with plans to add Acura, Lexus, Infiniti, Honda, Subaru and Mitsubishi compatibility in the near future.
Equity Investment company One Equity Partners has agreed to pay $150 million to acquire the remaining 66.75 per cent stake in Columbian Chemicals Holding LLC that it does not already own. Columbian Chemicals, based in the US state of Georgia, manufactures carbon black for use in tyres and plastic products.
Bike Tyrestore is once again exhibiting at the Motorcycle Trade Expo at Birmingham’s NEC on 18 -20 January. Company managing director, Peter Smith, told Tyres & Accessories that the company is confident it can repeat last year’s successful growth in sales to the motorcycle tyre trade in 2009. On show with its major partners, Bridgestone, Michelin and Sava, BTS will be demonstrating “YOUR Online Warehouse”, the company’s on-line enquiry and order service and Customer Loyalty Rewards programme “Moto-Vate”, which has just concluded a unique deal with the Ron Haslam Race School. BTS won “Best Trade Service” award last year and is known for having the friendliest Customer Service Team in the business.
Local news sources have reported that criminals using a blue Ford Fiesta drove through the shutters of Trojan Tyres on Oxford Street in Hull, causing £5,000-worth of damage. It is not known why the secure compound was targeted, as a preliminary search of the site has revealed that nothing is missing.
Pelmar Engineering has announced that it is to hold its annual conference in Hamburg, Germany this year. The company is holding its conference alongside Tire Technology Expo 2009. According to a statement on the matter, the 2009 conference is the first time that the event will be held outside of Israel. “The main reasons are the vast international expansion and the increased sales and engineering contracts signed in Europe,” the statement explained.
Pirelli Motorcycle Tire of North America has announced that Innovative Motorcycle Research – the company’s official distributor for road racing tyres in the North East USA – will expand its road race distribution region to the 21 states on the US East Coast. The company will work in partnership with four sub-vendors in the 2009 racing season.
Pelmar Engineering has appointed a new Managing Director for Pelmar LLC, USA; Mr. Armond Boyes. Mr. Boyes has a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Akron and has worked for Goodyear for over 22 years where he eventually became the General Manager of Retreading, responsible for the complete operation in North America. Mr. Boyes intends to expand & strengthen Pelmar’s position in the Northern and Southern American markets, as well as use his extensive experience to promote retreading activities. “It is a great pleasure to be a part of the Pelmar team and I hope to be able to make a difference” he said.
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