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Nokian Begins Job Cut Talks

Nokian Tyres has today begun new statutory negotiations in order to adjust operations and to cut personnel by approximately 450 people at its Nokia factory in Finland, due to the decreased demand for tyres. The agenda of the negotiations includes a plan to change the working model of the car tyre production from the current continuous three-shift/seven days work to the discontinued three-shift/five days operations and to re-organise operations. This would result in the annual production capacity at the Nokia factory to fall from the current 6 million or so tyres to around 4.5 million tyres in 2009.

The discontinued three-shift work and the re-organisation measures would create a need to cut personnel by some 450 people, of which approximately 100 would be white-collar personnel. The aim is to carry out part of the personnel cuts by pension arrangements and other voluntary solutions.
The new factory working model and re-organisations would reduce Nokian Tyres’ costs in Nokia by around 30 million euros.

9th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Advan Sport Chosen as OE for Nissan 370Z

Yokohama Rubber has announced its flagship Advan tyre has been selected as OE for the Nissan 370Z in various world markets. The Advan Sport in size 225/50R18 95W for the front and 245/45R18 96W for the rear will be fitted; vehicles equipped with the tyres were released in Japan on December 1, 2008, and will be gradually introduced into the global market. For the North American market, however, the car will be supplied with Bridgestone Potenza RE50A tyres, Bridgestone announced in November.

9th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Vintage Appoints New Member of Export Department

Vintage Tyres has added a new member of staff to its expanding export department. Muriel Colange has a long history on the European classic car scene, having worked for various specialist parts distributors across France, as well as spending time working for a Lotus car distributor, where she participated as an active member of its racing team.

As befits the staff of the company, which supplies specialist tyres to classic cars, Colange possesses a great interest in and passion for cars. She has two early-model Minis and is president of the French Mini Owners Club. With a diploma in automotive commerce and marketing, she will specialise in the European development of the Vintage name. Vintage is based at The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire.

9th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

No Going Back

In 2008 the Ultra High Performance tyre market experienced changes unlike any year before it; and as a result will, never be the same again, Sentaida USA general manager Don Mathis recently told Tyres & Accessories

“UHP aftermarket sales have been the main and nearly only, shining star in the tyre business for the last eight to 10 years. The margins and growth have surpassed nearly every other segment of the market,” he explained. However, this year has also been unlike any other in Mathis’s 36 years of experience. His thinking is that the unique combination of surplus capacity in UHP factories, the early year surge in the raw material costs, a mid-year surge in fuel cost, and the credit crunch halting new car sales and taking aftermarket wheel sales with them means the market has hit a watershed.

His advice? “Reduce your UHP stock to bare minimum. I think it is really ugly now, and is going to get worse. Clear out old, high priced stock, so money can re-circulate. Take whatever loss there is now. Get it over with, as it will only get worse in 2009. Buy smart for the future with an emphasis on value in the popular passenger car sizes.” For more overview on US market sales see January’s issue of Tyres & Accessories.

9th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

6 HSE Tyre Handling Workshops Planned for 2009

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), working with the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) and the British Tyre Manufacturers Association (BTMA), is running a series of workshops designed to draw attention to the dangers of handling tyres. The nationwide series of workshops are being held at venues across the country from January and March 2009.

NTDA director Richard Edy said: “NTDA research shows that back injuries caused by lifting tyres incorrectly are responsible for a huge number of lost man-hours in our sector and we are delighted to be working with the HSE to highlight the dangers to the trade.”

9th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

HiQ Names Three More Franchisees

HiQ has attracted three new partners in its national franchise programme. HiQ now boasts more than 140 centres across Britain, having secured Alister McGill, who will take over the company’s Alnwick, Berwick and Sunderland outlets, adding to his existing Blyth and Gateshead centres. Gary Thomson will take on the Exeter, Bath, Honiton and Weston Super Mare stores with four experienced partners. Meanwhile, Phil Godfrey has added HiQ’s Banbury store to his Abingdon and Carterton businesses.

According to the company the latest announcement means HiQ’s national franchise plan is now more than half full, with all remaining partners to be announced in the coming months.

9th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

No Control Tyre for Australian Rally Championship in 2009

The Australian Rally Championship will be raced without a control tyre in 2009. The announcement that the upcoming season wouldn’t see the introduction of such a measure was made on December 6, following ongoing consultation between the Australian Rally Commission (ARCom) and tyre manufacturers during the course of 2008. The ARCom eventually decided the overall interests of the championship would be best served by continuing to work with the tyre companies throughout 2009 to ensure tyre parity between Group N and the lighter Super 2000 vehicles. The option remains, however, for the introduction of a control tyre at a later time.

8th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Marangoni MiTo M430 to get UK Debut at Autosport

Marongoni Tyre has announced that it will be showing its latest ‘tuned’ project car, the 220bhp Marangoni Alfa Romeo MiTo M430, at January’s Autosport Show in Birmingham. Once again, Marangoni are the first to debut a uniquely designed and tuned example of a newly released Italian car, following the success of the recently tuned Fiat 500. The M430 project, which features “fire red” tyres follows hot on the heels of the car’s Italian release on 12 September.

According to the company, coverage of the M430 has been “swift and expansive,” ranging from specialist tuning magazines such as Fast Car, to the mass market car titles like Top Gear, Evo, Auto Trader and Auto Express. Predominantly web-based, the coverage is set to continue across many more publications in print, confirming that this project car will be the talk of the industry for some time to come.

8th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Lockout Declared at Factory Outsourced to Apollo Tyres

Apollo Tyres gave word on December 6 that a plant owned by PTL Enterprises that produces tyres exclusively for Apollo entered a lockout situation as of 2am December 6. Tension between workers and employers at the Kalamassery based factory, in India’s Kerala state, has been uneasy for some time. According to Apollo, for the past few months “workmen have been resisting management efforts to increase efficiency and bring down costs, during these times of economic stress and demand slowdown.”

8th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

US Government Likely to Support Automaker Rescue

Outgoing president George Bush’s administration has reportedly reached a tentative agreement with democratic leaders to help carmakers GM and Chrysler stay afloat. The announcement follows the news that 533,000 jobs were lost in November and president-elect Obama’s announcement of the US’s biggest infrastructure investment since the US highway system in the 1950s. Obama has not to put a full cost on his plan advisers estimate it will be over $700 billion (£477 billion) and could even top to $1 trillion.

Deutsche Bank analysts suggested the LTFVUSA Act (Long term Financial Viability of US Automakers) would be comprised of two rounds of financing: “Short term bridge financing that would carry the automakers through 31 March and longer term funding that would be predicated on the plans for long term viability, which will be assessed by an auto industry financial viability advisor.” The effect the latest plans will have on declining OE tyre orders is far from clear.

8th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Alliance Tire USA Names Two Key Positions

Alliance Tire USA has appointed James Tuschner to the role of marketing director and Michael Aguon territory manager for the company’s eastern region.

“He (Tuschner) is helping us establish a new warehouse in the United States, create new strategies with innovative dealers, and distributors and broaden Alliance’s footprint in North America,” said Alliance Tire USA president Manny Cicero. Prior to joining Alliance Tuschner held a marketing role with Denman Tire Corporation.

8th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Returns to Autosport

As 2008 draws to a close, Tyres & Accessories is looking forward to who will be exhibiting what at the 2009 Aftermarket/Autosport show. Arguably the biggest news is that Toyo is returning to the 2009 show, which will run from 8 – 11 January at the NEC in Birmingham, after having stepped back from it in 2008. Toyo Tire has booked a 120 square metre stand at Autosport 2009, and will be exhibiting road going, track day, slick and drag tyres.

According to the company Toyo will be showcasing a “fantastic range of tyres” in front of over 84,000 visitors, including over 28,000 trade buyers and over 800 companies involved in the business of motorsport and related industries. Toyo’s thinking is that, with this number and range of participants, the “it just wouldn’t be the same” without them. Visitors will also have the chance to win a set of the renowned Proxes R888 road legal track tyres.

8th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Trelleborg Reiterates Long-Term Strategic Approach

In preparation for the its Capital Markets Day, held in early December, Trelleborg reiterated the company’s long-term strategic approach, which it says is currently focused on cash flow and adjustments to the prevailing market situation. “We have an increasingly focused and profitable operation within large segments of our business, and we are convinced that we will emerge strengthened from the slowdown that we are currently experiencing in many markets,” said Trelleborg CEO Peter Nilsson.”

8th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Biogas-Powered World Record Set on Dunlop Rubber

Achieving speeds of 327.5 km/h (204.7 mph), the Hohenester-tuned biogas Audi A4 Quattro equipped with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT tyres has set a new world speed record. The TÜV Rheinland-organized record attempt took place at the proving ground in Papenburg, Germany, and demonstrates the performance abilities of climate neutral fuels.

In breaking high-speed record Hohenester used biogas extracted from field grass. With an octane number between 120 and 140 ROZ the alternative fuel offers higher numbers than conventional fuels. “High speed tuning and ecological aspects don’t have to exclude each other,” believes the record-breaking driver, Jürgen Hohenester. “This Audi A4 is a prototype, which proves how powerful these new fuel technologies can be already today.”

8th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Man Steals Police Car to Sell Tyres

A Mexican man’s risky venture to secure a set of tyres has landed him in a spot of trouble, reports the Agence France-Presse news agency. Alejandro Juarez spotted a police car sitting tantalisingly unoccupied in the town of Aguascalientes….and once Mr. Juarez’ eyes locked onto the car, it didn’t remain unoccupied for very long. “When I found the car and I saw it had the key in the ignition, well, I just got in,” Juarez admitted.

And the reason for this unlikely theft? “I was thinking about taking off the tyres so I could sell them,” he said. “But then I was thinking first I would take it for a spin – and then bam, I got a bit distracted and crashed.” Following the car’s sudden stop – against a rubbish dumpsters – Mr. Juarez was taken into police custody.

8th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors