Tyre industry professionals need to know what the latest product developments are. Look no further than the Tyrepress.com product news tag,
Grimsby based marine hose manufacturer Dunlop Oil & Marine has agreed to plead guilty to taking part in a scheme to fix prices and rig bids. The US Justice Department says the company has also agreed to pay a $4.54 million fine for its wrongdoings.
This please follows previous charges handed out to executives in the UK and several other countries. Three British businessmen were sentenced to imprisonment.
Stamford Tyres of Singapore has told Asian news sources that it expects to record a loss in its second quarter ending 31 October, 2008. The company said that the losses were a result of currencies in Australia, South Africa, Indonesia and India weakening against the American dollar in October. It says that the losses are not related to speculative hedging instruments. The firm still expects to post a profit for the first half of its financial year.
Following October’s report that construction work on Kumho’s Georgia, US factory was being delayed due to the global economic downturn and reduced automotive industry output, media sources continue to indicate a postponement, but not a cancellation, of the factory’s completion.
A full product range should include something for every requirement and budget, and Rema Tip Top reports that its workshop equipment line-up includes run-flat solutions spanning the spectrum from entry level to high end solutions that will keep even the most demanding workshop happy.
The Butler Topline tyre changer is a superb introductory machine, reports Rema Tip Top. It adds that this unit represents an intelligent evolution to the award winning Airdraulic and Aircombi tyre changers. One of the new standard features on the Topline is the ‘safety belt’, which has been developed to reduce the mounting stress particularly whilst fitting low profile, UHP and self supporting tyres, thus preventing damage to any part of the tyre or rim.
John Bean and Hofmann, brands within Snap-on Equipment, have unveiled their new cabinet designs and equipment overhauls for the company’s ranges of wheel aligners, balancers and tyre changers. Hofmann has redesigned its high specification monty 3300 racing tyre changer, in order to allow it to handle run-flat and ultra high profile (UHP) tyres, while the John Bean range of aligners now features ergonomically designed cabinet fittings.
Continental Tire North America’s General Grabber HTS has earned the top rating among light truck/SUV all-season tyres in a recent Tire Rack track test. According to CTNA, the Tire Rack testers ran the tyres – size 255/55R18 – against competing lines on a 2006 Porsche Cayenne, reporting that “ride quality, road handling and driver feel were first rate on the HTS stating,” CTNA said.
“We are very pleased that a General brand tire performed so well in Tire Rack’s testing,” said Travis Roffler, CTNA’s director of marketing. “The Grabber HTS test results are just one more example of how well this stellar product line performs, and the level of quality that has been placed into all General tyres.” (Tire Review/Akron)
Production is being cut back at Continental’s three German tyre production plants. From December 4 until early January no truck tyres will be manufactured at the company’s Hannover-Stöcken facility, and other production adjustments will take place at this and the Conti factories in Korbach and Aachen.
Goodyear Dunlop UK is today (1 December 2008) increasing the cost of its two premium tyre brands by 5.1 per cent for Goodyear and 5.7 per cent for Dunlop. According to the company the move comes as a result of the recent “accelerated devaluation of the British pound versus both the euro and US dollar.” The British pound has fallen -17 per cent and -27 per cent against the euro and US dollar respectively since Autumn 2007. Recently this devaluation has accelerated and since 1 October 2008 sterling has lost 6 per cent of its value compared with the euro and -17 per cent against the US dollar. The company representatives Tyres & Accessories spoke to wouldn’t comment on the possibility of further increases, but simply said they are closely monitoring market conditions.
The youngest competitor ever to enter the UK round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Wales Rally GB, will use Yokohama tyres at this year’s event. Welsh teenager Tom Cave, who turned 17 just 18 days before the rally begins, recently carried out a two-day test using Yokohama tyres on his Group N Ford Fiesta ST and will be competing on the Japanese brand’s rubber at the WRC finale in December.
Cave has already made an impression on the rallying world; he has been rallying in Latvia for two years and is the inspiration for the Junior Rallying scheme to develop the next generation of British rally drivers. Latvia was chosen as it allows drivers from the age of 14 to compete in genuine rallies, the RallySprint and the National championships.
Michelin has taken its “Fill up with Air” roadshow throughout the UK and Ireland, checking and adjusting drivers’ tyre pressures in a campaign intended to highlight the potential safety benefits, fuel savings and reduced emissions that are directly related to having the car’s tyre pressures correctly set. A disturbing statistic to emerge from the roadshow is, says Michelin, that more than 60 per cent of cars on British roads are running with incorrect tyre pressure; 35 per cent have dangerously under-inflated tyres.
Seeing the positive in the current global economic doom and gloom, the organiser of next March’s Tyrexpo Asia says the exhibition is ready to act as an international tyre forum that will serve to help businesses weather the credit-crunch by introducing cash-conscious buyers to volume-chasing suppliers and manufacturers.
With tyre and equipment businesses under pressure around the world from falling automotive sales and low consumer confidence, ECI International believes the stage is set for the exhibition to deliver much-needed vitality and innovation into the global market. “Every business is looking at its costs and margins, so the opportunity to meet new suppliers and distributors who can help achieve efficiencies has never been more important,” said ECI’s Paul Farrant.
With decidedly chilly weather on offer throughout parts of the country, a great many motorists have been pondering the ability of their car battery to last them through a trouble-free winter. Johnson Controls says there are a number of measures drivers can take to check that the battery is up to the job of getting the car started in the sub-zero temperatures we can expect to avoid what has become known as winter battery strain:
Axle Group Holdings Ltd has published the appointment of Peter Harries as group executive director. Harries’ principal role will be “to develop and implement purchasing strategy to maximise growth and strengthen supplier relationships for the group, which includes National Tyres and Autocare, National Fleet and Viking International.”
Production output at Continental AG will reportedly be reduced at the end of this year following cuts in production at most German vehicle manufacturers. According to Continental spokeswoman Antje Lewe, in the next few weeks the company will be “looking at each location individually” before deciding how long to curb production or at which facilities.
We have been hearing a lot about the G8 group of countries recently, but this article is concerned with another G8 – G8 International FZE, a trading company established in the Sharjah free trade zone of the UAE.
Originally, the purpose of G8 was to procure various raw materials for the automobile tyre and tube industry in India and other parts of the world, but the scope of the business has expanded somewhat. As well as offering a range of synthetic and natural rubber, sourced mainly from Russia and India, G8’s products include five types of carbon black, chemicals used in tyre manufacturing, such as zinc oxide, sulphur and stearic acid among others and a range of tube valves. G8 also trades in metals, minerals (rock phosphate), fertilisers and commodities such as sugar.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
