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Prison an Option for Tyre Dumping Threesome

Tyre dumping doesn’t pay, especially the dumping of 175,883 tyres and 290 tonnes of tyre wire. This is the total quantity illegally disposed of by a Welsh trio, who are now each facing up to five years in prison and a substantial fine for their illicit deeds. The South Wales Echo reports that Geraint Evans, 52, his partner Marilyn Hanks, 36, and accomplice Norman Cassidy face jail and an ‘unlimited’ fine after admitting to various charges at Cardiff Crown Court on November 6.

A six-month, cross-border environment agencies investigation revealed the three dumpers had dispatched waste tyre product to four sites in Wales and England. The dumped tyres had been collected from garages and then stored in rented warehouses before being ‘released into the wild’, and Environment Agency Wales believes the illegal scheme way have netted the trio about £115,000.

10th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Results Reflect Current World Economy

Pirelli’s released results for the first nine months of 2008 show a company affected by the international crisis. According to the company, during the course of the first nine months of the year the tyre market registered increasing weakness due to a combination of factors. In volume terms, the replacement channel, which determines most of Pirelli’s tyre sales, was affected by a reduction in consumer and industrial segment demand, especially in Western markets. The original equipment channel, says the company, was hurt by the strong contraction of new car sales, especially in Western Europe (10 per cent in the third quarter, 5 per cent in the first nine months compared with 2007) and in North America (15 per cent in the third quarter, 11 per cent in the first nine months compared with 2007).

10th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Reports Q3 Net Loss

Cooper Tire & Rubber has reported a net loss of US$55 million, or 94 cents per share, for the financial quarter that ended September 30, 2008. This result contrasts markedly from the company’s result for the same period in 2007, in which it recorded a net profit of $30.2 million. The company says its results were pressured by unprecedented raw material cost increases, higher utility costs, and production curtailments due to raw material shortages caused by hurricanes in the Gulf Coast region.

10th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Ceat Sri Lanka to Make Most of Lower Rubber Prices

Ceat Sri Lanka, the joint venture company established by Ceat India, Associated Motor Ways and Kelani Tyres, will take advantage of declining world rubber prices to strengthen its position in the local car and truck tyre market. The company’s managing director, Rohan Fernando, said that “the global financial crisis has reduced global tyre consumption. Therefore, international rubber prices have also come down in view of the current financial crisis during the last few months.” With cheaper prices for the material that accounts for 40 per cent of a tyre’s construction, Ceat’s production costs are expected to drop.

10th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Fit Tyres to New Subaru

Subaru has chosen Dunlop for OE supplier to its 2008 Impreza WRX STi. The car will use the tyre maker’s SP Sport 01 in the size 235/45R17 94W.

Frédéric Schilling, brand director of Dunlop Europe, Middle East and Africa was pleased with Subaru’s decision: “Dunlop, with its long motorsport heritage and experience, is the ideal fitment for the Subaru Impreza WRX STI which is built upon a successful rally car heritage. The STI is more than a car, it’s a culture. From the very beginning the Dunlop SP Sport 01 has been developed with leading partners in the automotive industry to comply with the very latest vehicle design and construction. And, last but not least, its development draws on many Dunlop motorsport successes,” he continued.

10th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Maxxis Trucks Features in Off-Road Racing Game

The Maxxis brand features in the new Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 computer game Baja: Edge of Control, adorning the trucks of off-road racers depicted within the game. The game was developed by 2XL Games Inc. and is published by THQ.

With 1,000 miles of drive-to-horizon landscape, the game attempts to capture the intense action and atmosphere of off-road racing events such as the annual Baja 1,000 and features trucks belonging to Pete Sohren and the McMullen & Bell team. Players must build their own vehicles and attempt to conquer harsh desert terrain, including towering mountains and steep cliffs. Just like the drivers who compete in off-road sports, they vie for sponsorship based on their results and work with an advanced support system that includes helicopter and truck crews.

10th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Smithers Names Polovick VP Human Resources

Michael J. Polovick has joined The Smithers Group based in Akron as vice president of human resources, a newly created position, responsible for overseeing HR activities at all of the Group’s member companies worldwide. Polovick brings more than 30 years’ experience as an HR professional.

10th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

ATS Euromaster Wins Lloyd’s TSB Autolease ‘Conquest’ Deal

ATS Euromaster has gained the Lloyds TSB Autolease tyre supplier contract, the UK’s second largest hire fleet in the car and van sector. The new three year agreement sees Lloyds TSB Autolease adopt a completely new tyre policy with Michelin tyres being fitted as replacements across its fleet. These will be fitted predominantly through ATS Euromaster’s nationwide network of 470 service centres and fleet of mobile service vehicles, which can be booked to fit tyres at a customer’s home or place of work.

Steve Phillips, Deputy Operations Director at Lloyds TSB Autolease, says: “What came out very clearly through the tendering process was ATS Euromaster and Michelin’s willingness to work in partnership with us to deliver a quality service that really adds value to our customers.

10th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Marangoni Flash-Powered Website Launched

Marangoni has launched a new, flash animated website, which the company hopes will raise the bar in online customer interaction within the tyre industry. Company representatives call the site much more than a factual information resource, and that it is lively, exciting, involving and simple to navigate.

“The role of the new website in the Marangoni marketing mix has never been more important,” says Derek Carruthers – global sales & marketing director, Marangoni Car Tyre. “Too many sites simply don’t relate to the customer and, as a result, they are ineffective. With our new site we prioritised what we know our customers want and have created and designed it accordingly. It is our direct communication with our customers, and their link directly to Marangoni, through a uniquely fun interactive format”

The user-friendly interactive site allows the visitor access the information they need quickly, giving them more time to view additional fun resources. This involvement acts to reinforce the brand messages Marangoni represent, direct to the consumer in a relaxed manner.

7th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Acknowledged for US Recycling Initiative

As a member of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) programme, Bridgestone’s BFS Retail & Commercial Operations, LLC (BFRC) was honoured recently at the WasteWise & NPEP Conference for recycling some 145,000 kilograms of lead from lead wheel weights in 2007.

In addition to its ongoing efforts to further reduce the impact of lead on the environment, BFRC launched a US-wide environmental initiative in January 2008 to install non-toxic steel wheel weights instead of lead weights in its customers’ vehicles. BFRC, a member of the Bridgestone Americas (BSA) family, was the first of the major chains in the automotive repair industry to make the switch to steel wheel weights in this market. All of BFRC’s approximately 2,000 US automotive service store locations are switching to more ecologically sensitive, non-toxic steel weights, replacing millions of lead wheel weights each year.

7th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

New Blood, Higher Profits at Canadian Tire

Canadian Tire Corp, the northern North American tyre store that sells everything from dog food to gym equipment, has a new president and CEO. Stephen G. Wetmore was appointed to the position on November 5, replacing Tom Gauld, who had served in the role since 2006. Prior to his latest role, Wetmore served as CEO at Bell Aliant Telecommunications, a subsidiary of Canada’s largest telecommunications company, BCE.

7th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Strong Bekaert Sales Driven by High Raw Material Prices

In the first nine months of 2008 Bekaert achieved consolidated sales of 2.047 billion euros and combined sales of 3.119 billion euros, an increase of 28.8 per cent and 24.0 per cent respectively. Bekaert reports that organic growth accounted for a growth in consolidated sales of 24.7 per cent, largely driven by the passed on raw material price rises, and the net movement in acquisitions and divestments in Vicson (Venezuela) and in Proalco (Colombia) accounted for 7.9 per cent. Exchange rate fluctuations tempered the growth by 3.8 per cent.

7th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Audi R8 to Drive on Dunlop tyres

Dunlop has been selected as an OE supplier for Audi’s R8. The German sports coupe (dubbed by Audi the “slowest car we’ve ever built” due to its labour intensive, non-production line manufacture) will receive two top of the range Dunlop products, the UHP Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT and for the upcoming winter season the Dunlop Winter Sport 3D.

7th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Adds New Company Reports to Website

Yokohama Rubber has posted English language pdf files of its “CSR Report 2008” environmental and corporate responsibility report and “Site Information” report about its Japanese and international facilities on the company’s website. These reports, initially available only in Japanese when released in late September, can be downloaded at http://www.yrc-pressroom.jp/env_en/site01.html.

7th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

S&P Lowers Goodyear’s Credit Rating

On November 5 Standard & Poor’s lowered Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s credit rating outlook from “positive” to “stable” due to decreasing demand for tyres. Goodyear’s long-term corporate rating remains at BB-, three grades below investment quality, the financial market intelligence provider said in a statement.

7th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors