Product News Archives - Page 214 of 260 - Tyrepress

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Hungary Production Will Not Begin Before 2010 – Apollo

Apollo Tyres is said to be experiencing delays acquiring land and gaining regulatory clearance for the tyre manufacturing facility it is building in Hungary. Because of this, production is now expected to commence later than the originally anticipated June 2009 start date.

“The government regulatory process is still ongoing. What we had expected to get done now has been delayed by about a quarter or so,” Kankana Das told the Reuters news service. Apollo now hopes to acquire the site land by December and begin construction work next March or April. Therefore, it appears that production will begin in June 2010 at the earliest.

31st July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Outsourcing to ContiNetwork Brings Transporter Significant Savings

Purfleet, Essex-based logistics company, FP Young Transport Limited has been experiencing significant savings and greater ease of use following the company’s decision to outsource the management of its fleet’s tyres to ContiNetwork partner TAB Tyres.

Since handing over its tyre administration to TAB, FP Young’s progressive shift to Continental’s rubbers is resulting in longer tyre life, resulting in fewer tyres being fitted and vehicle downtime being reduced. The structured tyre management process based on the five-stage ContiLifeCycle is ensuring that optimum life is obtained from every tyre through specifying the correct tyre from the outset and then re-grooving and re-treading when the time comes.

31st July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Emerging Markets Help Goodyear Achieve Strong Q2 Sales

Strong overseas performance, particularly in emerging markets, has enabled Goodyear to report record second quarter sales. During the three months to June 30, the tyre major generated US$5.2 billion in sales, a 6.5 per cent improvement on the previous year. Goodyear comments that this stronger result was achieved through improved pricing, a richer product mix and the impact of favourable foreign currency exchange. These factors offset lower volume sales in Europe and North America. Also impacting results, says Goodyear, was the 2007 divestiture of the company’s T&WA tyre mounting business, which had sales of $186 million in last year’s second quarter.

31st July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Omitec to Attend Automechanika 2008

Omitec, the UK’s leading independent diagnostic and test equipment manufacturer is attending Automechanika in Frankfurt Hall 8 Stand E0.8. Omitec will be talking to OE’s manufacturers about their bespoke automotive solutions including Engineering Development Tools, On Vehicle Electronics, Telematics, Automated Production Assembly & Test Solutions, Service Bay Solutions including Diagnostics and Information, Technical Authoring & Publications, and Vehicle Recycling Information.

31st July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Recauchutagem Northena Installs Giant Machinery

2008 has seen Portuguese retreader, Recauchutagem Northena SA, make literally huge investments in new machinery designed to retread a wide range of giant OTR tyres. The company has already installed a new MGT One63 robotic buffer, groover and peeling machine, in order to retread 63-inch tyres. Recently a large autoclave smooth and groove system for 51-inch tyres was added and before the end of the year pre-cured retreading equipment for 57-inch sizes will also be brought in.

“We’ve developed a full new approach for manufacturing cold OTR retreads. Our pre-cured tyres (a few dozen of these) have been running for a year in Portugal and Spain, and a test phase will be complete in September,” Northena representatives explained.

31st July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

New Business Development Manager at Vacu-Lug

Vacu-Lug has appointed Matt Ball, 31, to the position of Business Development Manager for Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres Limited. Covering an area from Cheshire through to the Midlands, Wales and the South West, Matt will be responsible for further increasing and developing Vacu-Lug’s penetration within the region’s major fleets.

Ball began his career with a Modern Apprenticeship at alloy wheel and performance tyre manufacturer Rimstock, with whom he later progressed into sales. Thereafter, he spent five years working in light and heavy commercial vehicle sales with Volkswagen and Renault respectively before moving to Ravenstock MSG, a container hire operation, from where he joined Vacu-Lug.

31st July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

BFNT Promotes Handlos to VP Product Development

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire (BFNT) has announced that Robert W. Handlos, currently Vice President Materials Development, will be promoted to the newly established position of Vice President, Product Development, effective August 1, 2008. In his new capacity, each of the product development groups located at BFNT’s Technical Center in Akron, Ohio will report to Handlos. Additionally, the Akron-based security function will continue to report to him, and Handlos will continue to hold responsibility for the product development facilities located at the site, as well as the company’s ATW race tyre manufacturing plant. Handlos will report to Yasutaka Enoki, who, as previously announced, will become Executive Vice President, BFNT, on August 1.

31st July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Reaffirms 2008’s 26.4 billion euro Sales Target

Continental AG has published second quarter financial results reaffirming the company’s 2008 sales projections of 26.4 billion euros, despite the “difficult environment.” Conti’s acquisitions mean group first half sales grew to 13.254 billion in comparison with 8.014 billion in 2007. Company management sought to project the most positive side of the story at a time when the German tyre and automotive supplier is battling to defend itself from an increasingly hostile 11.3 billion euro takeover bid initiated by ball bearing manufacturer, Schaeffler Group; and when tyre manufacturers in general are fighting hard to maintain profitability targets.

While Continental announced strong second quarter passenger and light truck sales, the news was not so cheery in the truck tyre department. Here first half sales fell to 685.4 million euros compared with 706.4 million during the same period in 2007. And what’s worse, second quarter operating income (around 30 million euros) came in 36.5 per cent less than expected, down 45.9 per cent year-on-year. This meant, for the second quarter, the company ran at an operating margin of 4.6 per cent. To put this in perspective the car tyre and ContiTech divisions achieved 13 and 12.3 per cent respectively.

31st July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

RAC Foundation, NTDA Offering Free Tyre Aging Checks

According to the RAC Foundation, up to three million UK motorists could be risking tyre problems during this summer season by not checking the age and condition of their tyres. The motoring organisation made this statement on July 31, at the commencement of an eight-week tyre safety campaign urging drivers of low-mileage vehicles to have their tyres inspected.

A survey of 500 motorists, performed by GfK NOP for the RAC Foundation between July 11 and 13, reveals that although nine out of ten drivers understand the link between tyre age and road safety, up to three million – more than the populations of Greater Manchester or the West Midlands – may not. Furthermore, six out of ten (59 per cent) say they are unlikely to check vital tyre age information contained on the sidewall.

31st July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Schaeffler Raises its Direct Conti Stake to 8%

Schaeffler Group has reportedly increased its direct shareholding in Continental AG to 8 per cent, German daily newspaper Die Welt has reported. According to the paper, the company bought an extra 5 per cent (in addition to an existing per cent stake) for a price of between 63.20 euros and 69 euros per share, well below the 70.12 euros per share offer the company pitched to all Conti’s shareholders.

31st July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

IndianOil to Establish £90m Synthetic Rubber Facility

IndianOil, the largest company in India in terms of sales and profit, intends to establish its first styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) facility. This plant, located at Panipat in the north of India and to be built at an investment price of Rs 7.61 billion (£90.55 million), will be 48 per cent owned by IndianOil. The company plans to offer two further investors respective shares of 32 per cent and 20 per cent in the 120,000 tonne per annum emulsion SBR project.

31st July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Kenda Offer Saw-Toothed Polar Trax

Taiwan’s Kenda, which operates factories and distribution centres in the USA, China and Vietnam in addition to those in the countries homeland go into the winter season looking to promote the company’s Polar Trax (KR19) tyre to the worldwide seasonal market. The company believes that “No matter how many safety features your vehicle has, it’s the tyres that enable you to handle it in the snow and ice.”

To emphasise this point, the manufacturer has placed a graphic of a peaked mountain with a snowflake on the tyre, signalling by way of symbols that the tyre has been designed to attain specifically snow traction performance requirements. The firm also says that the tyre “has been designed specifically for use in severe snow conditions.”

31st July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Recyclers Get New Wheels

Credential Environmental has invested over £400,000 in a new fleet of eight Volvo FE and FL trucks to keep pace with its increasing share of the tyre recycling market. Credential director Steve Patterson, said: “Apart from being exceptionally well-built, we’re aware that Volvo trucks are designed to create minimal environmental impact and that’s very much in line with our own ethos. The new fleet is being deployed across our operations on Tees-side, North Yorkshire and the Midlands.”

30th July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Suckling Transport Signs 3-Year Deal with Michelin

Independent petrol haulage contractor Suckling Transport has signed a three-year PPK (pence per kilometre) contract with Michelin and ATS Euromaster. The deal sees all of Suckling’s 86 vehicles and 96 petroleum tanker trailers adopt a 100 per cent Michelin Group tyre policy.

West Thurrock-based Suckling Transport worked with Michelin for many years before awarding a three-year contract to another manufacturer in 2005. According to the French manufacturer, the decision to reappoint Michelin followed a national tyre audit which highlighted key areas of improvement.

30th July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Ainscough Renews Bridgestone Crane Tyre Deal

The UK’s largest crane operator (Ainscough Crane Hire) has selected Bridgestone UK to supply and service its nationwide 630+ crane network. Under the terms of a recent contract renewal arrangement Bridgestone will supply its VHS crane products through its nationwide Truck Point network.

Steve Cooke Ainscough Engineering director, said: “We are very happy to have renewed our tyre contract with Bridgestone, we have enjoyed a good partnership with them on all fronts [and] Bridgestone’s Truck Point network has the expertise to proactively manage our large fleet.”

30th July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors