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Goodyear Expanding Brand Presence Through Licensing

These days there’s much more to Goodyear than simply tyres. The US tyre major has become a major player in the world of product licensing, and in early June, it attended the annual Licensing Expo in New York. Attendance at such shows is, says Goodyear, part of its global licensing strategy to help extend the brand’s reach into new and different product categories.

The company already has partnered with nearly 70 licensees worldwide, reports Bob Paciulan, Goodyear manager of licensed products. These licensees, producing products carrying the tyre major’s brand, contribute to a growing stream of royalties received by Goodyear. Paciulan adds that Goodyear, through its presence at shows such as the Licensing Expo, is particularly interested in licensees that produce premium products in the automotive, home/garage, apparel, travel and leisure/recreation areas.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

India Facility to Boost Alliance Tire Agri, OTR Capacity

Alliance Tire, the Israel based company purchased in July 2007 by former BKT CEO Yogesh Mahansaria and global private equity company Warburg Pincus, has plans to construct a £50 million greenfield facility in India. The factory will focus on the production of agricultural and smaller size OTR tyres, and is tipped to double the company’s total production capacity. Manufacture at the plant is anticipated to commence in the first quarter of 2009.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

US Replacement Tyre Market Slump Continuing

Preliminary data collated by Deutsche Bank indicates that in May shipments of replacement tyres in the US were down 9.2 per cent year on year (-5.0% adjusted for one less shipping day). This decline follows a 3.5 per cent fall in April and 5.0 per cent drop in March. Based on such information, the bank estimates that US industry replacement shipments are down 5.2 per cent year to date, with weakness particularly acute in the “broad-line” and private label end of the market.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Strike Threat to Turkish Automotive Industry

The ongoing Tyre Workers Union strike is threatening Turkey’s automotive industry. Estimates are placing a figure in the region of YTL 10 million (over £4 million) on daily losses for tyre manufacturers since the strike began on 31 May, while the supply losses are starting to hinder Turkish automotive exports that account for 75 per cent of the industry’s total production.

Bridgestone’s Turkish-based arm, Brisa – one of the companies affected by the strike, alongside Pirelli and Goodyear – has released statements detailing the losses to the Turkish government in taxes, estimated at YTL 1 million a day.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Truck & Bus Tyre Prices to Rise in Asia Pacific

Ever escalating raw material, energy and transportation costs are continuing to make their presence felt with global tyre makers. The latest to announce price increases as a result of these factors is Michelin, who has announced prices for truck and bus tyres sold in the Asia Pacific region will rise by up to 12 per cent. These new prices will be implemented between July and September 2008.

The latest price increase follows a number recently announced by the Michelin Group, including up to 8 per cent for numerous US market segments and, in Europe, up to 3.5 and 3.9 per cent for passenger car and truck tyres, effective spring 2008.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

US Military Acknowledges Michelin Quality & Delivery Performance

The United States military, through its Defense Supply Center Richmond (DSCR) operation, awarded Michelin Aircraft Tire Co. a Best Value Medal Award at an honours dinner held on June 3. The bestowal of this award, says Michelin, is acknowledgement of the company as one of the US government’s best suppliers. Brett Carnes, director of North American military sales for Michelin Aircraft Tires, accepted the silver medal on behalf of Michelin from the commander of the supply centre, U.S Air Force Brigadier General Andrew E. Busch.

The U.S. military’s Best Value Medal, explains Michelin, is awarded to vendors that have demonstrated exceptional quality and delivery performance as measured by what is called the ‘Automated Best Value System’ (ABVS). The ABVS is a computerised system that collects a vendor’s past performance data and translates it into a numeric score ranging from zero to a perfect 100. Michelin scored 99.4 on this 100 point scale.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Establishes Thailand Sales Office

Only weeks after announcing the start of operations at its new Yokohama Asia facility in Thailand, the Japanese tyremaker has announced the establishment in May of Yokohama Tire Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd. This new tyre sales company, also based in Bangkok, will begin trading in July 2008 and has been fully capitalised by Yokohama Rubber at a cost of 200 million baht (£3 million).

Yokohama reports that sales of its branded tyres, particularly in the high performance passenger car tyre segment, are rapidly increasing. Previously Yokohama Rubber sold its tyres nationwide through local tyre distributors. The company says, however, it has become necessary to establish its own tyre sales company so as to further expand sales of passenger car tyres and also strengthen sales of truck/bus tyres and light truck tyres that are manufactured by Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand).

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Establishes New East Europe Sales Companies

Bridgestone Europe NV/SA has established three new sales subsidiaries in Eastern Europe. Located in Romania, Slovakia and Latvia, the new companies are to be responsible for sales and marketing activities in these regions, with the aim of providing customers with higher quality service.

“Our sales in Romania, Slovakia and Baltic countries show a significant growth in recent years,” said Gerry Duffy, vice president Sales & Marketing Bridgestone Europe. “It’s time to get closer to the market, to strengthen our presence, and to better serve our customers and end users. I am convinced that the new sales companies and their teams will provide high quality services and solutions to our business partners.”

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Wins Motoring Euro Press Plaudits in Summer Tests

Pirelli have obtained eight overall victories and two top-three placements in 11 tests conducted by European motoring authorities and the specialist press.

The Cinturato P4, designed for medium displacement and city cars (with its ecocompatibility and safety-conscious characteristics) and the P Zero, the high technology tyre developed for the most sporting cars, have been singled out for the highest praise in their categories.

In Germany, the P Zero won four overall victories in four tests conducted by Auto Zeitung, Sport Auto, Sport Auto Tuning Spezial and Power Car, which unanimously voted it the top tyre in the reference segment.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Supplies Euro 2008 Team Buses

Continental AG, an official sponsor of UEFA Euro 2008 and exclusive tyre partner, has equipped all 16 team buses with HSR 1 premium bus tyres on all axles. Continental did something similar during the 2006 FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany, when the team buses also ran on Continental tyres.

In addition, almost the entire Continental summer tyre line is used on more than 60 official UEFA vehicles. These include: ContiEcoContact 3, ContiPremiumContact 2, ContiSportContact 2 and ContiSportContact 3, as well as the ContiCrossContact UHP and the Conti4x4Contact for SUVs as well as the VancoContact 2 for vans. Additionally, all Continental shuttle buses are being equipped with the special edition bus tyre HSL 1, which was already issued during the FIFA World Cup 2006, with stylized soccer balls and a Continental colour logo on the side panel.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Sino-Indian Trade Increase Leads to Tyre Plant Possibility

Spurred on by the sharp increase in trade between China and India, Chinese Consul General in Kolkata Mao Siwei has told news sources about the attractiveness of a joint venture to set up a tyre plant in West Bengal.

Trade between the countries has reached $38.7 billion in 2007, representing a rapid increase from the 1999 figure of $2 billion, leaving Siwei keen to continue the development with collaborative manufacturing ventures.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, the Consul General suggested that the Bengalese tyre unit would be a joint venture between a China-based and a Dubai-based company.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Stingers Aim to Curtail Rising Petrol Theft

With fuel costs soaring, petrol stations across the UK in recent months have been experiencing a rise in incidents of drivers pulling off forecourts without paying. “Drive-aways” are said to have cost the industry in excess of £11 million in 2006 (according to The Petrol Retailers’ Association), though that figure is likely to have risen recently, as a result of the higher prices.

To combat this, petrol station owners have installed “stingers” – retractable spikes designed to shred the tyres of drive-aways. However, run-flat rubber, with its stiff sidewalls, can counteract the effectiveness of this preventative measure. With this in mind, Birmingham’s Drivestop has developed a system that implants a microchip into tyres running over the stinger, allowing police to track thieves whose tyres are shred resistant.

10th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

India Now 3rd Largest Market for Budget Chinese Tyres

Data released by India’s Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) adds weight to complaints from Indian tyre manufacturers about the quantities of budget tyres arriving from China. According to the ATMA, since 2002-03 India has jumped from being the 39th largest market for Chinese tyres to being the third, and the organisation predicts it will slip into top place in the near future.

India’s Business Standard newspaper reports that during April-February 2008 Indian imports from China, at 1.2 million units, had almost doubled compared with the same period a year earlier. Chinese tyres hold a 15 per cent of the RS 78 billion (£927 million) replacement tyre market for trucks.

9th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Crowe Victory Gives Yokohama 15 Consecutive Isle of Man Wins

Two wins for Yokohama-shod Nick Crowe in the sidecar class of this year’s Isle of Man TT races brings the Japanese tyre manufacturer’s string of success on the island to 15 consecutive years. Yokohama comments that not only did the winner of both races feature its tyres, so did the full podium for each race, as well as 2/3 of the runners in the class.

Crowe, who holds the sidecar lap record, faced a battle with Dave Molyneux, who himself has 13 race wins on the island. Molyneux led the field away on the first of this year’s two races but, within yards of the pit lane, was forced to retire with mechanical problems. This opened the way for another Yokohama rider, John Holden to take the early lead, followed by Crowe and new passenger Mark Cox. Crowe soon cut the six-second deficit to Holden and by the end of the first lap, had managed to get past and began to open his lead out, by setting the fastest lap of the race on lap two. Holden worked hard to try to stay in touch with the lap record-holder but Crowe proved unassailable and reached the chequered flag with a 20-second margin over second-placed Holden.

9th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Yangtze Petrochemical Now China’s Largest Butadiene Producer

The latest butadiene facility built by Yangtze Petrochemical entered trial operation on April 16, and the company reports the plant, with its 100,000 ton annual capacity, has propelled the company into China’s top butadiene production spot. Capacity at Yangtze Petrochemical has, to-date, reached 206,000 tons per annum.

The construction of this additional RMB 247 million (£18.1 million) was made necessary by growing Chinese market demand for tyres, and the company says that the market for butadiene, which is a major raw material of rubber, “looks promising and is expected to bring forth fat returns for investors.”

9th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors