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Lanxess Voices Support for Tyre Labelling Decision

The European Parliament’s decision on tyre labelling has been welcomed by specialty chemicals manufacturer Lanxess AG as a means of significantly reducing road generated CO2 reductions. The resolution requiring information about fuel efficiency, wet grip and rolling noise from 2012 onwards will, Lanxess believes, play a significant role for the tyre industry and its suppliers, as around 75 per cent of all tyres sold in Europe are replacement market products.

23rd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Intermat Launch for Michelin XHA2

Those in the heavy-duty construction equipment industry have flocked to Paris this week for Intermat 2009. And good thing they did: the trade show, one of the world’s three largest, is the chosen introductory venue for Michelin’s new XHA2 loader tyre.

This is a product that Michelin reports is designed to accomplish three goals – reduce hourly operating costs, ensure that work continues smoothly and safely, and improve operator working conditions. The XHA2 is intended for loaders in quarries and cement plants and on construction and infrastructure worksites. Its introduction into global replacement markets will begin in May.

23rd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

GPX Reports an “Enormous” Sales Increase

According to GPX International Tire – one of the world’s leading industrial and agricultural tyre specialists – the company has recently particularly focused upon its presence in Asian markets, and executive vice president Neil Ganz reports “a huge growth in sales” has taken place there. As a result the company chose to once again exhibit at Singapore’s Tyrexpo Asia in order to further expand the growing customer relationships forged in this part of the world.

23rd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Consumers to Become More ‘Label Conscious’

Every time you pad across the kitchen floor and help yourself to a refreshing drink from the fridge, you are reminded exactly how efficient – or inefficient – the large cooling appliance standing before you really is. Thanks to the EU Energy Label you can spot at a glance whether your beverage is kept at the desired temperature by a frugal “A” rated fridge or a power slurping “G”. With a sigh you walk away, drink in hand, wishing your tyres had come festooned with similarly helpful information…..

Fret no longer: On April 22 the European Parliament approved – by a large majority – a number of draft measures that will see various performance related measures, including fuel efficiency and noise levels, supplied with new tyres. The new rating system, pencilled in for implementation by late 2012, will use a scale similar to that utilised on the EU Energy Label.

23rd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Alcoa Wheels Selected for Lightweight Lamborghini

When Alcoa spoke of plans to extend its passenger car OEM supply in late 2008, it didn’t just have run of the mill vehicles in mind – on April 23 it announced the selection of Alcoa Auto Wheels to supply lightweight wheels for the Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce (SV). The forged aluminium wheels to be supplied, says Alcoa, reduce un-sprung weight and contribute to the SV shedding 100 kilograms as compared with the standard Murciélago.

23rd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Dunlop Overhauls Charity Target Early

Goodyear Dunlop has celebrated surpassing its charity fundraising target, having raised £52,000 to build a new playground at Birmingham Children’s Hospital eight months ahead of schedule. The money has been raised through employee fund raising, company match funding and public events. Birmingham Children’s Hospital corporate fundraising manager, Fidelis Hynam said, “We have been exceptionally impressed by the fund raising efforts and commitment of Goodyear Dunlop and its employees and it is no surprise they have smashed their target so early.

“For the CAMHS patients and their families this dedicated outdoor space is a dream come true. With the average stay of a CAMHS patient being six months it is very important to have their own space where they can let off steam and importantly have fun. We cannot thank Goodyear Dunlop enough.”

23rd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Industry Veteran to Head Kenda Sales and Marketing

Bob Phoenix has been named vice president of sales for Kenda USA’s Automotive Tire Division. Phoenix, most recently a regional vice president for Kumho Tire USA, will be responsible for the sales and marketing of Kenda radial passenger and light truck/SUV tyres in the US and Canadian markets. As of 1 May, Kenda will be actively signing distributors/dealers for its lines of passenger and light truck/SUV radials, president Jimmy Yang said. (Tire Review/Akron)

23rd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Leads Clean Air Green Tour

Michelin North America has teamed up with the “Clean Air Green Tour” to educate consumers on the benefits of environmentally friendly products. The 60-city US tour is expected to an average of 1,500 consumers per stop. “Many consumers do not realize the impact tyres can have on the environment,” said Parmeet Grover, brand director for MNA. “Our goal in partnering with the Clean Air Green Tour is to reinforce our message that tyres make a difference.”

In addition to featuring passenger car and light-truck tyres for consumers, the tour will cover more than 30,000 miles in a solar-powered bus fitted with Michelin X One super wides. In its third year, the Clean Air Green Tour launched on Apr. 14 in New York City, and will make stops at 40 Lowe’s stores, 14 Wal-Mart Supercenters and eight major festivals. In addition, the tour will hold tree plantings in five cities and host a community clean-up day. (Tire Review/Akron)

23rd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Canada Has New Home

Hankook Tire Canada has a new home. The company moved into a new headquarters building and primary warehouse in January, shifting from its former home in Mississauga, Ontario, to a 120,000-square-foot facility in nearby Brampton, Ontario.

The new facility will continue to service tyre dealers in Ontario, using independent distributors to handle dealers in other parts of the country. (Tire Review/Akron)

23rd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

UK Fuel Duty to Rise Incrementally from September

UK chancellor, Alistair Darling announced in the Budget that UK fuel duty will increase by two pence per litre on 1 September 2009, and will be followed by an additional penny – in real terms – every year between 2010 and 2013. The measure is designed to “support the public finances, while also driving the move to a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy”. The Budget predicts that the move will “save 2 MtCO2 per year by 2013-14”, while also providing additional funds for “medium-term fiscal consolidation” (otherwise known as propping up the public coffers with your hard-earned).

22nd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Shall We Scrap the Banger Today, Darling?

Whip out the financial righteous indignation/mindless optimism, for today is Budget Day in the UK, and Alistair Darling has a whopper of an idea to administer some serious cardiovascular stimulation to the automotive industry. The government is prepared to pay up to £2,000 towards a new (or nearly new) car when motorists scrap a vehicle that is more than ten years old. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the idea is taken from the Germans and other EU nations, where similar schemes have resulted in new car sales jumping up to 40 per cent in the last month. Citroen dealerships in the UK have reportedly seen a rise in new car sales following their own implementation of such a system.

However, questions have been raised about the value of investing tax-payers’ money in such a scheme, since many of the additional new cars sold through it will have been imported, while the vehicles to be scrapped must prove their roadworthiness to qualify; only those in possession of an MOT certificate will be able to claim money off a new purchase. Of course, without this latter measure, it is easy to see a loophole developing, through which opportunists may profit by buying an old car with the sole intention of using it to claim money off a new purchase. While these concerns are worth addressing, it would take a hardened cynic to foresee no boost at all for new car sales in the UK as a result of these plans.

22nd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

TRIB Marks Earth Day with Green Retreading Reminder

April 22 is Earth Day – and according to the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau, you could do a lot worse than celebrating the environmentally themed day with a set of retreads. TRIB comments that retreaded tyres are one of the most environmentally friendly of all recycled products, as they contain one of the highest post consumer contents because the actual tyre itself is being recycled.

The oil savings with retreads is also very significant, adds TRIB, as tyres are basically petrochemical products. It takes approximately 83 litres of oil to manufacture one average size truck tyre. Since most of that oil is found in the tyre casing, which is re-used in the retreading process, only about 26 litres of oil are needed to retread that same tyre. Thus a fleet using as few as 100 tyres a year can help save almost 5,700 litres of oil annually, notes TRIB.

22nd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Belshina Focusing on International Growth

Since Belshina opened its first sales office outside of the CIS region, in Lithuania, a year and a half ago, the Belarusian commercial vehicle tyre specialist has looked towards establishing itself in even more regions. One particular area where Belshina has turned its attention is Southeast Asia, where the company is focusing upon the distribution of its earthmover tyre range. At Tyrexpo Asia the director of Belshina Asia, Maksim Smyslov, shared that the Belarusian manufacturer founded a new Singapore based operation in November 2007. It has been trading since last year and is focusing for the time being upon the earthmover tyre business, marketing these products to the region’s mines and mining operators.

22nd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Schaeffler Has Eye on Another Conti Board Seat

It appears Schaeffler’s representation on the Continental AG supervisory board will be strengthened with the addition of a fifth representative. Reuters reported on April 20 that Hans-Jörg Bullinger, president of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, will not, as originally planned, stand as a supervisory board candidate at the April 23 Annual General Meeting. Bullinger’s comment to Reuters was that “Schaeffler would like it if the company is well represented.”

22nd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

March Sales Give Pirelli a Glimmer of Hope

Upon reporting its first quarter 2009 financials, Pirelli commented that its tyre division experienced “signs of recovery” in March; these indications of better times came in the form of a slowdown in sales decline in some countries and positive growth rates in others. Various government incentives to boost new car sales partly contributed to this reversal of fortune following OE business contraction in the first two months of the year, Pirelli comments.

22nd April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors