Sri Lanka’s Kelani Tyres reports that despite a steep rise in costs its net profits rose 11.7 per cent year-on-year to LKR 74.9 million (£419,000) in the quarter to December 31, 2010. Revenues during the quarter increased 37.1 per cent to LKR 1.028 billion (£5.8 million) while sales volumes grew 5.2 per cent to 3,753 tonnes and production rose 10.6 per cent to 3,826 tonnes.
This year Continental intends to hire around 1,500 university graduates and young professionals worldwide, for both its tyre and other automotive businesses. Announcing Conti’s planned intake for 2011, the company’s Executive Board member for Human Resources, Heinz-Gerhard Wente said some 400 from this total would be based within Germany. Recruits with engineering and natural science majors are particularly sought after, however the company will also take on business and economics graduates – Conti says recruits with a commercial background will account for approximately 300 of the 1,500 new positions, while the remainder will join the 30,000 or so engineers that currently work in various areas of production and research & development at Continental.
Statistics released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers state that the country produced 18,264,700 units in 2010, an increase of 32.44 per cent on 2009.
The rebranding of Qualitread retreading products in Europe under the Bridgestone brand name continues in January with the renaming of the M729 drive tread and R168 trailer tread as Bridgestone Retread products. In April the Qualitread M729 EVO regional drive tyre will also join the Bridgestone Retread line-up.
This coming spring Bridgestone intends to release its latest production motorcycle racing radial, the Battlax Racing R10. Featuring an all-new tread, structure and compound, the R10 is described by the tyre maker as a product that “offers enhanced user-friendliness and better lap times, benefiting production motorcycle racing worldwide as well as users who enjoy riding high-performance super sport bikes on circuits.” Bridgestone adds that the new tyre was developed with European market use in mind and the end product is one that “provides superb dry performance and handling performance.”
Maine Industrial Tire LLC is restructuring its global business operations and welcoming an old friend back into the fold. The company says it will close its Gorham tyre plant in the US state of Maine, relocating that production to plants in Pennsylvania and China. The shift is expected to take six months, Maine Industrial said. The plant is being closed “in order to reduce both manufacturing costs and operating expenses,” the company added. “Not only will this result in a financially stronger company, by streamlining operations, Maine Industrial Tire will be able to provide customers with the same high quality, premium products at competitive prices.”
In addition to price rises in the US, as of January 1 Nexen has increased tyre prices in Europe. According to Nexen Tire Europe, prices for all product segments, including passenger car, 4×4 and light commercial vehicles, have gone up by at least nine per cent. The company says it was compelled to take this inevitable measure as “in the previous few months raw material costs, above all for natural rubber, have skyrocketed.” The company notes that in addition to natural rubber, prices of all products necessary for tyre production have increased.
Continental AG’s automotive components plant in Huntsville, Alabama is preparing to close its doors for the last time. Production ended on November 11 and now only some 250 employees remain at the plant – this is expected to drop to around 100 in January. Continental has already announced Huntsville’s lost production will be absorbed by other plants in the US and Mexico.
Following investments in “constant research to improve the quality standards of its products and services to all customers” wheel weight manufacturer BF Srl has published a new company slogan – “step up.” And according to the manufacturer, the latest news that the firm has produced a new balancing weight (the Z12) for French Alloy rims with the edge of Citroen, Peugeot and Renault reflects this motto.
Chinese publication AutoEvolution.com has reported the latest production figures released by the China Rubber Industry Association. Tyre production in China is likely to be 10.5 per cent higher this year than in 2009. Last year the country produced a total of 380 million tyres, and this year output is expected to reach 420 million units. It is hoped that by the end of 2015 production will reach around 570 million tyres per annum.
Genan A/S has appointed Jens Ole Bahr to the role of director/COO effective 1 October 2010. Bahr will have the responsibility for production, logistics and sales in the Nordic countries and the UK. He previously held the position of CEO at Esbjerg Farve- og Lakfabrik A/S.
An unnamed European vehicle manufacturer is said to have sought the expertise of UK-based lithium-ion energy systems supplier, Axeon, and automotive technology, innovation and systems integration provider, Ricardo, to supply and integrate an advanced, lightweight battery pack for a pioneering plug-in hybrid vehicle, which both companies say “is guaranteed to grab worldwide headlines” when it is launched.
Russian website Rccnews.ru reports Michelin’s intention to establish a truck tyre retreading facility at its Davydovo plant, near Moscow. At present, production equipment is being installed in the Davydovo facility and it is anticipated to enter operation in late 2010, introducing the French manufacturer’s latest retreading technology into Russia. According to Rccnews, in the coming years Michelin plans to invest ten million euros in developing its commercial vehicle tyre retreading business in Russia.
Italian brake product maker Brembo has announced plans to build a new production plant in the Czech Republic. The three-year, 35 million euro project will start operations in 2011. The project included rehabilitating an existing industrial building in the city of Ostrava, Brembo said.
India’s government may be set to rectify the disparity between duties charged on natural rubber and imported tyres. The Press Trust of India reports that commerce secretary Dr Rahul Khullar told journalists on the sidelines of a Confederation of Indian Industry event to “give me a month's time, we are trying to sort out the problem of inverted duty structure."
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