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Tyre Dumping Up 2,300%, Says South African Union

South African trade union NUMSA has spoken out against the importation of cheap Chinese manufactured tyres into the country, reporting on the phenomenon in a press statement that also addressed road safety concerns. According to NUMSA, China’s tyre dumping activities into the country has increased 2,300 per cent from 108,039 in the year 2000 to 1,057,312. These tyres often arrive under-invoiced, NUMSA adds, and therefore attract less duty, something that has caused industry production to drop by about 40 per cent.

6th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

MAK to Show Complete 2009 Wheel Range

MAK S.p.A. reports that the wheel production company is to show a wide range of new and existing products at Autopromotec 2009. First of all, the Brescia-based Italian producer will exhibit the brand-new MAK Mistral, the first directional wheel the company has launched on the market. The interesting thing about this five-spoke design is that while they have a straight structure and they are perpendicular to the external rim, “there is a diamond insert that points the to the design’s left side”. This visual illusion gives the wheel movement and lightness, making it appear slimmer.

30th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Remog Widens Range of Coated Weights

Remog S.p.A, has widened the range of wheel balancing weights it offers, following the formation of a new plant for the plastic coated treatment of its products with epoxy powders. This plant supports Remog’s other site, which has been operating since 2000, and already has the capacity to cover at 100 per cent of the body of the weight. The new coating technology means the weights can now withstand certified 500 hours to salt fog test.

30th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Romania Plant To Resume Production

The Michelin Romania factory at Zalau, in Silvania, will resume production after an 18-day stoppage. The reason for the stoppage was given as an adjustment in tyre orders, due to the state of the market.
The factory’s 1,300 employees participated in training programmes during the shut-down. A spokesperson for the company said that the April work programme had not been finalised, but there are press reports that production could be halted for a week, most likely round the Easter holidays.

Michelin Romania’s marketing manager, Alina Ghica, is quoted as saying that Michelin’s sales for last year were up on 2007’s figures, but she cannot make estimates for 2009, although sales for the first two months are believed to have increased, but at a lower rate of growth. Estimates are that the Romanian replacement tyre market increased by a minimum of eight per cent last year, rising to 2.2 million units.

27th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin’s Ardmore Plant Returning to Full Work Schedule Mid-April

Workers at Michelin North America’s Ardmore, Oklahoma passenger and light truck tyre facility will return to a full work schedule in mid-April, says company spokeswoman Lynn Mann. The factory has been operating at reduced capacity since last November, when approximately 240 employees were placed on eight-week furloughs. In February, Michelin announced plans to reduce production at the plant.

The reduced work period ends on April 13, said Mann. Following this date, employees will return to normal work schedules.

26th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Disused Tyre Factory Remoulded into Community Theatre

A disused tyre factory, which previously produced Dunlop-branded products, has been transformed into community theatre. The National Theatre of Scotland has taken over the former Dunlop plant in Dunfermline to stage its latest production. At its height the factory employed more than 6,000 people, but now the younger generation are using the shop floor as an auditorium in a piece which centres on the experiences of factory workers. Tickets are said to be sold our, which suggests audiences won’t “tyre” of watching

13th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

OTR Implements New Service Management System

OTR Tyres Ltd has implemented a new Service Management System as part of its strategy to continually improve onsite service for customers. According to the company, the system provides a seamless transfer of data to and from the OTR Service Engineer and Regional Depot and gives real time information to allow accurate job management. “Travel time and distance, job start and finish information, vehicle downtime, details of work requested and work done are all recorded and used to continually improve the service offered,” said UK operations director Darren Flint.

13th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Halts Korean Production for Five Days

Kumho has stopped its production for a period of five days at its three Korean plants, following a drop in demand. The factories closed today (Thursday, 12 March) and will be closed until Monday, according to a release from the manufacturer.

12th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyota Cuts Pay and Production by 10%

Toyota has announced that its two British factories in Burnaston, Derbyshire and Deeside, Flintshire will attempt to stave off the effects of recession in 2009 by reducing pay and production by 10 per cent. Affecting 4,500 workers across the two sites, the cutbacks will come in to bat on 1 April. The Japanese car giant stated that “the measures we have announced give us a greater opportunity to maintain employment through this difficult period,” while it was revealed in mid-February that managers will not receive any bonuses this year.

Reaction from unions has been noticeably free of ululating dissent, with Unite representative Peter Tsouvallaris telling The Guardian newspaper, “the agreement we have reached with Toyota will ensure none of our members’ benefits are eroded and that these skilled workers will remain in place and at work ready for when the upturn comes.” The news comes at a time when car makers are meeting with business minister Ian Pearson to discuss planned bailouts for the struggling industry.

11th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Land Rover to Receive £27 million Government Grant

Jaguar Land Rover is to receive a government grant of up to £27 million to help develop the “smallest, lightest and most efficient” vehicle it has produced. The announcement came as motor industry representatives met in London to discuss a £2.3bn support package. According to BBC News, the new model will be made at the company’s Halewood plant in Merseyside. The project will cost £400 million and a final decision on whether to proceed with production is due later this year.

11th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Halts Silvania Zalau Production

Michelin’s 1,300 staff at the company’s Silvania Zalau plant in Romania will take 18 days enforced leave in March due to lack of orders. Michelin usually produces 600,000 tyres annually at Silvania Zalau, but worldwide financial turmoil has led to a drop in demand, necessitating a drop in that number. The French giant will keep its other two Romanian sites (Romsteel Cord and Victoria Floresti) running, though both will close on Sundays.

Michelin closed all three facilities early on 12 December for an extended Christmas break last year, reopening on 6 January, 2009.

10th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop India Plant to Restart Production in 2-3 Months

According to information given my Dunlop India chairman P K Ruia on March 6, the company’s Shahgunj factory will begin production in the next two to three months, and in stages all employees will return to work. “I want to reassure everybody that the plant will begin production and each of the employees would be absorbed in phases,” said Ruia.

9th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Statutory Negotiations End At Nokian Heavy Tyres

The statutory negotiations at Nokian Heavy Tyres Ltd ended on March 9, 2009. The results of the negotiations were to cut personnel numbers by four office employees and 29 factory employees. Part of the personnel cuts will be carried out through pension arrangements. Adjustment measures will also include temporary lay-offs for all personnel and factory stoppages as needed. In addition, 34 factory employees will be laid off until further notice.

Costs will be reduced and operations re-organised in line with solutions which have been mutually agreed with the personnel. The working model of the heavy tyre production will change to discontinued three-shift/five day operations. The reason for the adjustment measures is the decreased heavy tyre demand caused by the global recession, which has created the need to adjust production in line with the lower demand. Following these measures Nokian Heavy Tyres Ltd employs approximately 240.

9th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Brisa & Pirelli Production Resumes in Turkey

Production is one more underway at the Brisa/Bridgestone and Pirelli factories in Turkey. Both companies halted the manufacture of tyres late in February to realign output with demand, and resumed operations on March 3.

Production at the two companies’ factories restarted with the midnight shift on March 3, said labour union representative Hüseyin Çakar. Over the past week 2,200 workers, 1,072 at Brisa Bridgestone and the remainder at Turk Pirelli Tire Corporation, were placed on paid leave.

4th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop India Shahgunj Facility Re-Opening

Dunlop India’s factory in Shahgunj will re-open on March 6 after sitting idle for three months. On March 3 the company released a statement saying the plant’s maintenance and engineering division would be the first back on the job, with 229 workers undertaking the task of repairing the factory and making it production ready.

The suspension of operations at the plant was announced on November 30, 2008, and company management says it now hopes to resolve all outstanding issues with labour unions one the repair work is under way. Dunlop India has also indicated that assurances have been received from banks regarding the disbursement of working capital as required for the plant’s sustained operation.

4th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors