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Mustang GT500KR Fitted With Custom Goodyears

Goodyear has developed an ultra-performance rubber compound for their Eagle F1 Supercar tyre, which has won exclusive fitment rights on Ford’s new Mustang GT500KR. Carroll Shelby’s newly designed KR model will become the first production car to use the tyre in the US.

To mark out those tyres fitted on the Mustang, the Goodyear Wingfoot symbol will be emblazoned on the outboard sidewall in the tradition of the original customised appearance of the company’s Blue Dot HPs, which were fitted initially on the first-ever 1965 Shelby Mustang carrying, somewhat unsurprisingly, a blue dot.

17th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Gajah Tunggal Production, Prices to Increase

Price rises of 10 per cent have been announced by PT Gajah Tunggal Tbk, however a representative of the Indonesian company states plans to increase sales by as much as 20 per cent remain firm. “We are still targeting an increase in our sales revenue of between 15 to 20 per cent this year compared to 2007,” Catharina Widjaja, director of corporate communications, informed Reuters. This sales increase will follow a boost in production output; Widjaja reported daily production for car tyres is anticipated to rise by 5,000 units to 35,000 and motorcycle tyres from 45,0000 to 60,000 units by the end of the year.

On the issue of price rises, Widjaja said “Gajah Tunggal raised the price by around 5 per cent in Q1 of 2008 and another 5 per cent recently. GT will continue to monitor the impact of the rising prices of raw material.”

17th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Tire Increases Q1 Revenue – but Income Remains in the Red

The Kumho Asiana Group has posted its first quarter 2008 results, and despite achieving what the company has called ‘favourable business results’ group-wide and increasing revenue in its Kumho Tires business division, income figures for the company’s tyre operation continued to be negative. The entire group recorded the highest quarterly revenue in the company’s history, KRW4.98 trillion (£2.45 billion). From this came an operating income of KRW270.2 billion (£132.93 million) and net income of KRW41.1 billion (£20.22 million). Kumho Tires posted an increase in revenue of KRW 71 billion (£34.93 million) or 15.6 per cent to reach a figure of KRW 524.7 billion (£25.81 million). Similarly, operating income rose by KRW 6.7 billion (£3.30 million) or 30.3 per cent compared to the same quarter last year, to KRW 28.8 billion (£14.17 million). The operating margin was 5.5 per cent.

16th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Titan International Announces Stock Split

Titan International announced on June 11 that the company’s Board of Directors approved a five-for-four stock split with a record date of July 31, 2008, and a payable date of August 15, 2008.

“This action is being taken to show our stockholders how much we appreciate their support,” said chairman and CEO Maurice M. Taylor Jr. “We are optimistic that 2008 will continue to be a period of further growth in sales and earnings as we proceed with the implementation of 57- and 63-inch off-the-road tyre production in the third quarter.”

13th June 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Wolverhampton’s Iconic Goodyear Chimney Set to Tumble

The days of an iconic Wolverhampton landmark are drawing to a close. Preparation work has already begun for the demolition of the Goodyear chimney that for decades towered over a once bustling tyre manufacturing plant, and by late June or early July the imposing 150 foot high blue and yellow brick structure will exist only as a memory.

At its peak the Goodyear facility in Wolverhampton employed 7,000 people, but today this number has shrunk to 450, the remaining workers engaged in the production of retreads and compounds for use in other European Goodyear factories. The bulk of the factory site will be redeveloped into a residential area with 700 houses, shops, a park and a school. The first houses will be built in 2010.

11th 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

SRF Buys Thai Tyre Cord Company

SRF Limited has acquired Thailand-based Thai Baroda Industries Limited (TBIL) for 1 billion rupees (£11.8 million). According to the Calcutta News, TBIL has an annual production capacity of 12,000 tonnes of dipped nylon tyre cord fabric. Ashish Bharat Ram, managing director SRF Limited, said in an official statement: “Post financial restructuring and takeover of the company management, we are confident that we will able to turn the company in very short time.”

29th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Gujarat Chosen as Site for New Ceat Radial Plant

India’s Ceat Ltd has chosen the state of Gujarat for the location of its long anticipated greenfield radial facility. The RS 5 to 6 billion (£60 to 70 million) plant was first announced over a year ago and several locations throughout India were short listed as possible sites – the company reportedly selecting Gujarat for its infrastructure, proximity to a port and ‘work culture.’ In addition to the production of passenger car tyres, the facility will also be home to a pilot facility for the manufacture of 250,000 TBR tyres per annum.

27th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Flexsys Files Patent Infringement Complaint

Flexsys America L.P., a subsidiary of Solutia Inc., has announced it has filed a new complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) against Sinorgchem Co., Shandong; Korea Kumho Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (KKPC); Kumho Tire Co., Inc.; and Kumho Tire USA, Inc. This complaint asserts that the importation of Sinorgchem’s 4-ADPA or any antidegradants made from its 4-ADPA into the United States violates section 337 of the U.S. Tariff Act, due to Sinorgchem’s infringement upon Flexsys’ patents for the production of 4-ADPA and its intermediates.

In this new case, Flexsys seeks an exclusion order barring the importation of Sinorgchem’s 4-ADPA as well as 6PPD made from Sinorgchem’s 4-ADPA into the United States, including that manufactured by KKPC.

16th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Accuride Posts Quarter Loss Results

Components manufacturer Accuride reports that in the quarter to March 31, 2008 the company achieved sales of US$238.2 million, a decrease of 26.2 per cent on the same quarter a year earlier. This decline in net sales, says the company, reflects a 33 per cent decline in North American Class 8 production and a $24 million reduction due to products re-sourced by a light vehicle customer during 2007.

A net loss of $11.7 million was reported for the first quarter of 2008, compared to a loss of $1.9 million in the corresponding quarter of 2007. Adjusted EBIDTA was $18.5 million, compared to adjusted EBIDTA of $49.2 million a year earlier.

14th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Birla Expansion to Add Radial Capacity

India’s Business Standard newspaper has reported on plans for Kesoram Industries to invest Rs 8.4 billion (£103.4 million) expanding its Birla Tyre factory in the northern state of Uttarakhand. Plans for the facility include a radial tyre plant with a 100 ton per day capacity, to be built with a capital outlay of Rs 4.95 billion (£60.9 million) and a 125 ton per day capacity truck and agricultural vehicle bias tyre factory, to be built with an investment of Rs 3.45 billion (£42.5 million). The expansion has an anticipated completion date of December 2009.

12th May 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Previews Upcoming New Braking System

Continental plans to launch a new-generation electronic brake system in 2011. Named the MK100, this new system will centre around a modular product family possessing a range of functions that can be scaled to suit whatever functionality and level of performance is required, from a motorcycle ABS system with or without an integral braking function right up to high-end ESC electronic stability control designs with powerful, low-pulsation pump variants. Conti believes this design concept will produce added functional value even for price-driven, entry-level versions of the system.

The MK100 ESC system even in its basic form is said to provide precise, comfortable and gentle control interventions, and the system can be readily extended in terms of functionality and performance. The range of safety and assistance functions that, depending on what a vehicle manufacturer specifies, can be incorporated into the MK100 ESC extends from Active Rollover Protection (ARP) via Trailer Stability Assist (TSA), Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Full Speed Range ACC (FSA) through to complex, autonomous overlay functions for stabilising the vehicle. The MK100 also makes servicing much simpler, says Conti – the braking system is permanently monitored by the electronics, which will automatically detect and configure any components that have been exchanged. There is thus no further need for time-consuming calibration procedures, thereby adding to the system’s robustness and reducing time spent in the workshop.

22nd April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Titan Tests New 63-Inch Tyre

Titan International subsidiary Titan Tire Corporation reports it has begun testing its new 63-inch tyre on the company’s newly constructed 24-foot bull wheel. The first 63-inch tyre, built in February 2008, is approximately just over four metres in total diameter and weighs approximately 5.45 tonnes. Titan will test the 63-inch tyre on the bull wheel, loaded with up to 226 tonnes at a speed of up to 45 miles per hour, and this testing will confirm the tyre’s casing and its heat characteristics. Ten days of testing is equivalent to a year of field use, and will allow Titan to know how it will perform before volume production begins.

“There were many who doubted Titan’s ability to produce and test this tyre,” said Titan Chairman and CEO Maurice M. Taylor Jr. “Never underestimate a small entrepreneurial company. This tyre has surpassed all of Titan’s expectations.”

21st April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

World’s Fastest Production Car Takes Record on Michelin Tyres

Shelby SuperCars’ Ultimate Aero, fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tyres, has set a new record of 256.18mph. This, according to Michelin, meant the “Ultimate Aero” is set to be officially recognised as the world’s fastest production car. The SSC Ultimate Aero was clocked at 15mph quicker than the previous titleholder, the Koenigsegg CCR and quicker than the Bugatti Veyron’s unofficial speed claim of 252.55mph. This is the first time that an American manufacturer has held this world title since the iconic Ford GT40 way back in 1967.

Michelin has been the tyre technical partner of Shelby SuperCars since the project was founded by Jerod Shelby seven years ago and has contributed technical advice on suspension design and set up for the Ultimate Aero. The Pilot Sport PS2 tyres fitted for the trial had to withstand speeds up to 257mph on the closed undulating country roads used for the test in Washington State – apparently with little to no wear.

11th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Nankang to Sell Taipei Factory

Nankang is proceeding with the sale of its factory in the Taiwanese capital, Taipei. The facility, located in the city’s Nankang district, mainly engaged in the manufacture of bias tyres and passenger car radials, ceased production in February 2008. The site will be redeveloped according to a Tapei municipal urban redevelopment plan.

8th April 2008/by Tyrepress Editors