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Sibur’s Yaroslavl Plant Granted International Certification

Sibur Russian Tyres’ Yaroslavl Tyre Plant has been awarded ISO/TS 16949:2002 certification. The attainment of this independent certification, which specifies the quality system requirements for the design, development, production, installation and servicing of automotive related products, will permit the factory to participate in the submission of tenders for the supply of original equipment tyres to international vehicle manufacturers.

3rd October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

What A Bunch Of Posers

The tyre industry has always produced its fair share of calendars, from the internationally-famous Pirelli calendar to other, not quite so well-known productions. The latest offering comes from Guildford Tyre Company and it’s fair to say that it is not likely to be mistaken for Pirelli’s offering. Forget Kate Moss, so long Penelope Cruz; when it comes to models, every expense has been spared, as the stars of Guildford Tyre’s calendar are – the company’s own tyre fitters (and director Matt Sunderland).

It’s all in a good cause, as the calendar is being sold in aid of the Marie Curie Cancer Care appeal, which provides quality nursing to cancer sufferers free of charge. Heather Elson, of Guildford Tyre, says that the company is hoping to raise over £20,000 from the project.

27th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Siemens VDO Brings Piezo TPMS Technology to IAA

While many attended the IAA in Frankfurt to admire the crisp styling of the latest vehicle models and concept cars, for others the technology lying beneath the skin of a car is every bit as beautiful. To satisfy the cravings of these technophiles, a number of companies chose the motor show as a venue for showing off tomorrow’s standard features.

Amongst these was Siemens VDO, who brought its next generation, battery free piezo element tyre pressure monitoring system to Frankfurt. Integrating the sensor, communications system, identification electronics and processing in a single module located directly in the tyre, the Intelligent Tire System (ITS) automatically detects tyre data and transfers the data to the system controls. When necessary, the driver receives critical tyre information, such as the tyre pressure and the vehicle’s load status. To support the optimised functioning of these systems, important tyre status information also can be transmitted to other electronic vehicle systems, such as the braking assistant, stability control, or the drive control system.

20th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Factory Produces 50 Millionth Tyre

The 50 millionth tyre has rolled off the production line at Continental’s Timisoara tyre plant. The Romanian factory manufactures tyres in 13”, 14”, 15” and 16” rim sizes for the European replacement market as well as for a wide range of manufacturers in the automotive industry. The factory opened in October 2000, stretching across 165.000 m² and now employs 1100 people. Timisoara manufactures more than 40,000 tyres a day. Production volume has grown from 1.2 million tyres in 2001 to more than 10 million tyres in 2006.

As part of Continental’s focus on environmentally friendly tyres and production, Timisoara is the only manufacturing plant in Romania to be accepted onto the European Registry of Environmental Protection in Brussels. The factory is also equipped with a modern environmentally friendly boiler house where methane gas fuelled boilers transform water into industrial steam for the tyre production process.

20th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Bringing OEM Standards into the Workshop

Bus and Commercial vehicle maintenance facilities around the country are facing increased demand to follow the manufacturers’ recommended specifications on a wide range of bus and chassis components and sub systems. In response to a number of potentially catastrophic events, proper wheel tightening has become a critical procedure. Thanks to Chicago Pneumatic and its BlueTork range of tools – the name comes from ‘Blueprint’ and ‘Torque’ – workshops can now service vehicles back to their original, blueprint torque specification.

According to the company, the BlueTork range is the most advanced family of fastening tools in the industry and takes over where standard impacts and ratchets stop. The range offers torque-limiting (shut-off) impact tools, vibration-free, low-noise pneumatic and electric nut runners as well as wheel assembly machines. It also includes torque and angle measuring equipment, computer controlled tightening wrenches and precision measuring tools.

18th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

ArvinMeritor Announce 13-Plant Restructuring Plan

ArvinMeritor has announced it’s consolidating its three North American ride control facilities into one, including the closure of its Toronto, Ontario original equipment shock absorber operation, and its Chickasha, Oklahoma packaging and distribution centre. The 700-person closure is part of a previously announced restructuring plan affecting 2,800 employees from 13 North American and European plants.

14th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Amtel-Povolzhye Receives ISO 14001 and 16949

Amtel-Vredestein’s Amtel-Povolzhye (Kirov) Tyre Complex has received the ISO 14001:2004 Ecology Certificate and the Certificate of Accordance with the ISO/TS 16949:2002 quality standard.

Amtel-Povolzhye is the first tyre plant in Russia to receive the Certificate in Quality Management according to the ISO/TS 16949:2002 standard. This Certificate is given as the result of the following criteria: the plant meets international standards of safety requirements, implements improvements in technological processes on an on-going basis, and guarantees reliable high quality production.

13th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Amtel-Vredestein Postpones Eurobond Issue

Amtel-Vredestein N.V., has postponed plans to issue a previously announced 150 million euro Eurobond due to “adverse market conditions.” Instead, it plans to investigate a range of other funding options with Nomura International plc and other financial institutions.

“While a Eurobond may be an effective financial instrument, current market conditions are not optimal and an issue at this time could potentially restrict our pursuit of a more comprehensive financing programme,” said new CEO Peter Zolotarev. “Over the past several years, Amtel-Vredestein has expanded its production and distribution platform, and nearly completed its modernisation programme. We are currently re-visiting the Company’s development strategy and our first priority must be to strengthen the balance sheet to ensure long-term sustainability, profitability and stakeholder value.”

4th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Proceeding with New Recruits in Romania

The increases to Continental’s workforce in Romania, announced last November by board member Thomas Sattelberger, appear to be getting underway sooner that first anticipated. The first 500 will most likely be employed within a few months, with another thousand taken on before the end of next year. The German tyremaker operates six facilities within the country, and according to Ildiko Kovacs, Continental Romania’s PR coordinator, the first intake of new recruits will be distributed between the company’s Timisoara, Sibiu, Carei and Arad plants.

Most new workers will be employed in the production sector, although a number of engineers and related specialists are also required. The employment of new staff forms part of the company’s plans to increase capacity across the board. According to 2006 figures from Romania’s finance ministry, Continental has invested in excess of a quarter of a billion euros into its operations in Romania.

31st August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Revised BFNAT Pay Plan Rejected

Workers at the Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire facility in La Vergne voted strongly against a revised contract with the tyremaker on August 23, placing a question mark over the future of the plant and its almost 1,200 non-salaried workers. Employees voted 488 to 225 against a proposal containing provision for an incentive-pay plan linking potential income with productivity.

“We are disappointed. We believe this vote was critical to the plant’s future,” Bridgestone spokesman Dan MacDonald said. “To be successful in a fiercely competitive global economy this plant needs to improve productivity. It is not at a level to make us globally competitive. We don’t set the rules, the marketplace does.” MacDonald added that decisions about the factory would need to be made “down the road.”

President of the local United Steelworkers branch, Gary Manning, said the vote against the contract was no surprise. “Workers didn’t have any real assurances that this would really protect the plant,” Manning said. “The biggest problem here was not knowing what the numbers (would) be, how much these workers would be expected to do and under what terms.”

29th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Moscow Tyre Plant Produces Millionth Amtel tyre

Approximately a year after its acquisition by Russia’s leading passenger car tyre producer, Amtel-Vredestein’s Moscow Tyre Plant has manufactured its millionth Amtel brand tyre. Production of Amtel branded products began a month after the facility was acquired by Amtel-Vredestein in August 2006, and since that time both monthly output and product range have gradually increased. Amtel-Vredestein reports that 18 types of tyre are now produced in the factory, including four popular Amtel NordMaster2 models.

24th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Gajah Tunggal Sales Up on Back of Increased Michelin Orders

Indonesia’s Gajah Tunggal is expected to achieve sales of IDR6.3 trillion (£337 million) in 2007, rising by approximately 17 per cent over the IDR5.4 trillion (£289 million) recorded in 2006. The anticipation of higher sales is based upon the increased level of orders from Michelin this year, 2.3 million units compared with 1.3 million in 2006.

23rd August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Market Growth Stymied, Says RMA

(Akron/Tire Review) The RMA says it expects 2007 tyre shipments to “decrease slightly” due to continued weakening in the OE market. In its revised forecast, the RMA says the replacement market is up slightly, but not enough to offset decreased OE demand. The RMA now sees replacement market shipments up almost 2 per cent, but OE markets will be down about 8 per cent overall.

Segment by segment, the RMA sees:

• OE Passenger Tyres: Decrease by approximately 4.5 per cent in 2007 to 46.0 million units from 48.2 million units in 2006, due to decreases in domestic light vehicle sales and production.

• OE Light Truck Tyres: Decrease of approximately 12 per cent or 600,000 units from 2006 levels, due to more light trucks being fitted with P-metric tyres rather than LT-metric units.

• OE Medium/Wide-Base/Heavy Truck Tyres: Due to reduced new truck sales, the forecast has been revised downward to a 29 per cent decrease for 2007, or nearly 4.8 million units in total, or approximately 2 million units less then the 6.8 million units shipped in 2006.

20th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Net Sales Up, Net Income Down at Toyo

Toyo Tire & Rubber has made public its consolidated business results for the first quarter of the 2007 fiscal year (April 1, 2007 to June 30, 2007). The company reports that, due to the strong performance of the tyre business in overseas markets, net sales rose by 8,895 million yen (£37.2 million) to 82,777 million yen (£345.7 million), a 12 per cent increase on the first quarter of the 2006 fiscal year. Operating income increased 22.2 per cent to 4,217 million yen (£17.6 million), ordinary income was up 54.3 per cent to 4,240 million yen (£17.7 million). Net income, however, decreased 55.3 per cent or 4,498 million yen (£18.8 million) to 3,632 million yen (£15.2 million).

Net sales within the company’s tyre segment increased by 8,608 million yen (£35.9 million) to 58,468 million yen (£244.2 million), an increase of 17.3 per cent. From this figure, OE tyre sales declined below last year’s first quarter level, a drop the company attributes to decreased production of car lines equipped with Toyo’s products. In the domestic Japanese market demand was slow, however Toyo’s “vigorous” efforts to boost sales resulted in sales equivalent to the levels of the same period of the previous year. Meanwhile, the volume of overseas sales, centring mainly on the North American market, comfortably surpassed the levels of the same period of the previous year. This increase, combined with the weaker yen, ensured higher net sales than for the previous period last year. Operating income increased by 27.9 per cent or 890 million yen (£3.7 million) over Q1 2006 to 4,075 million yen (£17.0 million).

13th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Accuride Posts Muted Quarter Results

Vehicle component manufacturer Accuride Corporation has published details of the company’s second quarter (to June 30) results. Net sales of US$245.1 million were recorded during the quarter, a sizeable drop from the $361.7 million earned during the same quarter of 2006. Half year net sales, at $570.6 million, were similarly lower than the previous year’s result, when net sales of $721.7 million were recorded between January and June. The company attribute the lower sales to a reduced demand for commercial vehicles with engines compliant with new emissions standards that came into effect in 2007.

“As expected, significant reductions in commercial vehicle production have impacted our results in the quarter as demand for vehicles with EPA compliant engines was weak,” said Accuride chairman and CEO Terry Keating. “We have anticipated this downturn fairly well so far and are using this period of reduced production levels to invest in core businesses and undertake necessary maintenance. These actions ensure we are well positioned for the upswing in the cycle in 2008 and beyond.”

9th August 2007/by Tyrepress Editors