(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear has laid off some 15 workers at its corporate offices and technical centre in Akron. Reportedly, the layoffs are connected with the tyremaker’s recent decision to decrease production of private brand lines.
Ziegler Tire & Oil Co. new retread plant in Cincinnati, Ohio, has begun producing 150 truck tyre retreads per day. The production line opened in late May, according to Bill Ziegler. Ziegler Tire has 20 locations altogether and another retread plant in Massillon.
Pirelli Tyre has offered workers a total 3 per cent pay rise in a move that means the manufacturer can avoid strike action at its UK production plants, Tyres & Accessories has learnt. The new offer, which the Transport & General Workers Union described as “improved,” will be phased in from the beginning of 2007. Workers will first receive a 2.2 per cent pay rise in February followed by a further 0.8 per cent in June 2007. The total new pay deal equates to more than double the original 1.1 per cent pay increase Pirelli offered workers in April. “Pirelli believe this to be a sensible agreement which will enable us to move forward from our national dispute and will help to maintain the competitiveness of our industrial operations in the UK,” a Pirelli spokesperson told T&A, commenting on the news.
C-Tyres Ltd, the UK-based manufacturer of the Colway and Greenway brands of retread tyres, points out that more and more off-road enthusiasts enjoy the C-Trax Mud Terrain tyres, with an increasing number of 4×4 users who predominantly drive “off-road” opting for Greenway specialist off road tyres.
John Edwards, former US Senator from North Carolina and vice presidential candidate, has written a letter to Alan Hippe, CEO and president of Continental Tire’s North American (CTNA) expressing his concern over the German company’s alleged violations of US labour laws at the Charlotte, North Carolina plant.
Representatives from Pirelli Tyres UK and unions representing workers at the company’s Burton and Carlisle production plants are to meet. The talks, scheduled for later this week, are seen as an attempt to avoid the planned strike action, which is due to take place on 25 August.
Between January and July 2006, Nizhnekamskshina OJSC increased tyre production by 13.5 per cent compared with the same period of last year to 6.974 million tyres. Russia’s Financial Information Service reports that this number includes 4.173 million tyres for passenger cars, a 9.7 per cent growth compared with the same period of 2005. The company also increased the production of tyres for trucks by 19.7 per cent to 2.585 million; and agricultural tyres by 21 per cent to 204,000. Production of ‘other’ tyres declined by 17.2 per cent to 12,000.
Car designer and customiser, Andy Saunders is back on Guinness World Record breaking form with his latest project. The Turner-prize nominated artist (or should that be Cartist?) aims to retake his own record for building the World’s lowest car as part of the forthcoming celebrations at Beaulieu’s International Autojumble. The prestigious event, now celebrating its fortieth year is held annually at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire, this year on the 9th and 10th September.
A UK tyre crumbing plant that went into administration recently has been purchased for £1 million, by Hargreaves Services plc, a leading energy and waste services provider. Hargreaves Services says the plant, located in Sheffield, has an annual capacity in excess of 50,000 tonnes.
(Akron/Tire Review) The Macomb Daily has reported that General Motors has sued Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., accusing the Akron tyremaker of withholding tyres in an OE tyre pricing dispute. The suit, said the newspaper, was filed in Macomb County Circuit Court. According to the paper, the lawsuit claims Goodyear recently stopped delivering OE tyres for certain GM vehicles. The disagreement apparently stems from Goodyear’s efforts to increase OE contract pricing due to heavy raw material costs burdens.
Tyre maker Amtel-Vredestein N.V. said it is acquiring the Moscow Tyre Plant (MTP) in a deal that will provide it with production capacity to meet growing demand in Russia. The company said it plans to use the facility to manufacture its Amtel and Vredestein brands, which are in short supply due to capacity constraints. Working at full capacity, the Moscow Tire Plant could bring Amtel $66 million to $82 million a year in added sales, the company said in a statement.
Kim Jong Il has visited the newly built Pyongyang Taesong Tyre Factory, in Pyongyang, North Korea. The factory has a total floor space of more than 2,000 square metres and all its production processes are automated.
(Akron/Tire Review) Kumho Tire Co. has officially begun production at its new tyre plant in Tianjin, China, near Beijing. The $210 million plant will have the capacity to produce some 5,25 million tyres per year. Some 50 per cent of the production from the plant will be exported, according to Kumho, while the other half will serve the Chinese automotive and replacement tyre markets.
Over the past two years since the last Reifen show, B&J Rocket, the buffing blade inventor, has developed from a well-known but slightly old-fashioned company, to a young, modern and highly productive manufacturer and sales company, according to general manager Andreas Müller.
The last shift at Dunlop’s Washington UK plant clocked off ahead of schedule on 14 June. The Early April announcement that Dunlop would close the plant came as a “body blow,” to workers, the Sunderland Echo reported, as it followed a similar announcement at nearby Stag Furniture. Dunlop said it is continuing to work alongside Sunderland Council and One North East to help the workers find new employment through the JobCentre.
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