B&J Rocket has begun manufacturing the successor to its worldwide established B&J RFBOT buffing tool. The Swiss company first presented prototypes of the new Airbot series at this year’s Reifen show in Germany, and it says customer feedback was enthusiastic; greater efficiency, considerably shorter buffing times and greater longevity due to better cooling were arguments that convinced visitors at the B&J Rocket booth and led to the first pre-orders.
Some 55 hourly employees at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s plant in Danville, Va., are being laid off, according to local reports. In an article on DoDanRiver.com, Goodyear currently has about 2,300 employees. The layoff is happening across all departments, rather than affecting a single product line.
Shafagat Takhautdinov, general director of Russian firm Tatneft, reported on 25 August that production capacity at the company’s Nizhnekamskshina plant is expected to increase by “one and a half times” to 4.5 million tyres in the near future. This capacity boost will be facilitated by the installation of Maxx assembly machinery supplied by Dutch manufacturer VMI; the equipment is scheduled to be delivered to Nizhnekamskshina by the end of this year. Installation of the Maxx machinery is part of a wider plan to replace “outdated tyres” with the production of a new generation tyres at the Nizhnekamskshina facility, Takhautdinov shared.
During 2011, some 4.8 million tonnes of tyres were manufactured in Europe, a figure representing 24 per cent of the global total. Overall tyre production levels within the region were 6.6 per cent higher than in 2010. European replacement market sales totaled 301.7 million units during the year, an increase of 4.41 per cent over 2010 levels; replacement passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyre sales came to 289 million units, up 4.21 per cent, and replacement commercial vehicle tyre sales amounted to 12.6 million units, a 9.1 per cent year-on-year increase.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has introduced new policy guidelines covering the country’s retreading industry and waste tyre utilisation. These include directives regarding where a retreading facility may and may not be set up – no new retreading plants are to be established in environmentally sensitive areas – and also calls for greater consistency in the production process and with production equipment plus the implementation of product quality control systems and testing equipment in line with national and industry standards.
Bridgestone has sold its 11 hectare former factory site in Christchurch, New Zealand for an undisclosed sum. Production ended at the Papanui factory in late 2009 and the land was placed on sale last year, minus a 1.3 hectare chunk given to Christchurch City Council for flood protection.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries reports that its 100 per cent owned subsidiary, Sumitomo Rubber (Thailand), held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new agricultural tyre factory in Thailand on 2 August. The plant, which is currently under construction in the Amata City Industrial Estate, Rayong Province, will be Sumitomo’s first agricultural tyre factory outside of Japan. It is being set up with a total investment of some 10 billion yen (£80 million) and is scheduled to enter production in May 2014. The 130,000 square metre facility should produce around 50,000 tyres a month by the end of 2017.
On 16 July, Ford presented Hofmann Power Weight with its Q1 Award in recognition of the quality of the balance weights supplied to Ford and the reliability of Hofmann’s delivery. The Q1 Award is the highest designation Ford gives its suppliers, and is awarded solely to suppliers who satisfy the car manufacturer’s strict requirements in terms of quality, on-time delivery and material management, whilst at the same time achieving a high technical standard.
In a disclosure submitted to the Korea Stock Exchange, Kumho Tire reports that the strike announced on 16 August is already over. The tyre maker says normal production resumed at both its Gwangju and Gokseong plants in South Korea on 17 August. Kumho Tire shares rose 3.6 per cent following this announcement.
The popularity of cars such as the Range Rover Evoque has led Jaguar Land Rover to introduce 24-hour working at its Halewood production plant. 1000 new jobs were created to support the new third shift at the plant, which has trebled its workforce in the past three years and staff from the first night shift clocked off on the morning of Tuesday 14 August 2012.
In response to marketplace concerns, Pirelli Tire North America has reassured its customers that the tyre maker doesn’t intend to cease production of 16.5-inch slick and rain motorcycle tyres. In a statement, the company’s Moto Road Racing manager Jeff Johnston said “Pirelli is committed to servicing the North America market now and in the future with 16.5-inch racing tyres. Our road racing distributors stock these slick and rain tyres in the latest constructions and compounds…as a worldwide leader in motorcycle road racing tyres sales and service, we maintain one of the broadest selections of performance products for both amateur and professional racing enthusiasts.”
Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. reported net income of $86.6 million for the first half of 2012, against total sales of $2.04 billion for the period, Tire Review reports. The first half sales were up compared to $1.82 billion for the same period in 2011, and net income surpassed last year’s $32.9 million.
The China Rubber Industry Association reports that 83.147 million tyres were produced in China during June 2012; this figure represents a 19 per cent year-on-year growth and an increase of 8.53 per cent over May 2012. During the first six months of 2012, China's tyre production reached 430.53 million units, a growth of 12.3 per cent over the first half of 2011.
Accuride Wheels has unveiled a new proprietary, multi-step, post-production treatment process that texturises, anodises and seals the surface of aluminium wheels. According to the Accuride Corp. subsidiary, this new ‘Accu-Armor’ treatment gives aluminium wheels highly a high level of resistance to scratching and scuffing and filiform corrosion from the high- and low-pH chemicals commonly used in truck washes, and common chemicals used in de-icing road surfaces. Accu-Armor aluminium wheels also are said to be durable under extended exposure to heat and UV light, will not chalk or fade, and are easy to clean.
At a ceremony held earlier this month, Porsche AG honoured its ten best suppliers from last year with a Porsche Supplier Award 2011. On this exclusive list of top suppliers was Pirelli, who was acknowledged in the production material category.
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