Michelin is continuing to recall up to 73,645 truck tyres in North America. This is a continuation of a recall that was first announced 30 April 2012. Originally it was thought that 77,000 tyres were affected. While any of the tyres made on the affected production runs could potentially display the defect only 0.25 per cent has done so at this point.
In response to economic conditions, Goodyear Tire & Rubber is considering closing down production at its Fayetteville, US plant for a week in August. Plant spokesman Richard Evans told media that discussions have been held about the possibility of “taking production days out” if the market doesn’t improve. According to Evans, closing down production on certain days would be done to “reduce the inventory level because of a soft market.” Goodyear has not made any official statement regarding a temporary closure at Fayetteville, and it is not known which week the plant may close.
Yokohama-shod Jarkko Nikara claimed his first class victory, four minutes ahead of the next Production Cup driver, in the 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge Production Cup, claiming fifth overall on the San Marino Rally. Nikara and co-driver Jarkko Kalliolepo led the event from the first stage in their Tommi Makinen Racing Subaru Impreza R4 and claimed the Japanese brand's first event win of 2012 with a margin of more than four minutes.
On 10 July, the general director of Pirelli Tyre Russia and Pirelli S.p.A. chief procurement officer, Carlo Costa, met with Voronezh Region governor Alexey Gordeyev to discuss plans for the Voronezh Tyre Plant, which the Italian tyre maker acquired together with Russian Technologies earlier this year. During the meeting, Costa revealed that Pirelli will invest in modernising the facility with a view to producing Pirelli-branded tyres there from 2014.
According to local news reports, Yokohama intends to more than double production in the Philippines by 2017. The Philippine Daily Inquirer writes that the tyre maker’s local subsidiary, Yokohama Tire Philippines, Inc., plans to increase output from its current daily level of 21,000 units to 50,000 tyres a day within five years. This news is said to have been announced by Philippine trade undersecretary Merly M. Cruz.
All eight of Cooper Tire & Rubber’s global manufacturing facilities are producing to ISO 9001:2008 standard following the certification of the company’s subsidiary in Kruševac, Serbia. Certification of the former Trayal plant, which officially came into Cooper hands on 17 January, was described by Kruševac plant manager Peter Salmon as marking “another step in making Serbia a globally competitive manufacturing facility.”
India’s tyre industry may be in for a lacklustre few months, reports The Economic Times. According to the financial daily, Indian tyre industry organisation the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association expects orders from original equipment customers to be lower until about October. Association director general Rajiv Budhraja said the ATMA is “concerned about the falling orders from different manufacturers.” In May 2012, car sales grew a modest 2.78 per cent and truck and bus sales dropped 11 per cent. “The weak consumer sentiment in the market has further impacted prospects with some significant drop in demand from the replacement market," Budhraja added.
Titan International has named Paul Hawkins the new head of its subsidiary Titan Mining Services. Hawkins, who previously served in OTR sales and production at Titan Tire Corporation, will report directly to Titan International CEO Maurice Taylor in his new role. “Paul understands the complete range of products and what needs to be done as Titan expands into this new venture,” commented Taylor upon announcing Hawkins’ appointment.
This month the Nizhnekamsk Truck Tire Factory (OOO NZGSH), which is part of OAO TATNEFT's petrochemical business, manufactured its 70 millionth tyre. Production at the Nizhnekamsk truck tyre factory began in April 1978, and the 70 millionth tyre was timed to coincide with Chemist's Day and the 80th birthday of Nikolay Alexandrovich Zelenov, the first director of the Nizhnekamsk tyre factory, and now adviser to the chairman of the company’s Board of Directors of OOO "Nizhnekamskshina". The milestone tyre was a Kamaz truck tyre.
The China Rubber Industry Association reports that Double Coin is aiming to raise its annual all-steel truck radial production to 1.8 million units. The company is said to be accelerating work on its new factory, which is now expected to go on stream later this year.
Alcoa Wheel & Transportation Products (AWTP) has announced that its line of wheel products are now Silver Cradle to Cradle Certified CM. The award is a result of the company’s material choices and production processes, which the global sustainability consulting firm behind the certificate – McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry – deems environmentally safe and healthy. The recyclable nature of aluminium was also cited as a reason for Alcoa’s accreditation. The company’s wheels are the first products in the transportation industry to receive certification from the Cradle to Cradle Certified CM programme, a fact that Alcoa says can be attributed to the sustainable characteristics of its aluminium.
A newly created joint venture between USON’s leak testers and Innovative Products and Equipment’s automation systems expertise, USON-Innovative Systems (UIS), has resulted in a single source turnkey solution for semi-automated and fully automated leak testing applications.
Philippa Oldham, head of transport and manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, welcomed Vauxhall’s decision on the new Astra production. “This is welcome news for Merseyside, and for UK manufacturing as a whole. The UK car manufacturing industry is seeing a much needed renaissance, leading to the UK’s first trade surplus since the 70s.”
In order to place a greater focus upon its core businesses, Bridgestone has elected to withdraw from the electronic paper market. The company also indicates that increasing competition and rapidly declining prices in the liquid crystal panel business played a role in its decision. At present the exact timing for Bridgestone’s exit from the business has yet to be determined, however the Japanese manufacturer says it expects to conclude its production of electronic paper by the end of October 2012.
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has appointed Mitch Burke plant manager at its Warren County, Tennessee truck and bus tyre factory. Burke has been with Bridgestone Americas since 1989, starting his career as a junior engineer at the Warren County plant. Subsequently, he served in numerous engineering and management roles of increasing responsibility, including positions as quality coordinator, section manager, operations manager, area business manager, division manager of Truck Bus Radial Technical Services, and, most recently, division manager, Operations.
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