raw materials Archives - Page 42 of 88 - Tyrepress

Raw Materials

Posts

Retread, recycle, repair – Kal Tire discusses the ‘three Rs’

It’s now more than two years since the Kal Tire Mining Tire Group acquired a majority shareholding in Derbyshire-based OTR Tyres, and the company says retreading at its Alfreton facility shows that despite increasing raw material costs and a major shortage of good, retreadable casings, demand for a quality product still exists. In the past 12 months Kal Tire’s UK retreading plant utilised in excess of 1.3 million pounds (590,000 kilogrammes) of rubber compound in the retreading of more than 3,000 off-road tyres.

22nd February 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Report identifies economies of scale as key to Russian tyre growth

A new report published by TechSci Research suggests that economies of scale will benefit tyre manufacturers working in Russia, with cheaper raw materials, lower energy costs and the availability of cheaper labour factors over the next five years. In addition the country has a developing domestic market for premium tyres as its car parc increases. Karan Chechi, research director at TechSci Research argues: “Economies of scale would benefit the major global tyre manufacturers in Russia by limiting their restraints. The exponentially increasing demand from OEM and aftermarket will continue to drive the Russian tyre industry landscape in coming years.”

20th February 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Rhodia claims labelling improvements with latest Zeosil silica

With EU tyre labelling legislation due to come into effect on 1 November, silica supplier Rhodia believes its Zeosil branded ranges of highly dispersible silica (HDS) will continue to develop as key components in providing better performing, safer and fuel-efficient tyres worldwide. “The new tyre labelling [legislation] draws attention to three basic criteria, two of which are directly linked and influenced by silica,” says Christian Léger, silica global business director for Rhodia.

16th February 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Indonesia to form ‘mega’ rubber company

Indonesia's government plans to invest US$5.6 billion consolidating 15 state-owned businesses into a large single rubber and palm oil company. The Jakarta Globe reports that the 15 businesses, which last year generated combined sales of some $4.5 billion, will be consolidated under parent company PT Perkebunan Nusantara III. The planned Indonesian merger echoes the plantation merger that occurred in Malaysia in 2008, when the government there combined three state-owned planters to form Sime Darby.

13th February 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin claims strategic validation in 2011 financial report

Michelin announced its full financial year report for 2011 today, its board claiming a vindication of its strategy in the process. The company produced “extraordinary results” according to chief financial officer Marc Henry, who presented the results in a conference call with managing partners, Michel Rollier and Jean-Dominique Senard. Alongside increased sales volume (up 6.7 per cent) and a 39 per cent increase in net income, the manufacturer’s management set its sights on a 2.5 billion euro profit goal by 2015. Michelin said it would capitalise on its competitive strength in speciality tyres, including “world leadership” of the earthmover segment and European leader in Agricultural tyres, with a new 40,000-tonne EMOTR plant in the near future, though a location has yet to be decided. Rollier also announced details of the completion of Senard’s succession, announced last year and due to be completed at the Annual Meeting on 11 May.

10th February 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Managing supply the greatest challenge for 2012, says Yokohama’s King

Last year was a “very challenging year” for Yokohama Tire Corporation, reports Dan King, senior vice-president of sales and marketing at Yokohama’s North American operation. King describes the North American consumer tyre market as being “basically flat” and says in light of this Yokohama was pleased to have grown in all segments of its business.

10th February 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Clemson University 2012 Tire Conference

Clemson University in the USA announces the 28th Annual Tire Industry Conference, which is being held between April 18–20, 2012 at Westin Resort and Spa, Hilton Head, South Carolina.

9th February 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Ceat to open Bangladesh plant within two years

On 8 February Indian tyre maker Ceat Ltd informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its Board of Directors has agreed on plans to establish a new facility in Bangladesh. The plant will be capable of producing 65 tonnes of tyres per day, the BSE filing stated.

9th February 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

ANRPC: 2011 production up 6.4%

The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) reports that Q1 2012 Production Growth is expected to marginally increase by 0.3 per cent. During 2011ANRPC's total production rose 6.7 per cent to 10.127 million tons, faster than the 6.4 per cent rate expected until a month ago. The upward revision results from a better-than-expected output from Vietnam for the year. The country produced 811,600 tons of NR in 2011 as against 780,000 tons as anticipated earlier and 751,700 tons produced in the year before.

7th February 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Lanxess expands India production, opens head office

It’s been almost two years since Lanxess’ Jhagadia production site in India began supplying antioxidants to tyre industry customers, and now the range of products manufactured there has been expanded. Lanxess subsidiary Rhein Chemie has established a facility in Jhagadia for the production of the pre-dispersed rubber additive Rhenogran and the environmentally-friendly release agent Rhenodiv in Jhagadia. The plant was formerly located in Madurai, in India’s Tamil Nadu state, and is one of three new units being set up in Jhagadia. In total, Lanxess has invested more than 70 million euros there and created 300 new jobs. Jhagadia is Lanxess’ second largest production site in India after its site in Nagda in Madhya Pradesh state, and covers an area of 18-hectares.

31st January 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Keyuan SBS line enters production

China’s Keyuan Petrochemicals has announced that one of the production lines for Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) at its new plant in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, has commenced commercial production. Keyuan conducted tests on the line in the final quarter of last year following completion of its new 70,000 tonne SBS production facility in September 2011. The first line entered commercial production in December and the company says that during the quarter it produced 2,733 tonnes and sold 2,623 tonnes of the substance used by tyre makers.

30th January 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Chinese group invests in Sierra Leone rubber

According to Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries estimates, in 2012 China will produce some 750,000 tonnes of natural rubber, an increase of around six per cent on last year. Yet during the same period the country is expected to consume 3,610,000 tonnes of the commodity. To help meet this huge demand for imported natural rubber, China’s Hainan Natural Rubber Industry Group has signed an agreement with Sierra Leone, a deal expected to be the largest agricultural investment in the West African country’s history.

24th January 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone raises European retread material prices

Bridgestone Europe is to roll out a new round of price increases for retread materials across Europe during the first quarter of 2012. Starting on 1 March and varying from country to country, price increases will average 10 per cent for Bridgestone and Bandag pre-cure tread products and 8 per cent for Bandag cushion gum products.

13th January 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Fendt gives Mitas four A rating

AGCO has awarded its highest supplier rating to Mitas for deliveries of farm tyres from January to December 2011. The Mitas-produced brand Continental is a standard fitment in four out of six AGCO’s model series – for example Fendt 924-930 Vario. According to the company, AGCO evaluates its suppliers’ quality, logistics, customer service and protection of the environment, in all of which Mitas received the highest grade. Mitas has received the overall A award annually since acquiring production of Continental farm tyres in 2004.

13th January 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Despite tsunami, Yokohama ready for next phase of ‘GD 100’ in 2012

Yasushi Tanaka, who took over as president and CEO of Yokohama Tire Corporation in July 2011, reports that parent company Yokohama Rubber is ready to commence the third phase of its ‘Grand Design 100’ plan this year, a plan he is credit as being co-architect and co-founder of. This penultimate phase is scheduled to be acted upon until 2015, when the fourth and final phase will come into effect and be carried out over a two-year period before concluding in time for the company’s centenary in 2017.

10th January 2012/by Tyrepress Editors