The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has released its annual report; 2011 figures show that the UK’s car manufacturing sector rose 5.8 per cent on 2010’s full year. Meanwhile commercial vehicle manufacturing fell by 1.4 per cent to 121,312 in 2011. In December figures, car output rose 1.6 per cent, which CV figures were down 2.7 per cent. UK engine production rose by 4.9 per cent to 2,504,054 in 2011, despite a 1.3 per cent decline in December.
The 20th Taiwan Excellence Award was held recently; the aim of the event is to enhance the brand image and reputation of Taiwanese firms and products in the wider, global business arena, showcasing product and technological innovation.
Federal Tire was one of those companies honoured for its innovative products. The awards are made, based on four criteria, namely R&D, design, quality and marketing and a product has to score well in every category in order to advance to the next stage of judgment.
Yokohama Rubber has announced four senior management changes. The first of these to take effect is Hirohisa Hazama’s relinquishing of his position as general manager of Yokohama’s Tire R&D department. This change took effect 1 January 2012. Hazama will continue in his existing roles as corporate officer and general manager of the Tire Global Technical division. Yokohama has not named a successor for the Tire R&D role.
A collaboration between Italian engineering company Stema Service Srl and Control Techniques Italy has resulted in a substantial contract with one of Italy’s “leading tyre manufacturing groups.” According to the companies, the project, with Unidrive SP AC drives used throughout, has produced energy savings, increased production and resulted in a reduction in maintenance costs.
Hamburg based Yxlon International, a leading supplier of industrial X-ray inspection and computed tomography (CT) solutions, is to build a high-energy CT system for a leading tyremaker’s development centre in the US.
In addition to X-ray inspection for final checks in tyre production, there is now also increasing use being made of CT in tyre development. The non-destructive, three-dimensional analysis of the tyre enables a wealth of detailed information to be gained about its inner structures. In order to realistically reproduce the tyre’s behaviour on the road, a special tyre-loading unit forms part of the CT system.
In November, Hankook Tyre UK marks quarter of a century of working in partnership with Irish tyre wholesaler Tractamotors Ltd. At a commemorative event organised for Tractamotors, Hankook Tyre UK managing director Tony Lee stated “it gives us great pleasure to celebrate such a successful and highly valued partnership with Tractamotors. Broth brands have grown considerably over the past 25 years and we hope that our partnership will go from strength to strength in the years to come.”
A team of NASA scientists have been honoured for a development that has the potential to further increase tyre safety. The scientists, which are based at NASA’s Langley Research Center, were named winners of the 49th Annual R&D 100 Award for their work in developing the “SansEC Temperature Sensor.”
Ningbo, China-based petrochemical manufacturer Keyuan Petrochemicals reports entering into an agreement with the Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Company to jointly develop commercial applications for Solution Polymerisation Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SSBR). The formal agreement was signed on June 28 and under its terms researchers from both companies will work together on SSBR projects over the coming few years. Both firms will share the rights to products and technologies developed from this cooperation. Keyuan Petrochemicals states that any successfully developed SSBR will be manufactured within the Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) facility it is currently building. This Ningbo, Zhejiang Province plant is expected to be complete at the end of 2011.
During the month of January Michelin is bringing two new motorcycle tyres designed for road use to market. Spearheading this portfolio expansion is the eagerly awaited Pilot Road 3 for sport touring bikes. Michelin states this new product has been designed to deliver superior grip in all conditions of use – whether on wet or damp – as well as offer outstanding total mileage. The tyre, the manufacturer adds, reflects Michelin’s across-the-board R&D strategy of improving individual tyre performance characteristics without sacrificing others. In this instance, engineers at the Michelin Technology Center “developed X Sipe Technology” (XST), which integrates dual-action sipes into the tread. How this works, Michelin explains, is that the sipe ribs first cut through the surface of the water, which is then evacuated faster and more effectively toward the outside of the tyre through wide grooves.
Thanks to a combination of bad weather and economic gloom, most sectors of the motorcycle and scooter tyre replacement industry suffered during 2010. So it is good to hear of one manufacturer reporting a large growth in sales. This manufacturer is the maker of Sava tyres. And while Bike Tyrestore, the UK trade distributor for the Slovenian produced brand, comments that Sava is not yet a “household name”, it notes that its products are approaching dominance in the UK motor scooter replacement tyre market and Sava is also making strong progress in the fields of light motorcycle and on/off road tyre sales.
Trelleborg has reported signing an agreement with the European Investment Bank for an 80 million euro long term-loan. This loan, the Swedish company explains, is intended to finance a part of Trelleborg’s expenditures for selected research and development projects in number of European countries extending out into 2012. These research and development projects focus on the further development of advanced polymer technology and related products to seal, damp and protect in demanding environments.
The UK's automotive components industry is at a critical "tipping point" and could vanish by the middle of the decade without urgent action, members of the Welsh Automotive Forum were warned. It wouldn't run down gradually but, like a ship sinking, would suddenly vanish, said Prof. Garel Rhys, chairman of WAF. "In 2008 the automotive manufacturing sector employed more than 163,000 people but two years later it was down to 116,000 – that's a 28 per cent cut and an absolute blood letting," he said speaking at WAF's winter networking dinner.
On April 20 Bekaert open its first research and development centre outside of Belgium. The Asia Research and Development Center in China’s Jiangsu Province is intended to strengthen the company’s “commitment to develop and supply innovative products to Asian customers while enhancing its technological leadership in the region.”
On December 3, a year and a week after its foundation stone was laid, Continental inaugurated a new office building for its Automotive Group R&D centre employees in the Romanian city of Iasi. The 9,000 square metre premises was erected at a cost of around 20 million euros, and will host the research and engineering brains behind all three of the Automotive Group’s divisions: Chassis & Safety, Powertrain, and Interior. Development activities at the new site will range from electronic brake systems and chassis components to hybrid electric drives and body and security as well as infotainment. In total, approximately 450 people are currently employed at the site.
Lanxess has begun moving its Canada based butyl research and development centre into a new premises attached to the University of Western Ontario. The relocation to the city of London, which will see more than 100 staff from Lanxess’s operations in nearby Sarnia transfer to the new site, was announced in mid-2008 and gives the chemical company the opportunity to gain easier access to scientists at the university.
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