Launched in 2000 by the then UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, the United Nations Global Compact is a global initiative for corporate social responsibility that sets out principles in the areas of human rights, labour standards, environmental protection and anti-corruption. Today the Global Compact boasts over 8,000 signatories from 135 countries; Germany’s Lanxess has now added its name to this list.
During the launch of the Pirelli’s Cinturato P1 tyre earlier in the year, Pirelli showcased a new self-sealing technology currently available in original equipment tyres the Italian brand supplies to Volkswagen. Named “Seal Inside”, the technology allows the tyre to “fix itself in the event of a puncture, allowing the driver to carry on without having to change the wheel,” according to Pirelli. It was developed by Pirelli’s Research Department with the emphasis on safety, helping to maintain the pressure and integrity of a punctured tyre and preventing 85 per cent of the possible causes of a deflation.
Bosses who frown upon Facebook as yet another opportunity for employees to squander precious company time may be surprised to hear it has been embraced by the tyre industry and, as the following example shows, can actually influence which tyres are released onto the market.
On June 30 Prof. Dr. Djoko Said Damardjati ended his three-year tenure as Secretary General of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries and handed the reigns to Dato’ Dr. Kamarul Baharain bin Basir. Following the end of his term, Damardjati has taken up the post of principal scientist in the Centre for Food Crops, part of Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture.
Research by The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders SMMT shows that the average new car emits 15 per cent less CO2 than five years ago. The data also shows that Greater London and the North West saw a fall in the number of registered cars over the last five years. Meanwhile the figures highlighted that proportionally Plymouth has the fewest low-carbon cars, while Leeds is the pinkest town in the UK.
Pirelli has donated items to a charity auction and held a donation-based simulator experience on its stand at Silverstone’s British Grand Prix, raising £6,386 for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. The auction was held on Wednesday 6 July at the F1 Party held at London’s Natural History Museum for the hospital’s Heart and Lung Centre, and Pirelli donated, among other things, a wind tunnel tyre signed by Britain’s last two Formula One World Champions: Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull principal Christian Horner, BBC F1 presenter Jake Humphrey and man about town Vernon Kay were among those in attendance.
On 27 June Karen Bradley, the Conservative MP for Staffordshire Moorlands, asked Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP “what regulations govern the use of tyre bales for land engineering.” While not riveting for those already in the know, their exchange shows that these issues are discussed in the halls of the palace of Westminster and gives some clarity to the interpretation and processes associated with these rules.
Devastating news for the nation’s dogs was handed down by Kwik-Fit on July 8; the beloved practice of keeping cool in summer by winding down the car window – essential for tongue-lolling canines wishing to catch the breeze – may actually put a bigger dent in fuel consumption than turning on the air conditioning.
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.”
Two shortcomings of today’s crop of fully electric vehicles (FEV) are their limited driving range and long charging time – for the majority of motorists this pair of factors outweighs the host of environmental and cost benefits such vehicles offer. Key culprits behind these limitations are vehicle batteries, however improving battery technology alone is no panacea. To unlock the FEV market and reduce “range anxiety”, several leading automotive industry firms have partnered in a European Union co-funded project aimed at optimising how the power provided by existing battery technology is utilised.
The price of fuel is still the biggest headache for transport companies battling to cope with rising costs, with haulage rates failing to keep up, according to a report published by the Freight Transport Association.
FTA's Manager's Guide to Distribution Costs 2011 calculates that the cost of diesel for commercial vehicle fleets rose by 15.6 per cent in the twelve months to 1 April 2011. The second biggest increase was in the cost of overheads, followed by vehicle maintenance. The total rise in vehicle operating costs to 6.8 per cent outstripped the rise in domestic haulage rates, which increased by an average of 3.41 per cent. International haulage rates increased on average by 5.40 per cent.
Roughly a month ago Sailun’s corporate headquarters embarked on an initial public offering (IPO) of A shares, which is said to have raised around 1 billion yuan at the stock exchange. 98 million shares have been sold at around US$1 each, meaning the company now has access to three-digit millions for capital expenditure.
For a second year in a row Team Yokohama has set a record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The Yokohama Rubber racing team’s electric vehicle set a time of 12:20.084 at this year’s event, which took place on June 26; Team Yokohama shaved 57 seconds off its record 2010 performance.
Campaign groups are warning that Government plans to allow longer lorries on UK roads could lead to more road deaths and put small hauliers out of business. But not everyone agrees. Campaign for Better Transport and Freight on Rail – backed by Campaign to Protect Rural England, CTC – the national cyclists' organisation, Friends of the Earth, Living Streets, RoadPeace and Sustrans – warn that contrary to Government claims, plans to increase lorry lengths could lead to six extra road deaths a year, result in more road congestion and lose small and medium sized hauliers up to £1.8 billion over five years. On the other side of the argument, the Freight Transport Association has called on the Government to take a level headed view on longer semi-trailers and asked it not be swayed by "emotive language and unsubstantiated claims" by stakeholders wanting to derail the proposals.
In addition to producing agricultural tyres in China, Swedish manufacturer Trelleborg is engaged in a number of automotive and other sectors. The company counts China as one of its most important individual geographic markets, with net sales there amounting to nearly SEK 1 billion (£97 million) in 2010. Trelleborg operates six wholly-owned production plants in China; the company has now expanded its presence there through the opening of a research and development centre in Shanghai that specialises in offering state-of-the-art technology primarily for noise and vibration-damping brake solutions for passenger vehicles.
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