(Akron/Tire Review) Sean E. Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies, is calling for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to investigate the effectiveness of Firestone ATX and Wilderness AT consumer replacement programs in 2000 and 2001 and launch another consumer notification programme.
Standard & Poor’s Equity Research analyst Efraim Levy has reduced his earnings estimates for Goodyear Tire & Rubber, saying that raw material costs will have a greater impact on the company than was originally thought. He cut the second-quarter and full-year 2006 earnings estimates on Goodyear to 36 cents and $1.29 per share, respectively, from 43 cents and $1.51. Levy said he expects the company to be cash-flow negative in 2006 and he lowered the target price on Goodyear shares to $14 from $17.
2006 has seen ArvinMeritor Light Vehicle Aftermarket embark on a major new parts development programme. During the first quarter of the year 55 exhaust and 30 catalytic converter references were added to an already market leading range, providing a further 100 model applications. With plans in place to accelerate the development programme, by year end the company aim to have added a total of 400 new references.
Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner scored a victory in the 2006 Le Mans 24 Hours in front of 235,000 spectators. Audi has effectively succeeded in its bold bid to win the world’s most demanding endurance race with diesel technology. And Michelin rose to the challenge to join its partner on the top of the podium, its ninth consecutive victory at Le Mans. The French tyre firm was also successful in the LMGT1 category with Chevrolet Corvette and in LMP2 with the RML-run Lola.
Pirelli also came away with honours after the LNT British team, Panoz Esperante, won the LMGT2 category. Pirelli took the LMGT2 title with Yokohama-equipped teams following in second and fifth places in the same category.
Experian, the global information solutions company, has launched a unique new service for the UK tyre industry in partnership with DriveRight, the global supplier of wheel and tyre data. Tyre Identifier is a new development allowing the UK automotive industry to access comprehensive tyre data instantly and accurately so that it can identify the correct replacement tyre for any given UK passenger car.
DriveRight holds an extensive database of over 9,000 specific vehicle platforms for aftermarket wheel and tyre retailers, distributors and manufacturers, which has been incorporated into Experian’s comprehensive vehicle database to create Tyre Identifier.
(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin Retread Technologies has introduced the Michelin XDA Hypersipe tread stock, which it claims is the “first self-regenerating retread.” As the tread wears, Michelin North America said, sipes molded into the bottom of the tread appear “giving improved worn traction over the life of the retread.”
(Akron/Tire Review) Rapra Technology, a wholly owned European subsidiary of the Smithers Group, an independent testing, consulting and research organization, has announced the appointment of Hugh D. Pace as vice president and managing director.
Pace succeeds Andrew Ward, who has left the company to pursue other interests. Pace spent the past 30 years in senior executive positions at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
The engineers at wheel manufacturer BBS are constantly striving to reduce the weight of the company’s alloy wheels. Of course, when making any improvements, safety is of paramount importance. So how to achieve these potentially conflicting targets? The answer, says BBS is the patented “BBS Air Inside Technology”, which can be described as “more air, less weight.”
The secret is to incorporate circumferential hollow chambers and hollow spokes into the wheel, which not only reduces weight, but provides considerably better stability, claims BBS, thus improving safety and driving comfort.
(Akron/Tire Review) The Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) expects the automotive aftermarket to grow 4.2% in 2006 to $209 billion, according to new research in the soon-to-be-released 2006-2007 AASA Automotive Aftermarket Status Report.
In 2005, according to AASA, the aftermarket – labor and parts combined – broke the $200 billion mark for the first time ever, ending the year at $200.41 billion, up 5.2% from 2004. Adding in the heavy-duty aftermarket – Class 6-8 vehicles – the total US. aftermarket hit $255 billion in 2005, up 5.1% from 2004.
Research in the USA has led to the development of a footpath surfacing material, made from scrap tyres. The new surface is said to be both cheap to produce and provides a “joint-friendly surface” for pedestrians and joggers.
(Akron/Tire Review) A flash fire apparently started by welding work caused a fire that damaged the historic Goodyear Airdock in Akron earlier today. No one was injured, and Akron firefighters were reportedly able to bring the fire under control. The two-alarm fire reportedly started at around 11:00am yesterday morning, and smoke and flames were seen rising out of the huge facility, now owned by Lockheed Martin Aerospace.
Last year’s inaugural IQPC international congress on Intelligent Tire Technology has proved what today’s hot tyre industry topics are. Extended mobility concepts and tyre pressure monitoring systems promise to increase safety tremendously. But customers’ acceptance and satisfaction highly depends on adequate aftermarket supply. Other challenges for the tyre industry constitute the trend towards the intelligent tyres as well as the European Commission’s intention to ban highly aromatic oils as an ingredient of tyre rubber. Top-level speakers from leading OEMs, tyre manufacturers, suppliers and research centres such as Fiat, Michelin, Siemens VDO, Beru, Nira Dynamics, TSS International, Rema Tip Top and IKA, BMW and many more have confirmed that they will report about their first-hand experiences and results. The next congress will run from the 20 – 22 September 2006. Further information is available from www.iqpc.de/de-2526.
New figures released by The Aftermarket Show event organisers, Haymarket Exhibitions, show that more than 4500 aftermarket trade visitors attended the event in January of this year. In 2006, The Aftermarket Show was monitored closely and this research has brought about a number of changes to the event in 2007, one of which is the new trade two-day exhibitor package.
An open tender has been launched by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) inviting bids which will continue the momentum of developing and extending the UK’s markets for used tyres. WRAP says its aim is to provide up to 100 per cent funding support for trial and demonstration projects using rubber from UK used tyres for a wide range of construction-related applications which will have already undergone proven research and development, but have yet to be commercialised.
This year again, Continental AG is taking on well over 1,000 highly qualified graduates and young professionals throughout the world, around 500 of them in Germany. “We invest in knowledge and innovation, especially the skills and talent brought by new employees, with the objective of further consolidating our position as one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers”, states Thomas Sattelberger, Human Resources Director at Continental. The company primarily recruits engineers and scientists as well as management and administrative experts. As in previous years, more than 800 workplaces are to be filled with university graduates in 2006, around 40 percent of them in Germany.
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