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Michelin Completes Tyre Development For American Utilicraft

Michelin Aircraft Tire Corp. has announced the completion of tyre research and development for the American Utilicraft Corporation’s FF-1080 aircraft. “Michelin is pleased to be associated with this exciting program,” says Harvey Stackhouse, director of sales and marketing for Michelin Aircraft Tire Corp. “This new tyre design will accommodate the wide variety of applications and configurations that are planned for this aircraft.”The FF-1080 aircraft is designed to meet the unique requirements of the air cargo and military transport markets and consequently places specific demands on tyre performance. “Improving mobility is at the core of Michelin’s mission,” notes Stackhouse. The FF-1080-200 Freight Feeder aircraft, will be capable of carrying standard industry air containers on short-to-medium range/medium density routes.

12th February 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Royal Visit To Pirelli

King Carl VI of Sweden was welcomed to Pirelli by Marco Tronchetti Provera, chairman and chief executive officer, where he visited Pirelli Labs and viewed the MIRS-CCM plant. Carl Gustav XVI was accompanied on his visit by a delegation from the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.The Pirelli Labs span 13,000 square metres in the Milan-Bicocca area and represents one of the most advanced research centres in the world. Projects include research in materials for energy generation and distribution and for new tyre production.The MIRS plant was opened in July 2000 as a pilot project and in three years has become a fully operational system installed in Germany, UK, Italy and the USA. Recently Pirelli added the continuous compound mixing (CCM) process to the facility allowing an unprecedented qualitative control of materials.The visit concluded with a lunch at the Castle Bicocca degli Arcimboldi where Marco Tronchetti Provera presented King Carl VI Gustaf with the first of the PZero Tempo wristwatches, numbered 001. The King presented Marco Tronchetti Provera with a crystal plate to commemorate the visit.

4th February 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Smithers Scientific Reorganises

Smithers Scientific Services Inc. has reorganised as a result of its acquisition last March of a company specialising in environmental toxicology and analytical studies. The reorganisation brings three independent companies under the umbrella of the Smithers Group with worldwide headquarters in Akron, Ohio.

14th January 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Mystery Shopping Exercise Shows Up Faults

More than half of garages across the UK deliver low standards of service to customers, according to new research published recently. Key car industry figures have met with Consumer Minister Melanie Johnson and Industry Minister Alan Johnson to discuss the problem. The Ministers welcomed a pledge from the industry to sign up in principle to develop a ‘Good Garage’ scheme to tackle the low standards.A recent government-sponsored mystery shopping survey found that 51 per cent of garages missed one or more safety-related defects in cars or items that should have been picked up in a regular servicing. The survey also revealed that, only five per cent of garages sampled carried out a thorough service against the manufacturer’s schedule and were judged to be ‘very good’,· 86 per cent of garages missed at least one introduced fault· 40 per cent of garages missed at least one service item; 51 per cent if the customer was female, 33 per cent if the customer was male; and· 27 per cent of fast fit centres recommended unnecessary replacement of parts.

28th November 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

NTDA Backs Tyre World Exhibition

The National Tyre Distributors Association has formally endorsed the new Tyre World event, scheduled for October 2003 in Earl’s Court, London. Buzz Carter, of organisers IDEX Media, said that London had been chosen after extensive research showed that it was the preference of domestic and international visitors. Tyre World will include a programme of seminars and associated events, including the NTDA’s annual conference Intyreactive and the national “Tyre Technician of the Year” competition. Further details are expected soon.

28th November 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Hearings Begin in Texas 15-Passenger Van Rollover Case

The first 15 seat passenger van tyre related roll-over case has begun at Wichita Falls, Texas. This is the first case to come to court since the NHTSA issues an advisory about the vehicles in April 2001. The first hearing will establish the validity of expert testimony. The defendants are DaimlerChrysler Corp, Michelin North America (Canada) Inc, Michelin North America Inc, and Michelin Americas Research and Development Corporation. The case arose after the alleged tread separation of a Michelin tyre which is claimed to have caused the vehicle to roll over several times resulting in four deaths.

1st October 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Japanese Car Factories The Most Efficient

A report in the Financial Times based on information from the World Markets Research Centre reveals that the most efficient car factory in Europe is the Nissan plant in Sunderland, UK, with a production of 95 vehicles per employee. Equal second are Ford’s factory at Saarlouis, Germany and Toyota’s plant at Burnaston, UK, with 87 vehicles per employee. However, no European or American car factory makes it into the world’s top ten most efficient plants. Of these, the top nine are in Japan and the tenth in Korea. The world’s most efficient car factory is Mitsubishi’s plant at Mitsushima, which produces 180 vehicles per employee.

8th July 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

US Dept. Of Transportation Sued

Auto safety pressure groups in the USA are suing the Department of Transport for allowing car manufacturers to use inferior tyre monitoring equipment. They claim that despite the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) recognising that direct tyre pressure monitoring is superior to indirect tyre pressure monitoring, the Department was allowing the use of the inferior product on a cost basis. The groups filing the lawsuit include the New York Public Interest Research Group, Public Citizen and the Center for Auto Safety in New York.

27th June 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

College lab Named In Goodyear’s Honour

Spelman College, in Atlanta, recently opened the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Synthetic Chemistry Research Lab. The lab was named for Goodyear as recognition “of the company’s belief in the importance of a diverse workforce and for investing in the potential of African American women scientists.” Spelman College is recognised as a premier private, liberal arts, historically Black college for women.

26th April 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Supersport motorcycle tyres ContiForce Max

During the presentation of the ContiForce on the Contidrome near Hanover this spring, Jörg Essiger, Marketing Manager Motorcycle Tyres at Continental, hinted that the corporation did not intend resting on its laurels after the introduction of this newly developed radial motorcycle tyre. It was suggested that work was being carried out on the development of a tyre for Super Sport Motorcycles, in order to make the ContiForce product range complete. Now, the waiting game is over: the Hanover people have now fulfilled their promise in the form of the ContiForce Max, recently introduced to the trade press on the Ricardo Tomo track in Valencia, Spain. This new tyre is available in the dimensions 120/70 ZR17 (58W) for the front wheel, and 180/55 ZR17 (73W) and 190/50 ZR17 (73W) for the back wheel, and Continental wishes it to be known that some two years of research and development have been invested here, which goes to underline Continental’s new and growing interest in this market segment. And, the introduction of the ContiForce Max is by no means the end of Continental’s involvement in the motorcycle tyre segment. Already last year, at the presentation of the ContiForce, Essiger hinted at what was to come and stated :”Our new products are already in the pipeline!” He did not, however, reveal what Continental was hiding behind these remarks. Now, after all, the Motorcycle Exhibition Intermot will be taking place in Munich this autumn, and perhaps some of Continental’s plans for the coming season will be revealed there!

16th April 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Modelling Software Devised By Sumitomo

In conjunction with the Japan Research Institute, Sumitomo Rubber Industries has developed tyre modelling software for car manufacturers. It is based on SRI’s existing DigiTire virtual design technology and features a simplified display that makes it simple to calculate properties such as tyre load.

20th March 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Research And Development In The Tyre Business

Each year in spring the schedule of our editorial staff fills with new tyre launches. What is the reasoning behind the development of more and more new tyres? Is it because customers constantly demand new products? Do they really ask for two per cent more grip on wet roads or three per cent more safety on aquaplaning? Hardly. Many surveys show that customers do not care much about their tyres. Sometimes they do not even know the size of the tyre on their car never mind the correct tyre pressure. And although many customers make the decision which tyre to buy after consulting the test results published in the big German magazines, there is no such thing as a “consumer pressure” on the tyre manufacturers to develop new tyres. More often the industry itself maybe is disappointed with the test results and this might then be a motivation create new products. But indisputably, the greatest drive comes from the car manufacturers. They are constantly demanding higher performing tyres for ever higher performing cars. This is the reason why NEUE REIFENZEITUNG visited the research and development departments of several car and tyre manufacturers to get an impression how they are working together, and to follow up the route of a new tyre from the first sketches to the start of the production. Therefore we will focus on these details in an intermittent series starting in this issue with a very general introduction.

18th March 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Review Of 2001

This is a business on the move, this business is exciting. Tyres may sometimes be regarded as commodities in the eyes of marketing strategists, tyres seem to be boring, but insiders know that this is not correct. Tyres are high-tech products, the only problem is that most consumers do not realise this. Because of this we are looking for communicators who can whip up enthusiasm. The most important task of the tyre business must be to raise the image of the “round black things”. In reality this industry has for a long time collaborated with companies from the high tech electronics sector and there are many points of contact with the so highly-regarded IT companies. Applications in seemingly remote areas of science are checked for a possible transfer to tyres. In building tyres a revolution has happened, historical inventions since the first pneumatic tyre from John Boyd Dunlop as well as radialisation or the tubeless tyre, silica compounds or lamella technology in respect of materials or tread design, are all in the past and are only little steps in the history of the tyre. The dynamic of the tyre business in terms of technology is fantastic: a “brave new world” of tyres has begun. Unfortunately this feeling of progress and the many technical innovations which have had such an impact on the tyre industry and the tyre trade have not filtered through to everyday business. We – who deal with tyres day in and day out – ought also to be infected by this contagious enthusiasm which is rife in research and development departments, whose technicians are sometimes regarded by outsiders as somewhat staid. Let’s have a review of the year 2001: whoever reads the headlines of this business and comes from a totally different sector will envy us for being in such a dynamic industry.

28th December 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

New Technology Tyre For Concorde From Michelin

Following the tragic Concorde crash last summer, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) approached tyre manufacturers to see if any research was on-going to improve the resistance of tyres to damage by foreign objects. In Paris, Michelin unveiled its response, the radial NZG. NZG, which stands for “near zero growth” is described as “the latest innovation in radial technology”. It uses a high-modulus reinforcement material which is lighter and offers higher damage resistance. The tyre was tested by running over a 30 cm blade both at taxiing and take-off speeds and the tyre suffered no damage.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors

Tough Time For Ford And Firestone At Congressional Hearing

Ford chief Jacques Nasser faced some tough questioning at yesterday’s Congressional hearing into the Firestone tyre/Ford Explorer situation. ‘Billy’ Tauzin, from Louisiana, revealed that one of the brands of tyre being used to replace the Firestones had a failure record nearly 25 times worse than the Wilderness. Nasser said that, if this was correct “then we’ll act on it”. Tauzin also criticised BF Inc’s John Lampe of attempting to shift the blame on to Ford.

30th November 2001/by Tyrepress Editors