Aluminium wheel maker Superior Industries International posted a narrower year-on-year loss in the third quarter due to cost cuts and increased production volumes. In the quarter ending September 30 the company reported a loss of US$12.7 million, or 48 cents a share, compared with a loss of $14.2 million, or 53 cents a share, a year earlier. Quarterly sales of $111.4 million represented a decline of 32 per cent on the same quarter of 2008.
The organisers of the Formula Ford series have announced Dunlop’s selection as tyre supplier and title sponsor at next season’s Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain. New slick and wet weather Formula Ford radials are currently under development by Dunlop and will be adopted in Britain in 2010.
Titan International of Quincy, Illinois posted a net loss of $11.1 million for the period, compared to a net gain of $10.3 million for the same period last year, reports Tire Review. Driving down the profits was a sharp sales drop: $141.5 million for the quarter against sales of $255.5 million for the same period in 2008. Year-to-date sales were $581.1 million, compared to $778.1 million in 2008, and net profits year-to-date were $1.8 million in 2009, compared to $31.7 million last year.
Maxxis has chosen to focus on the popular but still emerging motorsport of drifting in its sporting tyre supply. In US and European drifting this season, the brand has successfully supplied winning drivers in four popular series with the MA-Z1 Drift tyres, also sponsoring the competitors: in the UK and Ireland, Steve Biagioni of Team Japspeed has taken the British Drift Championship, Mark “Buff” Luney has claimed the European Drift Championship (EDC) and Dean Kearney has won the Prodrift Super Series. In the US, Chris Forsberg has won the Formula Drift championship.
Toyo Tire & Rubber has made a number of revisions to the consolidated performance forecasts for the first half of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010 (April 1, 2009 to September 30, 2009) that it released on May 11, 2009. Predicted net sales have been bumped down 7.4 per cent, or 10.4 billion yen (£69.7 million) to 129.6 billion yen (£868.3 million). Despite this reduction in sales, however, operating loss is expected to decrease from 2.8 billion yen to 1.3 billion yen (£8.7 million). Ordinary loss will also diminish, from 4.1 billion yen to 1.3 billion yen. Net loss also decreases from 4.2 billion yen to 2.0 billion yen (£13.4 million).
With Brityrex International 2010 now less than a year away Tyres & Accessories/tyrepress.com introduces the first in a regular monthly series of exhibitor profiles. As part of our role as media sponsor, this new feature marks the beginning of our coverage in preparation for next October’s show. With industry observers suggesting things are looking up for the tyre business since the phrase “green shoots” was first mentioned a few month’s ago, many inside the industry are looking forward to a future bounce in the market.
In light of this one company, which has remained loyal to a dedicated UK tyre exhibition is Kings Road Tyres (KRT). Over the past 37 years Kings Road Tyres has developed into one of the UK’s leading national wholesalers, offering the trade an inventory covering the entire spectrum of product.
A Reuters report suggests that Pirelli is preparing a full separation of its tyre business from its real estate concerns in order to boost the Group’s value in the wake of improving tyre financial results. The Milanese broker Equita is reported as saying, “We believe some recent moves at the corporate level are clear pointers that will lead to a separation of Pirelli & C Real Estate PECR.MI from the group to transform Pirelli & C from a holding company to a tyre maker.” While the move is unlikely to happen in the short-term (separations of this kind generally take up to a year, says Reuters), the concentration on its tyre business could be motivated by the fact that Pirelli trails the market caps of Michelin, of whose cap the report states Pirelli’s is about a quarter at 2 billion euros, and Continental, though it is active in similar markets and sectors.
(Tire Review) Rubber, plastics and metal manufacturer, Myers Industries, Inc. reported net sales from continuing operations for the third quarter, ending 30 September, were $165.4 million, a decrease of 17 per cent compared to $199.9 million in the third quarter of 2008. The company cited continued weak economic conditions for the loss. Myers reported a net loss of $5.3 million in the third quarter compared to net income of $1.3 million in the third quarter of 2008, both including results from discontinued operations, as well as special expenses of $5.8 million in 2009 and $2.6 million in 2008.
Apollo Tyres Ltd’s second quarter 2009/10 results show the company achieved 20.46 billion rupees (£269.8 million; 296.8 million euros; $443 million) of consolidated revenue in the period, up 62 per cent over the same period last year. Operating profit totalled 2.9 billion rupees (£38.278 million; 42.151 million euros; US$ 62.872) more than tripling the 818.3 million rupees the company brought in the year before.
Onkar S Kanwar, chairman, Apollo Tyres, commented: “The steady growth achieved by Apollo Tyres despite rising raw material prices reflects the true spirit of our most valuable asset, the employees. In the quarter under review, higher raw material costs were absorbed by the company in order to protect consumers’ interest. This was possible only because of our continued emphasis on managing costs and efficiencies internally, which began in the first quarter of the last financial year.”
Continental AG, is reportedly planning to sell bonds to refinance its debt. Bloomberg quoted two people “familiar with the situation” as saying the move follows HeidelbergCement AG’s so-called junk-bond sale. In this case demand outstripped supply and HeidelbergCement raised 2.5 billion euros selling its bonds. At the same time, Morgan Stanley made “large upward adjustments” to its earnings for Continental, its 2010 earnings per share predictions by 128 per cent to 2.74 euros. The analysts also raised their 2011 and 2012 estimates to 5.14 and 6.35 euros (up 52 and 32 per cent respectively). The bank’s new price target is now 37 euros, up 131 per cent from its previous position of 16 euros.
US replacement tyre demand increased 4 per cent year-on-year in September, according to RMA data. Analysts equated this to a 1 per cent growth in the third quarter 2009. Nevertheless sources report that 2009 demand (at 174 million consumer tyres) is still down 14.4 per cent in the year September. During the same period US truck tyre volumes fell 23.6 per cent to 10.8 million units.
Based on last year’s figures, Deutsche Bank analysts predicted that this trend would increase towards the end of the year: “Two of the past three months have posted positive year-on-year results and year-on-year comparisons also become much easier in the months ahead.” Replacement demand fell -15.8, -17.1 and -15.5 per cent in October to December 2008.
Maxxis has been heavily involved in the spectacular sport of drifting in the UK this year, so it must be gratifying for the manufacturer to have experienced the success of Steve Biagioni from Maxxis-sponsored Team Japspeed, who was crowned British Drift Champion for 2009.
B&J Rocket's already-successful tyre paint has been improved and promises stronger coverage, faster drying times and a brilliant sheen. Additionally, it limits the risk of component separation during storage and it gives the colour a more pleasant smell. The Swiss company is constantly improving its product portfolio and does not make an exception when it comes to perfected products such as tyre colour.
(Tire Review) The University of the Aftermarket and SEMA are collaborating on an accredited marketing program. University of the Aftermarket has accredited the SEMA “Online Marketing Conference,” a day-long business marketing workshop that will take place on Monday, Nov. 2 in Las Vegas, the day before the SEMA Show opens.
On September 25 Yokohama Rubber let it be known that its projected consolidated net loss for the first half of the current fiscal year is now smaller than previously anticipated. Projections for the six months from April 1 to September 30, 2009 have been whittled down from the 8.0 billion yen announced on May 12 to 5.0 billion (£33.9 million).
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