According to local newspaper The Courier, negotiations to end the lockout at Cooper Tire & Rubber’s Findlay plant in the US will resume on 13 December. As was the case for the previous, failed talks, the next round of negotiations will include a federal mediator. Whether these fresh talks will deliver results is far from certain, however – neither party has voiced a willingness to compromise its existing bargaining position.
Figures released by Michelin indicate year-on-year growth for Europe’s original equipment and replacement consumer tyre markets during October 2011, however the month’s results show growth of less than half the year to date amount. According to Michelin, the European (including Russia and Turkey) passenger car and light commercial vehicle original equipment market grew 2.5 per cent in October compared with the same month of 2010. The replacement market grew 3.8 per cent year-on-year during the same period. Year to date, the original equipment grew an average of 7.6 per cent year-on-year between January and October 2011, while the replacement market grew 7.9 per cent.
Commenting on a half-year that saw the increase in Apollo Tyres’ net profit fall behind sales growth, company chairman and managing director Onkar Kanwar noted that “currency fluctuations, especially a weaker rupee, and continued cost push have impacted our bottom line.” Kanwar described the “near flat growth” in India’s commercial vehicle tyre segment during the first half of the country’s fiscal year as “worrying” and a situation that “could pose a challenge in the coming quarters.” The Apollo chairman said the company’s European business is currently registering strong growth, however his view of the region remains cautious: “We are alert to the broader economic situation there and are keeping a close watch on developments,” he stated.
Results for the third quarter of 2011 show across the board year-on-year improvements at Bridgestone. During the June to September period, the Japanese company achieved sales of 775.3 billion yen (£6.2 billion), a 9.9 per cent improvement over the same three months of 2010. Operating income reached 49.7 billion yen (£396.9 million) in the quarter, reflecting year-on-year growth of 42.4 per cent, while operating profit margin rose from 4.9 per cent to 6.4 per cent. Net income, at 27.8 billion yen (£222.0 million), was up 25.2 per cent compared with the third quarter of 2010.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has carded an all-time record for quarterly sales and earnings in the third quarter, going past the $6 billion mark in sales for the first time. “I’m very pleased with our performace,” said Richard J. Kramer, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our third quarter results are another step on the path toward our 2013 targets and especially meaningful given the challenging market conditions in much of the world,” he added.
The V8 SuperTourer championship in New Zealand has announced that Hankook will supply the tyres it developed for the German-based DTM series. The Korean manufacturer will hold the exclusive position for the next three years following a period of testing.
Russia’s Tatneft reports that two tyre factories operated by its Tatneft-Neftekhim management company, OAO "Nizhnekamskshina" and OOO "Nizhnekamsk truck tires", have been certified according to ISO 9001:2008 and ISO/TS 16949:2009. In announcing the plants’ ISO certification, Tatneft states this accomplishment is “evidence of the successful completion of [a] special audit conducted after the reorganization of the tyre factories.”
Nokian Tyres is widely acknowledged as a winter tyre pioneer, but other companies also played a part in the introduction of season-specific tyres. One such firm is Semperit, who this year celebrates three quarters of a century in the winter tyre business.
Six major motorsport championship titles were won this weekend in cars fitted with Dunlop tyres. In the penultimate round of the American Le Mans Series at Laguna Seca, California, another podium finish for Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller in BMW’s Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) Racing Team Dunlop equipped BMW M3 GT meant the drivers, team and tyre manufacturer achieved their championship ambitions with one race still to run this season.
In line with its ongoing commitment to take up and act upon its customers’ concerns, Kraiburg Austria has decided to actively participate in the BIPAVER "Re-Tyre" project alongside the various associations, other retreaders and testing institutes as the only material-supplier. “This participation is giving Kraiburg and our customers, the independent retreaders, the opportunity to actively observe and shape the process,” says Thorsten Schmidt, CEO of Kraiburg Austria, who goes on to explain a further motivation for taking part in this project: Access to the ETRTO and ETRMA organisations is reserved exclusively for new tyre manufacturers – and Kraiburg is the only one of Europe's leading material suppliers that doesn’t run its own tyre operations. As an active retreading partner, the Austrian company says it naturally wants the results to influence the development of its own products and materials.
Ambulances across the Midlands will be driven on cold weather tyres this winter to enable crews to reach patients more safely. Both the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) and East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) will use Michelin’s Agilis Alpin and Alpin 4 ranges across their fleets – a total 530 ambulances and 308 rapid response cars. The decision comes after the neighbouring trusts’ fleet managers compared standard tyres with cold weather tyres at a test day at the MIRA track in Warwickshire in June.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has appointed Stephen R. McClellan as president of the company’s North American Tire business unit. McClellan will succeed Curt Andersson, who plans to pursue other professional interests. McClellan will continue to be responsible for North American Tire’s consumer tyre business until a successor is named.
“Steve brings strong leadership and a proven track record of delivering results,” said Richard J. Kramer, Goodyear’s chairman, president and CEO. “Steve’s career of more than 20 years at Goodyear has included progressively larger leadership positions within North American Tire. His success in running the North American consumer and commercial tyre businesses and his strong relationships with customers make him a natural successor to the role.
Lanxess AG has lifted its full-year guidance for 2011 on the back of strong second quarter results. The German specialty chemicals company now expects its EBITDA pre-exceptionals to grow about 20 per cent year-on-year after previously forecasting a growth of 10 to 15 per cent. During the second quarter the company’s EBITDA pre-exceptionals rose 26 per cent year-on-year to 339 million euros.
Dunlop India Ltd has informed the Bombay Stock Exchange of Pawan Kumar Ruia’s resignation as company director, effective August 10. The chairman of parent company the Ruia Group now holds no official office at Dunlop India, having stepped down as chairman of the tyre maker’s Board of Directors on January 31, 2011.
A faultering US tyre market contributed to poor second quarter results for Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. The tyre-maker saw second quarter net income of just $12 million, down nearly 38 per cent year-on-year, against sales of $922 million, up 15 per cent from the second quarter of 2010. For the entire first half, Cooper posted sales of $1.83 billion, up from $1.56 billion for the same period last year. Net income, however, came to $32.9 million, down considerably YoY from $67.3 million.
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