Tyres can’t function without this critical raw material. Whether its natural or synthetic rubber you are interested in, articles bearing this tag feature this indispensable polymer.
The cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix has prompted the arrangement of an extra Formula One test session, and today Pirelli returns to Barcelona along with the 12 teams competing in this season’s championship. Tests will take place over a five-day period, with each team testing for a maximum of four days each. This test period will bring the teams’ total number of pre-season test days up to the agreed upon 15 days.
Tyres & Accessories magazine, produced by the team behind tyrepress.com will be covering the subjects of wheels, raw materials and diagnostic equipment in its April edition. For all enquiries relating to this magazine, email the relevant editor listed below, or theeditor@77.237.250.82. For advertising enquiries, email scott.parker@77.237.250.82. This preview, along with deadline information, can be found at the foot of the e-Newsletter, sent to over 16,000 subscribers on every business day. To subscribe to the e-Newsletter, click the "Get a Grip on Tyres" banner in the right hand column of the tyrepress.com homepage.
A lot is happening within Starco, says group marketing manager Brian Lorentzen. Some of this activity was witnessed in the days and weeks before he spoke with Tyres & Accessories; during this time the firm announced the establishment of a joint venture with Argentine agricultural tyre and components manufacturer Buco plus the pilot rollout of its first online shop. These two events are part of a wider growth strategy covering the next few years, Lorentzen shares.
Isobutene is a key raw material needed in the manufacture of butyl rubber, and traditionally this substance has been produced from fossil fuel sources. Yet Lanxess, the world’s largest purchaser of isobutene, believes that – in the words of its Board of Management chairman Axel Heitmann – it is “only prudent” to seek alternative supply options from renewable sources. For this reason the German specialty chemicals manufacturer recently increased its minority shareholding in US based renewable chemicals company Gevo Inc. Following a US$10 million private placement investment made in May 2010, Lanxess has now invested $17 million in Gevo’s initial public offering, giving it a 9.1 per cent shareholding.
While the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association’s study into the presence of ‘high PAH’ oils in tyres sold within Europe revealed all that all non-complying tyres were manufactured in China, the ETRMA made it clear that Chinese manufacture was in no way synonymous with Reach regulation non-compliance. Giti Tire Europe, whose GT Radial brand is produced in China, has also addressed potential uncertainty that may arise over the status of its products.
In August 2009 Dutch wholesaler Van den Ban Autobanden opened its new ‘Logistic Tyre Centre’ in the town of Hellevoetsluis. Those seeking a detailed description of the hi-tech warehouse facility can find it in the March 2010 edition of Tyres & Accessories, yet it is definitely worth mentioning that the material handling system used is without parallel in the tyre industry and enables the fully automated and mechanised internal transport, sorting and order picking of all tyres housed within the 24,000 square metre building; last year it smoothly dispatched more than 5,0 million tyres to customers throughout the region. Back when the centre opened, construction work on Van den Ban’s new administrative headquarters was underway on an adjacent greenfield site; last October this new head office building officially opened, marking the conclusion of Van den Ban’s two-stage expansion project. The wholesaler says it is now fully equipped to take on the ever evolving market and any challenges it may bring.
By mid-March Cooper Tire & Rubber should be the proud 100 per cent owner of Cooper Kenda Tire. Upon finalisation of the US$116.5 million transaction the former 50 per cent Cooper owned joint venture operation will be renamed Cooper Kunshan Tire (contingent to government approval) in recognition of the city in China where it is headquartered. According to Cooper Tire, the transaction should be completed by March 15 through a wholly-owned company subsidiary.
Alongside the launch of the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 at Goodyear's brand event in Seville was the introduction of the eighth generation of Goodyear's UlraGrip cold weather tyre range. “The confusion surrounding winter tyres must be resolved,” says Gerrit Huysmans of Belgium’s Association of Tyre Manufacturers, FederAuto, a statement that Jean-Pierre Jeusette, Goodyear’s director of tyre technology for consumer tyres in EMEA, agrees: “What the consumer often doesn’t know is that winter tyres are developed using very specific rubber compounds that perform much better at lower temperatures… Add to that the fact that the tread pattern of winter tyres is also optimised for maximum grip as well as water and slush evacuation, and you begin to understand why there is a very real difference in performance.” A search for “winter tyres” on tyrepress.com would suggest that the fierce European winters of the last two years have increased knowledge of speciality cold weather considerably; the latest figures suggest the market volume has risen 20 per cent in that time, with a marked increase in the UK – often considered to have more growth room than any comparable country.
Following a 2010 in which set targets were “clearly surpassed”, Continental AG says it aims to achieve double-digit growth this year. At the company’s Annual Financial Press Conference, held on March 3 in the German city of Frankfurt, CEO Dr. Elmar Degenhart reported a sales growth of almost 30 per cent, to 26 billion euros. This represents record sales for the automotive supplier, a personal best also matched by a record operating result.
VMI Yantai has received its second ISO certification within the last 12 months following its certification according to ISO 14001 by Lloyds Register Company. The Chinese subsidiary of Dutch tyre and rubber machinery manufacturer VMI Holland BV notes that both certifications were achieved “in close cooperation” between VMI Yantai, VMI Holland and parent company TKH Group NV. “TKH takes its Corporate Social Responsibility very seriously,” reports a VMI Holland press statement. “VMI Yantai is also well aware of its social duty and has made corporate social responsibility one of its strategic priorities for the coming years.”
Pirelli has announced that it has signed a research agreement with Danish tyre recovery company Genan to find ways of reusing industrial raw materials in tyre production. Managing director of Pirelli Tyre, Francesco Gori said: “Being able to reduce the dependence of the production cycle on natural rubber by 10 per cent could produce considerable savings”. Gori also said the use of materials recovered from tyres could become a necessity based on “sustainability”.
Yokohama Rubber says its preparations for the 2010 European tyre label are to be strengthened through the April release of its BluEarth-1 range, which it says has achieved an ‘A’ grade rating – the highest possible – for fuel economy under the upcoming label’s expected classification system. The BluEarth-1 is the first of a series of BluEarth products that will be launched in Europe; the product family was first publicly previewed at January’s Tokyo Auto Show, where the top of the line BlueEarth-1 was displayed alongside the premium BluEarth RV-01 minivan tyre and the standard BluEarth AE-01.
Essex-based Ovenden Papers has used Michelin tyres on its delivery vehicles for a while, but chose to fit budget brand solid rubber tyres across its industrial fleet – until now, following a puncture-free 12 month trial of the XZM radial tyre. Joint managing director James Ovenden says: “We have been both surprised and impressed by the differences between economy tyres and Michelin fitments for our forklifts. The trial that Michelin set up lasted 750 hours, which is much longer than we are used to, and there were no punctures at all – even though we operate on high-risk surfaces.
The China Economic News Service reports that the Taiwan’s based Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) intends to invest US$300 million establishing a synthetic rubber production facility in China’s Zheijiang Province. Construction of the plant Ningbo plant is expected to begin in October 2011 with volume production commencing in two years’ time. Initial output is given at 50,000 tons of IIR (isobutylene-isoprene rubber) per annum, with the tyre industry tipped to be the largest consumer of this. CENS reports that growing domestic demand from Chinese tyre makers has triggered FPG’s entry into the rubber industry. Furthermore, the company is said to be contemplating three other China based projects related to tyre production; these would require a further investment of $200 million.
Maxxis’ specialist mud terrain tyres, like the Bighorn MT-762, enhanced their credentials after being voted runner up in a comparison test by popular consumer magazine Australian 4WD Action. During a week of testing journalist Scott Butler compared all-terrain, mud-terrain and road-going 4x4s to assess traction and handing, carrying out braking distance and high-speed swerve tests, noise testing and driving tests in sand, dirt, hills and mud. The Maxxis tyre, which was up against BFGoodrich, Cooper and Mickey Thompson, was rated the best specialist mud tyre as well as second overall.
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