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.
Avon Tyres has reported a very successful 2010 FIA European Rallycross Championship, with every competitor in the top 10 of all three divisions using Melksham-made rubber. In an open-choice formula where the demands on the tyre are great – competitors need a product that performs on both gravel and asphalt over the course of a race – Avon was delighted to be proved the tyre to be selected throughout the field and across all classes.
Michelin has released a YouTube video to highlight drivers’ lax attitudes to tyre pressure maintenance. The video uses puppets to highlight some of the worrying attitudes of people to tyre maintenance. It was created by the aptly-named Puppet Broadcasting Company.
Canada-based Camoplast Inc. has acquired Solideal Group, which serves the tyre, wheel and rubber track needs of the world’s material handling and construction industries. The closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is slated to take place in October, Camoplast said.
The integrated company will operate under the name of Camoplast Solideal Inc. with a significant participation of the current shareholders of Solideal in the ownership of the company. Solideal and Camoplast brands will continue to be managed independently.
Drifting driver Oliver Harrsch recently competed in a round of the Dutch Open Drift Championship held in Kalkar, Germany (held 11 – 12 September) equipped with Infinity tyres. Harrsch was supplied the tyres by Venlo-based Infinity distributor Euro-Tyre and according to the company, the small and technical course was suited to lower powered cars and the more skilled drivers.
On the first day, dry conditions allowed Harrsch to push the Infinity 050 UHP tyres to their limits and to experiment with tyre pressures. He commented: “Lots of grip and very smokey! Infinity are unbelievably good tyres!" In extremely wet conditions on the second day, Oliver took a very commendable fourth position.
If Hankook Tire has its way, van drivers will not be excluded from a future that includes more environmentally friendly tyres. The Korean manufacturer has shown off its vision for a more fuel-efficient and lower rolling resistance van tyre at the IAA Commercial Vehicle show in Hannover, Germany. Hankook calls this prototype tyre Concept Blue and says it anticipates future trends starting at the tyre dimension 195/45 R 20. The tyre’s diameter of 700 mm is relatively large by comparison to its width, proportions that Hankook says yield a characteristically narrow yet high-profile silhouette that “fits perfectly with the overall image of electric and hybrid vehicles.” From a technical standpoint, the combination of a low air drag coefficient and low rolling resistance means that less energy is used. Hankook also points to the sidewall and shoulder area’s aerodynamic properties as two other design highlights.
Calling it the worst natural rubber shortage in years, industry analysts expect record shortages to continue into next year, according to reports. Heavy demand by tyre-makers around the globe coupled with a combination of drought and heavy rains in plantation areas has sharply reduced output and inventories of natural rubber, according to Bloomberg, with analysts saying natural rubber production will continue to lag for the next two years. What that means is further increases in natural rubber costs to tyre-makers, and higher finished good prices for tyre dealers and consumers.
Bridgestone Motorsport will take its medium and super soft Potenza tyres to the fifteenth round of the Formula One season, the spectacular night race that is the Singapore Grand Prix on 24-26 September. The race takes place around the streets of the Marina Bay area of the city of Singapore and has provided exciting races in each of its previous two attempts. With the Drivers Championship delicately balanced between five potential champions and the less predictable track conditions offered by public roads, tyre strategy could once again provide a crucial tipping point in the direction of the podium places.
Major American tyre-makers, Goodyear and Cooper have announced that they will raise North American retail prices by up to 6.5 per cent, tracking the continuing rise of raw material costs. Spokespeople for both companies told Bloomberg today that following the price rises implemented in June, materials such as rubber have continued to rise, making further hikes necessary.
International motorcycle traveller Sam Manicom launched his latest book at The Ace Café on the North Circular Road, Stonebridge on 18 September, with his Gripster tyre supplier Avon in attendance. Manicom has used Avon rubber for the majority of the 250,000 miles covered during his time on the road around the world, so it was fitting that the tyre-manufacturer should attend his book launch with a show vehicle and a series of tyre displays. Avon representatives were also on hand to discuss the entire Avon range, though the focus was undoubtedly on Avon’s adventure bike tyres – the Gripster and Distanzia.
Germany’s Evonik Industries has decided to divest its carbon blacks business. This divestment, claims Evonik Executive Board chairman Klaus Engel, provides “the best basis for sustained investment in carbon blacks, new growth prospects and for securing future-oriented jobs in the long-term.” Engel also states that the company’s declared aim in divesting the business is to find a solution “that is equally convincing for customers, employees and business partners.”
Sibur, the largest petrochemical holding company in Russia and Eastern Europe and, has opened a Chinese trading company. Known as Citco (Shanghai) Trading Co., Ltd., the new China registered trading company is located in Shanghai and will engage in sales of petrochemical products, with payments in Chinese currency. Previously exports of Sibur’s products to China were coordinated through the corporate trading company CITCO (Austria), with payments in US dollars. Included in the petrochemical products Sibur exports is synthetic rubber, such as polybutadiene, for use in tyre production. In 2009 Sibur sold more than 47,000 tons of synthetic rubber in China.
At the upcoming TIA Environmental Symposium, Mike Wezel, vice president of sales and marketing for Liberty Tire Recycling, will debunk myths about crumb rubber, its uses and its safety, reports Tire Review. The Environmental Symposium will be held 30 September-2 October at the Ocean City Convention Center in Ocean City, Md.
Mitas a.s. has reportedly signed a “Declaration of Understanding” to build a new tyre production plant in the Czech Zlín Region, an essential step for the realization of the project. Contracts are said to be being drawn up currently. Mitas, a division of Czech Rubber Group CGS Tyres, is reportedly planning a 1 billion Czech koruny (£34 million, 40.65 million euros, US$53.73 million) investment in the Holešov Industrial Zone in the Czech Republic.
According to a Holešov Industrial Zone statement, the company is planning to build the plant at the end of next year and it will be fully operating in 2014. The site is expected to employ 500-550 people. The new factory will reportedly require 6.5 hectares of land, with the option for another 6 hectares. Mitas plans to produce mainly tyres agricultural tyres in Holešov. It has found several suitable places for realization of its intention, and finally it has been decided for Holešov.
Germany’s Lanxess AG reports it is evaluating viability of building a new neodymium polybutadiene rubber facility in Asia. The company has already taken steps to increase its capacity for producing the substance, an essential ingredient in the manufacture of high performance tyres, at its plants in Germany, Brazil and the US. The decision to expand capacity at existing plants was made in order to meet demand in the “green tyre” market, which Lanxess notes has an annual global growth rate of about 9.0 per cent, making it the industry’s fastest growing segment. A study into the feasibility of a 100,000 to 150,000 tonne per annum Nd-PBR plant in Asia is currently underway, and Lanxess says a final decision on the project will be made within the next six months.
India’s government may be set to rectify the disparity between duties charged on natural rubber and imported tyres. The Press Trust of India reports that commerce secretary Dr Rahul Khullar told journalists on the sidelines of a Confederation of Indian Industry event to “give me a month's time, we are trying to sort out the problem of inverted duty structure."
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