rubber Archives - Page 138 of 347 - Tyrepress

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.

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Aufine Group Expects “Big Increase” in Tyre Prices

Aufine Group Company Ltd has warned customers that record high natural rubber costs mean it will have to implement significant prices increases soon. Writing in a customer newsletter, company representatives blamed the price spike on the “heavy drought” experienced in south China and other parts of the region in Asia: “As a result, the output of natural rubber is reducing sharply, which [has] caused the price of current rubber and rubber futures [to] have increased crazily…We estimate a big increase on tyre price will come soon.”

1st April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Celebrities Roll on BFGoodrich Tyres

Launched in 2009, BFGoodrich’s Mud-Terrain KM2 proved to be an excellent brand on which to learn new off-road skills when a 4×4 neophyte from Tyres & Accessories tried out the rubber in muddy Warwickshire countryside (see Related News). Now, TV chef Richard Fox and actor Neil Morrissey have used the product to hone their skills with off road driving experts Yorkshire 4×4 in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, in preparation for their next TV adventure heading out to Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Yorkshire 4×4 delivered the training using the newest addition to their fleet, a 2010 110 TDCI Land Rover Defender, which was fitted with BFGoodrich Mud Terrain KM2 tyres to replace the original equipment road-biased tyres.

1st April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Opens Store at Nurburgring

On Saturday 27 March 2010 Yokohama Europe GmbH opened the "Yokohama Store" at the Nurburgring in Germany, one of the most well-known racing circuits in Europe. President Osamu Mikami of Yokohama Europe GmbH and many representatives of local media were present at the opening ceremony on the 27th. Yokohama Rubber is the first Japanese tire manufacturer to open a directly managed shop at the circuit.

1st April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Drug Sting Brings Arrests, Warrants at Goodyear Plant

Tire Review reports that nine employees at Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s Fayetteville, North Carolina tyre factory were arrested in a drug raid at the plant on March 30. The raid revealed illegal drugs in the employees’ vehicles and in the plant, police said, including marijuana, cocaine, prescription drugs and Ecstacy. Police said the arrests – and arrest warrants for five more men – came after a lengthy undercover operation at the plant with narcotics agents posing as Goodyear employees.

1st April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Expects “Relatively Severe” Treatment of Tyres in Malaysia

The first back-to-back Grand Prix of the 2010 Formula One season takes place at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia this weekend; tyre supplier Bridgestone will be taking 2,000 hard, soft and intermediate compound Potenzas. The company’s director of Motorsport Tyre Development, Hirohide Hamashima believes the circuit, with two long straights leading into tight, slow speed corners which require heavy braking, will be putting high energy levels through the tyres. In addition to the range of corners and the circuit’s general layout the hot weather will also provide a harsh test for the drivers’ management of their tyres. There is also a poetically cyclical aspect to Bridgestone’s visit; “much of our natural rubber comes from this region,” states Bridgestone Motorsport director, Hiroshi Yasukawa.

1st April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Rubber Prices Reach Six-Decade High

Some Tyres & Accessories readers have accumulated sufficient birthdays to remember the year 1952, but the rest of you can well imagine the world of 58 years ago: Elizabeth becomes Queen, a ‘killer fog’ descends upon London, television continues to grow in popularity, the Korean War enters its third year – and the price of natural rubber hits US$3.50 a kilogram. Panic buying stemming from fear the aforementioned conflict would spread to neighbouring countries pushed prices to heights that would never again be reached. Until March 31, 2010, that is.

1st April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Avon Motorsport Manager Roger Everson Announces Retirement

Roger Everson, sales and marketing manager with Avon motorsport, the competition division of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe, has announced he will retire in March, after 27 years working for the company.

31st March 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Marangoni to Increase Prices in Second Quarter 2010

Marangoni SpA has signalled its intention to raise its selling prices in the second quarter of 2010. According to the company, the increase will affect all tyre retreading materials, marketed through the Retreading Systems division and all the retreads marketed by the Commercial & Industrial Tyres division. Further increases in the list prices of tyres for fork lift trucks are also possible. The latest news, which follows a similar announcement at the beginning of February, is attributed to the “continuous rise in the costs of raw materials.”

30th March 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Expresses Confidence in WRC Rubber

When Pirelli says it is ready for Jordan, it is of course referring to the country rather than “celebrity” Katie Price. The desert-like conditions of the Middle East land await drivers participating in the next round of the World Rally Championship, and the tyre supplier is confident its Scorpion rally tyre is more than up to the job.

30th March 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Judge Rules Wyko/Goodyear Case Photos Must Be Viewed in Camera

A Knoxville federal magistrate judge has ruled that pictures at the centre of industrial espionage case linking Wyko and Goodyear must be viewed “in camera” to protect the interests of those involved. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported that US Magistrate Judge Clifford Shirley has approved federal prosecutors' request to keep the seven mobile phone pictures allegedly taken at Goodyear’s Topeka, Kansas OTR plant in May 2007 by Wyko Tire Technology employees Clark Alan Roberts and Sean Edward Howley secret.

Roberts and Howley are accused of visiting The Goodyear plant under false pretences, covertly using their mobile phones to take photographs of proprietary equipment and sending these to Wyko’s Dudley, UK. These photos were then allegedly used to complete a “similar piece of machinery” for China’s Haohau South China Guilin Rubber Company Limited. The photos reportedly depict Goodyear’s proprietary “Swab Down System” which is used in the production of giant earthmover tyres to wrap rubber around a cable.

29th March 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Natural Rubber Heading for US$3.4/kg

The cost of natural rubber price is reportedly heading for a new high of US$3.4/kg, having more than doubled during the last year (1.5/kg to USD 3.4/kg,RSS3 grade). The news that already high prices are still on the up, highlighted in a Deutsche Bank reported published today, is expected to cause two further prices increases from tyremakers this year. It is expected to take “four to six” months for the record high prices to have an effect on the tyre companies’ profit and loss accounts.

29th March 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Production Halted at Kumho’s Gwangju Plant

South Korea’s JoongAng Daily reports the production line at Kumho Tire’s Gwangju factory has stood idle since last week due to the unavailability of rubber. The company planned to secure emergency funding from its creditor to purchase additional supplies of the commodity, however this action has been delayed due to disagreements with the union representing Kumho Tire employees.

29th March 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Button Prevails in Thrilling Australian Grand Prix

That was more like it. While the season opening Grand Prix at Bahrain was widely judged a damp squib, the Australian Grand Prix saw drivers taking greater risks with tyre wear as they fought to find the sweet spot between speed and longevity. Once again, Sebastian Vettel can count himself unfortunate, as technical problems once again cost him a probable victory, so serenely did he command the opening stages from a pole position start. Lewis Hamilton, hardly a neophyte to moaning, compounded a miserable weekend by taking a second pit-stop at the behest of the McLaren team; one which Hamilton claimed after the race was unnecessary and cost him a podium place. The decision was made based on tyre wear information, showing once again the potential for rubber-based intrigue in this year’s Championship.

29th March 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

China Produced 654 million Tyres in 2009

Chinese manufacturers produced 654.64 million tyres between January to December in 2009, up 18 per cent compared with 2008. According to data released by the China National Bureau of Statistics (CNBS), 57.19 million tyres were produced in China in December 2009, up 52 per cent compared with the year before. In addition CNBS said synthetic rubber production rose 8.7 per cent to 2.76 million tons during 2009. In December, synthetic rubber output rose 15 per cent compared with the same period last year, reaching 268 thousand tons.

25th March 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Foundation Stone Laid at Yokohama’s Russian Plant

On March 23 the governor of Russia’s Lipetsk Oblast region, Oleg Korolyov, participated in a stone laying ceremony for Yokohama’s new tyre factory in the Lipetsk special economic zone. The ceremony, also attended by Yokohama Rubber managing director Mr. Suzuki along with Japanese and Russian government officials. In his welcoming speech, Mr. Suzuki stated that “Russia has become one of the three largest markets for us, on par with the US and China.” He added that Yokohama looks forward to working together to establish the Yokohama R.P.Z. L.L.C facility.

24th March 2010/by Tyrepress Editors