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Next month T&A will also cover the recent developments in the Russian emerging market. Focusing on the recent Tires & Rubber Moscow exhibition, our coverage will look at how the show is increasingly becoming a trade orientated show. It is also growing. A whopping 40 per cent of this year’s exhibitors were new to the show, meaning the exhibition remains Russia’s leading tyre industry show by some way.
A type of rubberised road surface is being trialled for the first time in the UK on a Nottinghamshire footpath. It is hoped that the new coating, which is made using the rubber from old car tyres will make it easier for disabled people and runners to use the paths.
Scott Wilson, in collaboration with Nottinghamshire County Council, Charles Lawrence International Ltd, the Countryside Agency and the University of Nottingham, was awarded the funding as part of WRAP’s (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) Tyres Programme, which seeks to support demonstration trials where recycled rubber is being used in new applications utilising existing technologies.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. reported a net income of $74 million for the first quarter of the year against record first quarter sales of $4.9 billion. Sales for the quarter were up 2 per cent compared to the same period last year, while the net income results were up 9 per cent versus the first quarter of 2005.
Sales declined 5 per cent in the European Union Tire business compared to the first quarter of 2005, which was the strongest first quarter in the unit’s history. Price and product mix improvements were not enough to offset unfavourable currency translation of approximately $98 million and lower volume in the consumer replacement market.
In preparation for the upcoming winter season, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe Ltd. has launched the Weathermaster Snow, a brand new winter tyre range. Designed to cope with the gruelling demands and rigours of winter motoring, the Cooper Weathermaster Snow comes in a variety of sizes to fit most small to medium vehicles, from the Peugeot 107 to the Volkswagen Golf.
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has selected its team of drifters for the Need for Speed Formula Drift (Formula D) drifting series. Casper ”Da Ghost” Canul and Matt Vassallo and Rob Fleming from Team Enjuku will lead the drifting team. Cooper will supply the drivers with Cooper Zeon 2XS, Zeon ZPT and Zeon Sport A/S tires.
Since BFGoodrich took over supplying some WRC teams, the brand has been showing its high-performance colours. Now managers are offering independent dealers some great opportunities to taste the hi-octane lifestyle.
Like other influential companies Michelin group brand BFGoodrich has felt the effect of a downturn in general passenger car replacement market. However, though sales volumes dropped in the first half of 2005, associate brand manager Dominic Clark reports that this was compensated for in the second half -against the market trend. While some sources put the total market downturn between 11 and 13 per cent, BFGoodrich only experienced an 8 per cent drop in the first half of 2005. In the second half sales compensated for the first half results and the company ended the year only 1.2 per cent down on 2004.
One European tyre manufacturer that clearly is expanding at the moment is Brisa-Bridgestone Sabanci Tyre Manufacturing and Trading Inc. Since 2003 the Turkish joint venture company has invested about $174 million into the expansion of its local production capacities which will eventually increase by 55 per cent to more than 10 million units.
In order to distribute this growing production capacity the Turkish tyre manufacturer is looking for new customers that should come from Russia, says Haldun Kuran. Right now there is no market for Brisa in Russia, the international sales director continues. But very soon the company will sell its first Lassa branded tyres on the Russian market through the “Pole Position” francise, which is linked with Bridgestone and operates about 100 point of sales.
The fact that the Russian tyre market is among the most interesting in the world could not have failed to raise expectations about the Tires & Rubber Moscow exhibition, which took place for the ninth time in March.
Although the organisers of the Russian tyre show reported a drop in the numbers of exhibitors and visitors, organisers Maxima are confident about the future and believe that the show is on track. The 10th anniversary exhibition will take place in Moscow’s Expocentr from 12-15 March 2007.
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s Philippines business will add 50 more dealers and introduce new products in the region, according to the Philippine newspaper Manila Bulletin.
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. announced a quarterly dividend of 10.5 cents per share on common stock, payable on 30 June to stockholders of record at the close of business on 2 June. This is Cooper’s 137th consecutive quarterly dividend.
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. announced that net sales set a new quarterly record of $597 million for the three months ending on Mar. 31, compared to $514 million in the same period of 2005.
Cooper said its acquisition of Cooper Chengshan (Shandong) Passenger Tire Co. Ltd. and Cooper Chengshan (Shandong) Tire Co., Ltd. increased sales by $48 million in the quarter, and higher prices, improved product mix, and higher unit sales volumes in North America and Europe added $39 million.
Trelleborg has completed the sale of US subsidiary, Goodall Rubber Co. Goodall, which sells and distributes industrial supplies, primarily hoses and hose connectors, in the US and Canada, has slightly more than 400 employees and generated sales of approximately SEK 650 M in 2005.
Not all of the Soviet Union’s tyre manufacturers exhibited at Tires & Rubber Moscow in March. While Amtel and Sibur decided not to come, Niznekamshina, Belshina, Moscow Tyre Plant and Rosava (from the Ukraine) all booked floorpsace.
Rosava, a closed joint-stock company which is listed but not traded on the stock exchange, belonged to Amtel until a year ago, then a Ukrainian investment bank called “Finance and Credit” took over. Before and after that change of ownership, the annual production was and is about 6.7 million tyres, explains Rosava’s deputy commercial director Roman Y. Rybachuk. This output includes some 6 million (radial only) passenger car tyres and 700,000 truck tyres. The manufacturer supplies about 50 per cent of the Ukrainian PC market, Mr Rybachuk continues. And about 20 per cent of the annual output (1.4 million units) is exported to Russia, and another 10 per cent to the other CIS states.
(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire (BFNAT) plans to close its single largest tyre plant by the end of this year. BFNAT has issued a required Notice of Potential Plant Closure with the United Steelworks (USW) regarding its Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, plant, and said that “global market forces have made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to restore the plant to a competitive position, even with significant new capital investment.”
For its breakthrough Fortera featuring TripleTred Technology tyre, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has been chosen to receive the “2006 Manny Award” from Inside Business Magazine, as a winner in the “New Product Development and Innovation” category.
Goodyear will be honoured at the Manny Awards banquet on May 23 in Cleveland.
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