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(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. announced a series of personnel changes in its R&D group. Lyn Lovell, previously director of government compliance and product performance, was named director of global technology planning, a new position created to “increase the speed at which new products get to market, maintain technical leadership, and ensure alignment with business needs,” according to Goodyear.
(Akron/Tire Review) The Shanghai Daily reported last week that Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has launched a consumer tyre service plan in China, responding to a similar scheme unveiled by Groupe Michelin earlier in the week. Much like Michelin’s plan, Goodyear will offer Chinese tyre buyers a two-year package that includes 24-hour roadside assistance, flat tyre repair, towing and other services.
Indian company MRF Tyres is setting up a small plant in Sri Lanka for manufacturing rubber, a top MRF official said. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of launching ‘V’ rated tyres for luxury cars, Mr Philip Eapen, Executive Director-Marketing said experimental production has already commenced at the new facility. However, he did not provide any details about investment in the plant.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced the addition of new Dunlop tyres to its offering, aimed at filling out its commercial tyre line. The company is rolling out new tyres and sizes in mixed-service to go along with its full line of Dunlop line-haul, regional and urban tyres. Mixed-service tyres, which can be used on- and off-road, feature severe-service tread compounds and improved belt packages for improved resistance to cutting, chipping and tearing when the tyre leaves the roadway. The tyre’s open lug design provides countless tread edges for grip, and yet, tyre technology is used to deliver ride comfort and quietness on the road, company officials said.
It seems that the announcement by Kumho that it is to spend US$155 million on building a factory at Binh Duong in Vietnam (30th April) is only part of the whole story.
At a special “Pit Stop China” press conference running alongside the A1 Grand Prix in Shanghai at the weekend, Cooper Tire announced that the Cooper brand would shortly be available for the Chinese market. Cooper is the official tyre for the A1 series.
(Akron/Tire Review) Craig Marks was promoted by Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. to be its new platform launch manager, responsible for leading and overseeing the development, launch and production of new products. Marks joined Cooper in 1993 and has worked as a senior corporate industrial engineer and, most recently, as lead industrial engineer.
A small Airblast modular blast room has provided D&S Factors with a self-contained blast cleaning facility for preparing tractor wheels. As well as stocking new and reconditioned standard products from leading agricultural wheel OE companies, D&S also manufactures its own range of special products such as rowcrop wheels, wide flotation wheels and grassland wheels for use on golf courses, parks etc.
Due to an increasing demand for its products, D&S Factors began restructuring its manufacturing factory at Donington, near Spalding. As part of this development a great deal of thought was given to the installation of a new surface preparation facility. “We have always known that the efficient surface preparation of wheels prior to painting is vital to ensure a quality end product,” said manager, David Tasker. “We used to do our blast cleaning in a home-made room – a rubber lined shed really – using a small open nozzle blast machine.”
Fulda has announced it will exhibit at this year’s French Car Show to be held at Bruntingthorpe Proving Grounds on Sunday 28th May 2006. The UK’s only all-French Car Show will entertain a massive variety of standard, performance and modified cars with over 45 French car clubs, 80+ traders and over 10,000 true enthusiasts expected.
Fulda Tyres and Performance GTi Magazine have teamed up to provide the live skills test track. Here volunteers will be put through their paces on the track on their standard tyres before being fit with Fulda Exelero, their latest Ultra-High-Performance tyre to see the difference.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has confirmed that staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission have terminated their investigation into accounting matters included in the company’s restatement of financial results, announced in October 2003, and in subsequent public filings.
(Akron/Tire Review) Last night, at the Mid America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. presented Ashford, Ala., truck driver Douglas Crawford with the 23rd Goodyear North America Highway Hero Award.
(Akron/Tire Review) According to the Rubber Manufacturers Association’s (RMA) Tread Rubber Market Analysis Committee, total tread rubber shipments will increase 2.8% in 2006, up from 1.9% growth in 2005. The increase will be fueled by economic growth, a strong demand for OTR tyres and heavy truck-traffic volumes, the RMA committee reported.
(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire (BFNAT) and Bridgestone/Firestone Canada Inc. (BFCA) have announced price increases on Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton, associate and private brand tyre lines. Passenger and light truck, medium truck and bus, ag and OTR tire prices will increase up to 5 per cent. Replacement, OE and export channels are affected by the increases, which take effect 1 May.
(Akron/Tire Review) The fourth annual China International Tire Expo (CITExpo), which will be held 6-8 September at the Shanghai Everbright Exhibition Center in Shanghai, China, is expected to be a great success, with 200 exhibitors showcasing their latest products and technology in 8,000 square meters of exhibition space.
For the second year in a row, Tire Review serves as the exclusive US media sponsor for CITExpo. Other key media supporters include Tire Review partners Tyres & Accessories and Rubber Asia.
(Akron/Tire Review) Federal Tire Corp. announced it would increase prices by 5 per cent to 8 per cent across its full line of tyres, effective 1 April.
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