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.
TyreSafe has announced that Taiwanese tyre manufacturer Nankang has become its latest member. The road safety organisation says the inclusion of several new tyre retailers and manufacturers this year, brings the prospect of a year of record levels of participation and awareness about tyre safety issues. Nankang will support TyreSafe’s various campaigns throughout 2013 which include those targeting motorcyclists, young drivers, HGV operators as well as car drivers.
News of Morgan Stanley Asia (Singapore) Pte’s investment in Apollo Tyres has prompted a slight rise in the Indian tyre maker’s share price. Morgan Stanley purchased 2.7 million Apollo shares – a 0.5 per cent stake in the company – for Rs 63.37 a share. After this news was released, shares rose briefly to Rs 64.80; still more than 31 per cent down on their trading price before Apollo announced it would acquire Cooper Tire & Rubber.
These days it seems every tyre maker and his dog participate in motorsport. This is fine of course, and a good way to boost brand awareness. But serving as a tyre supplier involves considerable product development costs, not to mention the logistics and planning associated with each championship round. And motorsport sponsorship only reaches a particular target audience – unless, as we’ve seen throughout this year, in cases where the tyre supplier finds itself on the receiving end of negative media attention.
Toyo Tire & Rubber appears likely to increase production in the US. Company president Akira Nobuki has been quoted by Bloomberg as saying that US manufacturing is “making a comeback” and that Toyo can “can picture the scenario of jobs coming back” and expansion occurring in this market.
Shareholders ‘voted with their feet’ following the announcement that Apollo Tyres would acquire Cooper Tire & Rubber for US$2.5 billion, causing share prices to plummet from Rs 92.60 on 12 June – the day the deal was announced – to a low of Rs 54.60 (£0.61) nine days later. Now, several institutional investors are said to be speaking with the Indian tyre maker in the hope it will reconsider the transaction.
Financial analysts have maintained a “neutral” rating for shares in Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. The report published 4 July by Zack’s Equity Research explained the general reasoning, which follows Apollo Tyre’s agreement to buy the company for US$2.6 billion on 12 June: “We are pleased with its improved 2013-first quarter results and focus on reducing costs together with increased efficiency in each of the plants. However, we are concerned about the increasingly competitive landscape.”
Two papers delivered at the end of the tyre-based segment of the International Rubber Research and Development Board's International Rubber Conference 2013 focused on rubber technologies helping to create the next wave of green tyres. Dr Stuart Cook, the director of research at TAARC, gave a brief history of the research centre’s development of Ekoprena, starting with Michelin’s identification of the first “green tyre” back in 1992, while Sumitomo's Kozaburo Nakaseko indicated the corporation's intention to launch a "fossil fuel free tyre" in the second half of 2013, mixing "epoxidised natural rubber" with a more highly refined rubber product.
Interstate Tyre & Rubber Co has announced the agreement of a new exclusive passenger car and light truck tyres distribution deal with Euro-Tyre BV Sucursal Portugal in Spain and Portugal. Interstate says the companies will pursue a number of brand awareness and marketing communication initiatives through fellow Benelux tyre wholesaler Euro-Tyre’s Portuguese affiliate in order to stimulate sales and growth for Interstate.
Following the agreement reached between Apollo Tyres and Sumitomo Rubber Industries about the future of the Dunlop brand in Africa, Apollo Tyres South Africa (Pty) Limited has initiated an investment programme at its Dunlop Zimbabwe Limited manufacturing company. The Dunlop Zimbabwe plant in Bulawayo will no longer produce Dunlop tyres and is apparently being tooled up to manufacture the Vredestein brand. Six new presses have been purchased for the Bulawayo plant so far and a further 18 are expected.
Michelin has renewed its commitment to the NASCAR Whelen Euro-Series (the new name for the former Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series). The tyre maker has been involved in the US-imported championship since 2009 as technical partner and tyre supplier, and has developed two tyres for the mechanically uncomplicated cars used in NASCAR. These are the Michelin S9C slick (33/70-15) and P2E rain tyre (33/70-15).
Marangoni Retreading Systems has inauguration a new manufacturing plant in Argentina, in the city of Alvear, Santa Fe. This new plant brings the total number of sites operating around the world and featuring Ringtread lines to five, all part of the Marangoni Group division specialising in pre-cure retreading.
Developed for the European Rallycross Championship with competitive testing in Germany, Sweden and Norway, Cooper Tire has launched its new 17” wet-weather rallycross tyre. The new tyre has already run in open competition in both Portugal and France, setting fastest laps in the heats. Cooper says its eponymous and Avon brands are established as global rallycross leaders, with these brands supplying the tyres of choice for the vast majority of competitors.
Less than a month after inaugurating its 100,000 tonne per annum butyl rubber plant in Singapore and six weeks after launching a new curing bladder facility in Brazil, Lanxess has celebrated the opening of another production site that will serve the tyre and automotive industries. The company’s first facility in Russia, a polymer-bound rubber additives plant operated by its Rhein Chemie subsidiary, officially opened on 4 July, creating around 40 jobs; a second facility at the plant site in Lipetsk, which will produce bladders for use in tyre production, will open in 2016.
Pirelli has released two statements to explain the reasons behind the spate of tyre failures at the British grand prix. The exclusive tyre supplier said that the “sophisticated” asymmetric construction of the current P Zero Formula One slicks meant that tyre management methods employed by teams, such as mounting rear tyres on the opposite side to that for which they were designed, reduced tyre pressures, and extreme cambers had combined with the high kerbs at Silverstone to cause the problems, which Pirelli Motorsport director Paul Hembery described as “completely unexpected”. While Hembery was adamant that the “2013 range of tyres, used in the correct way, is completely safe”, he accepted that Pirelli had “underestimated” the effects that these unconventional running techniques would have on the tyres, and had declined to forbid mounting tyres the wrong way around. In future, Pirelli is seeking, with the agreement of FIA, FOM, the teams and the drivers, greater control over the ways in which its F1 tyres are utilised.
Kenda Rubber Industrial Co has reported its intention to increase its global production capacity for passenger car tyres by 50 per cent in 2013. The company will manufacture 38,000 units per day by the end of 2013 in order to meet rising market demand, with the increases coming in both its home market of Taiwan and in two Chinese factories. These include the Tianjin factory, which produced its first prototype tyre in May.
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