rubber Archives - Page 304 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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Natural Rubber Prices Continue Upward Climb

(Akron/Tire Review) By 7 June, natural rubber prices had risen to a 12-month high of $3.12 a pound on the Tokyo Commodities Exchange. Tyre output in China rose 27 per cent, to 239 million units last year, and the country’s tyre exports nearly doubled, to 34.8 million units.

At the same time global manufacturers continue to purchase more natural rubber as its synthetic counterpart becomes more costly, according to experts monitoring the data. Data reported by Bloomberg, for example, indicates that US Gulf spot prices for butadiene, the petrochemical used to make synthetic rubber, have risen 93 per cent, to 57 cents a pound over the past year.

23rd June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

F1: Schumacher May Quit Soon

Michael Schumacher, one of Formula 1’s most successful drivers, is not having fun in the sport and may retire soon, his brother Ralph told the Sport Bild Newspaper on Wednesday. “I don’t believe that Michael will be driving for very much longer,” Toyota driver Ralph told the German sports publication.

16th June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Accused of Union Busting in Thailand

ICEM (the International Federation of Chemical, Energy Mining and General Workers’ Unions) has accused Goodyear of ‘union busting’ in Thailand. In a statement published on the union’s web site ICEM said it was “sharply critical” of labour practices being carried out by Goodyear Thailand Ltd, a subsidiary of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.

15th June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Workers in Albany Vote Against Union

(Akron/Tire Review) Workers at Cooper Tire & Rubber’s Albany, Georgia tyre plant have voted against unionisation. Earlier this week, 1,220 Cooper workers voted at the plant. Representation by the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW) was rejected by 755 workers, while 465 voted for unionisation.

14th June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Announces Technical Partner Agreements with European Manufacturers

Toyo Tire & Rubber has formed technical partner agreements with Breyton, BMW’s tuner, Kleeman, Mercedes Benz’s tuner, and Sportec, Porsche’s tuner. According to the company, the agreements represent a part of Toyo Tire’s efforts to collaborate with leading European tuners. Toyo Tire expects that the partnerships with these three European tuners will be mutually beneficial in terms of technology information exchanges and increased brand exposure gained by promoting their brands with each other at trade shows and advertising activities.

8th June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Names New Manufacturing VP

(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co has named Christopher Werner as its new vice president of manufacturing for its North American Tire unit. Christopher Werner comes to Goodyear from GST AutoLeather Inc, a supplier of automotive leather for luxury vehicles from Toyota/Lexus, Acura, Ford, Chrysler and others, where he served as senior vice president of global operations. Mr Werner, 42, will report to Jon Rich, president of North American Tire, and Chris Clark, senior vice president of global sourcing.

8th June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

WRAP Programme To Support Tyre Recycling

WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) is to allocate “a large part” of the first year’s budget to developing existing processes and exploring “novel applications.” In a statement WRAP reports that it has begun work on developing the UK used tyre market. The aim of the programme, which is part of Defra’s new Business Resource Efficiency and Waste initiative (BREW), is to increase the inherent value of recycled tyres by stimulating market demand for higher value products.

8th June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Companies Challenge Tyre pressure Rule

Major tyre companies including Bridgestone Corporation, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co and Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co have sued the US government in order to block the introduction of a new TPMS regulation. The companies, joined by trade and consumer groups, claimed that the car and light truck regulation was inadequate to ensure safety.

7th June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama to Support Four Teams at Le Mans

The Yokohama Rubber Co, Ltd, today announced that it will support five cars from four teams in the 73rd Le Mans 24 hour rance, due to be held 18–19 June at the Sarthe Circuit in France. The company will support the Courage Competition works team in the LMP1 Class and will supply specially developed racing tyres to two entries from the veteran French chassis constructor.

In the LM-GT Class, Yokohama will assist Porsche works team Alex Job Racing/BAM, Seikel Motorsport, and T2M Motorsports. Alex Job Racing/BAM will run on tires that it developed jointly with Yokohama. Seikel Motorsport and T2M Motorsports will use tyres based on the Super GT that Yokohama modified with especially for Le Mans.

7th June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Sumitomo Rubber to Invest in Thailand

Sumitomo Rubber is reportedly planning to build “the world’s largest quality tyre factory” in Thailand, local media sources have reported. The factory will be base in the eastern province of Rayong and will aim to manufacture 7 million Dunlop branded tyres a year with the first tyres rolling off the production line in 2007, according to the reports.

Wiboon Kromdin, president of the Amata City Co Ltd, said that Sumitomo had already signed an agreement to purchase land for the production plant. The move represents the company’s first investment in Thailand. The location is said to have been chosen due to its proximity to Laem Chabang Port, and Thailand’s position at the centre of distribution to the Asian market.

7th June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Names Laura Thompson as VP of Business Development

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has appointed Laura Thompson as vice president of business development reporting to Darren Wells, senior vice president of business development and treasurer. The move became effective 1 June 2005.

6th June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Railways Recycle 10 Million Tyres

Used tyres are finding positive applications within another mode of transport – the railway. More than 10 million tyres have been recycled to be used as rubber level crossings, and in platforms and track access points.

The European Union generates 300 million new tyres every year. In the UK between 25 and 30 million tyres are discarded. Network Rail’s 10 million tyre figure refers to the total number of tyres used if all of its waste rubber crossings were put together. None of the crossings used a single ounce of virgin rubber.

Network Rail deputy chief executive Iain Coucher said: “Network Rail and the rail industry are committed to caring for and enhancing the environment, and balancing this with the need to deliver a reliable and safe railway network. This recycling initiative underlines the efforts being made to ensure the railway is an environmentally positive mode of transport.”

6th June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Could Nitrogen Offer Retreading Benefits?

In this column SA Treads editor, Liana Shaw, explains why nitrogen inflation could offer little-known benefits to retreaders.

It is probably no secret by now that I am a fan of nitrogen in tyres. I have spoken with too many fleet operators who swear by the cost-saving benefits of running on nitrogen, not to be a believer. I have also been using nitrogen in my own car tyres for over a year and enjoy not having to check tyre pressures every time I fill up. Unlike the inconvenience of running on air, which tends to escape from tyres at a rapid rate, the composition of nitrogen gas – which is characterized by larger molecules – substantially reduces the rate of emission. Then take the heat factor, long acknowledged as a tyre’s biggest enemy. Being an inert gas, tyres inflated with nitrogen run cooler, thereby prolonging tyre life. So far, so good. But could nitrogen’s properties and unique features extend further so as to be able to render valuable assistance to the retreader? The experts seem to think so.

6th June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Progress Reported in BFNAT-USW Talks

(Akron/Tire Review) News reports from St Louis indicate union negotiators feel they are making progress in their contract negotiations with Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire (BFNAT). The two sides reportedly met through the Memorial Day weekend, and both sides said they expected to stay at the bargaining table through the first week of June.

2nd June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Cuts Production at Charlotte Passenger Plant

(Akron/Tire Review) Continental Tire North America (CTNA) announced today that it is making a significant cut in tyre production at its Charlotte, North Carolina passenger and light truck/SUV tyre plant, a move that will result in some 200-300 layoffs. From 1 July, Charlotte production will be cut from approximately 25,000 tyres per day down to some 17,500. CTNA said the cutback was due to “a substantial increase in inventory levels for certain passenger tyre products and high process costs at the Charlotte plant.”

2nd June 2005/by Tyrepress Editors