rubber Archives - Page 320 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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Yokohama’s Aggressive Advan Brand

Yokohama Rubber is to launch its new ADVAN brand at the Paris Motor Show 2004 (Mondial de l’automobile 2004), which commences on the 25 September.

The company describes the new product as its “symbolic” brand, representing its “global concept.” Yokohama plans to aggressively confront its new business strategy through the new brand, which includes developing flagship tyre products, participating further in motorsports, and co-developing activities with world leading carmakers and tuners. ADVAN is said to represent the company’s spirit of pursuing high performance and high quality products.

The new products will be introduced in markets around the world and sale of the tyres is scheduled to begin in 2005.

First introduced in 1978, ADVAN has been used for motorsports activities and high performance tyres in Japan. Its presentation at the Paris Motor Show will be the first fully-fledged introduction in the European market. Yokohama will exhibit ADVAN Sport and ADVAN S.T, its SUV tyre. The company’s run flat tyre systems, including the Z.P.S. and the Support Ring System will also be displayed at the exhibition.

22nd September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti Plan Chinese Venture

Chinese company Qingdao Doublestar has announced that it is forming a joint venture with Continental in China.

In a statement to the Shenzhen stock exchange the Chinese company is said to have reported that Conti is expected to start negotiations on financial terms and other venture details.

Once again the market’s focus is on China, where passenger car sales surged 76 per cent last year to 1.97 million units. Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Michelin and Yokohama all have existing operations within the expanding market.

21st September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Sells Automotive Unit

Cooper Tire & Rubber has announced that it will sell its automotive business, Cooper-Standard Automotive, to an entity formed by The Cypress Group and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners for approximately $1.165 billion in cash. The transaction, which is subject to certain post-closing adjustments, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2004.

Cooper-Standard Automotive, which had revenue of approximately $1.6 billion in 2003, is a manufacturer of fluid handling systems, body sealing systems, and active and passive vibration control systems, primarily for automotive original equipment manufacturers.

Thomas Dattilo, chairman, president, and CEO of Cooper Tire & Rubber said: “We are pleased with the transaction terms reached with Cypress and Goldman. We look forward to pursuing growth opportunities in our tyre business. We believe that after the transaction is completed Cooper-Standard Automotive will be well-positioned for continued strong growth under its new ownership.” Proceeds from the sale are expected to be used for debt reduction, further investment in operations and in repurchasing shares.

20th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

‘The fastest clean summer tyre in the world’

Nokian is set to introduce a W speed rated summer car tyre, which it claims is “the fastest clean summer tyre in the world.”

The Nokian Z ultra high performance tyre will initially be launched in the Nordic countries, Central Europe and Russia in the spring of 2005. The company describes the tyre’s characteristics as combining “good wet grip, precise controllability and clean rubber compounds,” and says that it is manufactured without harmful high-aromatic oils.

Mr Teppo Huovila, product development manager, Nokian Tyres explains that the design of the new tyre is focused on two core points: “Safety under extreme conditions and environmental friendliness.” Which he believes calls for the company’s “special technical skills and solid experience.”

20th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

US Authority Proposes TPMS System

The US government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has officially proposed that all new vehicles carry a TPMS. The announcement comes after the NHTSA sent the draft rule to the Office of Management and Budget on 1 July.

16th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Myanmar Government Lifts Rubber Export Ban

Myanmar has resumed the export of rubber following an announcement by the government that took effect on 1 September. In a statement released by the country’s trade directorate on 27 August, the government said that domestic production had risen since the ban was put in place at the beginning of the year. According to the statement demand is being met.

16th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear to Invest $30 million in Fayetteville

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co has confirmed that it is planning to plough $30 million into its Kelly-Springfield plant in Fayetteville, North Carolina. .

15th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Choice to be Key to GB Rally

World Rally Championship leader Sebastien Loeb has told journalists that he is expecting an eventful Welsh Rally GB this weekend. Although the race, which traditionally runs in November, is likely to be drier, there is still a good chance of rain.

Citreon driver Loeb sees the changeable conditions as a challenge for those making the tyre choice decisions. “Following the date switch, this event is likely to be the most complicated gravel rally of the calendar on the tyre front. Part of the rally will be played out on Monday when we nominate our tyre choices. The conditions stand to vary from dry and hard to cold, damp, muddy or even pouring rain. To be sure of having the ideal tyre for each situation, we could nominate a bit of everything, from ultra-soft rubber to hard compounds. But, in that case, we will only have a limited quantity of each, and we will end up running short if the conditions are consistent. The alternative, riskier solution will be to go without certain products.”

14th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Down Grade Inner Tube Production

Due to a decline in demand Cooper Tire & Rubber has decided to end production of inner tubes at its Clarksdale, Mississippi, plant by 12 November.

The company has confirmed that most of the facility’s 159 workers will be made redundant. About 30 of the workers are expected to remain at the plant to produce curing bladders and operate the rubber mixing unit, which produces rubber for internal consumption at the company’s other plants.

In an official statement the company explained that employees have been notified of the redundancy and will receive outplacement assistance. Cooper is also said to have notified its customers about the inner tube decision and is provided recommendations for alternative sources.

The phase-out is expected to cost about $9 million (£5 million), which will be needed to cover the write-down of assets and the impacts of severance and other benefits. The company will record a charge of approximately $7 million during the third quarter of 2004 as a result of this decision.
Cooper maintains that the decision supports its strategy to “dedicate resources to those product categories that will help the business grow globally and provide shareholder value.” cma

10th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Zisser Banned from Selling Wanli S-1099

A US court has banned wholesaler Zisser Tire from selling Wanli S-1099 tyres, which, according to the ruling, infringe Yokohama’s trademarks.

10th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

US Tyre Demand to Increase by 4.1 per cent

Tyre Market USA The Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) has said that it expects demand for tyres to increase by 4.1 per cent in the US. The growth is attributed mainly to “broad-based economic growth in the consumer and commercial sectors.” According to the association, this growth is expected to continue over the next few years inline with the US economy’s moderate growth pattern. Overall, the combined original equipment (OE) and replacement shipments for both the car and truck categories are anticipated to increase by 12.6 million units to nearly 323 million units. In 2003 it amounted to 310.3 million. The association is projecting that this figure will reach 356 million units by 2009.

7th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Forms New Chinese Subsidiary

Toyo Tire & Rubber Co has announced that it has set up a wholly owned subsidiary in Guangzhou, southern China.

7th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Amerityre Replacing Rubber

Tyres have been made from rubber for more than 100 years, using the same fundamental manufacturing processes. However American tyre corporation, Amerityre, claims to have invented a polyurethane material that will replace rubber and revolutionise the entire tyre manufacturing industry, within the next 15 years.

This proposed polyurethane elastomer tyre production is essentially a unique process. Revolutionary it may be, but what does it mean for the tyre manufacturing industry?

The new polyurethane elastomer material can be used in the manufacture of tyres and automated manufacturing equipment. The significance of the new material is placed on the cost efficiency of the manufacturing process. According to Amerityre, manufacturing tyres from polyurethane is considerably more efficient than manufacturing tyres from rubber.

It may be new to the market, but the company has big objectives for its new technology. The company claims that polyurethane will ultimately replace rubber in tyres. It also predicts that the transition from rubber to polyurethane tyres will occur quickly, because of the amount of benefits it provides. It estimates that this conversion will begin in the next 12 months, and will be complete in the next 12 to 15 years. And on top of this, its prototype tyre, ‘ARCUS,’ awaits its launch into the market and its opportunity to silence critics. Whichever way you look at it, these are high aims for a product the industry knows little about.

The company was originally formed in 1995 as the American Tire Corporation. Its initial business objective was to take advantage of, and develop, existing urethane formulations. At first the company used these formulations to produce Flatfree bicycle tyres from polyurethane foam. In 1999 the company changed its name to Amerityre Corporation. Located in Nevada, it occupies a 49,200 square foot site. And has now developed two distinct proprietary chemical systems for tyres: a polyurethane elastomer and a closed-cell polyurethane foam.

3rd September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Good News for Goodyear Shares

There was good news for Goodyear Tire & Rubber on Wednesday, as its shares closed at a 52-week high thanks to analysts recommending its stock.

The shares closed at $11.42, and were up 44 cents which meant the company’s stock has not closed below its 10-week moving average since late May.

Last month the manufacturer ended a six-quarter losing streak by posting a second quarter profit of $25.1 million, which equated to 14 cents a share, this figure compared with a loss of $53 million, or 30 cents per share, recorded in 2003.

3rd September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Personnel Developments in Cooper’s Product Dept

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co has promoted Dwayne Beach to director of product management.

Mr Beach will move from his current position as director of product marketing to assume his new role. He will now be responsible for global product planning and product marketing activities. In his new position he will also lead the company’s efforts in new product identification, development and commercialisation.

As a member of the Product Development and Management Association, and having served on several Tire & Rim Association and Rubber Manufacturers Association committees Mr Beach takes a range of knowledge and experience with him to the new role.

3rd September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors