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.
Continental’s underground mining products are engineered at the company’s Research and Development Center in Hanover, Germany and production is based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa – close to many customers’ gold, copper, and platinum mines. Two key products in this segment are the General Tire brand Power Slick and Semi Slick, and the tyre maker is displaying both of these at the Bauma 2013 show.
Organisers have announced that the 2013 International Rubber Research & Development Board (IRRDB) conference will ask “Are we ready for Green Technologies?” The event is being held in London and is scheduled to run 24 – 26 June 2013. The conference has been organised jointly by the IRRDB, Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) and its UK–based research facility the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC).
When you think of Trelleborg you will probably think of industrial or agricultural tyres. You may think of rubber products in general. But would you associate the Swedish firm with the movies?
Trelleborg has launched a new 3D animated movie which is available on YouTube via its social media channel, TrelleborgAgri. The film, created using 3D animation techniques, tells the life story of a smart cartoon cricket that starts his own agricultural business and miniature farm. The story, which begins in 1955, follows the cricket ‘farmer’ through the ages, following his journey as he comes face-to-face with evolving tractor generations. From x-ply tires, through to upgraded tractors equipped with radial technology tires; the cricket must learn how to survive and work alongside these new technologies.
Former Bridgestone Americas CEO Mark Emkes is retiring from his current role as commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration in the state of Tennessee, reports US trade publication Tire Review. Emkes was selected for the role following an election held in 2010, and Tire Review shares that Emkes told a local newspaper that he now has “absolutely no political aspirations.” He will finish as commissioner on 31 May.
Phase two work on Yokohama Rubber’s truck and bus tyre factory in Thailand is scheduled to begin in July. This second stage of the Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. project involves the erection of a second plant on a 2.6 section of land adjacent to the existing truck and bus tyre factory in Rayong Province. Yokohama Rubber’s total investment in this second plant amounts to 8 billion yen (£53.6 million). The expansion will double the Thailand subsidiary’s truck and bus tyre capacity to 700,000 pieces per annum; the second plant is scheduled to enter production in April 2015 and full-fledged operation the following December.
As of this month, Yokohama rubber’s tyre factories in Japan will begin using a newly developed inner liner technology that is said to “substantially” improve the retention of air pressure in truck and bus tyres. The tyre maker says it can reduce natural air leakage by approximately 30 per cent compared with conventional liners. Not only does this help maintain air pressure, Yokohama says it also permits the design and manufacture of lighter tyres. Following the technology’s adoption in Japan, Yokohama Rubber will gradually introduce it at truck tyre factories in other parts of the world.
To coincide with the arrival of spring weather, TyreSafe is encouraging more ‘scrubbers’ to be active within the motorcycling community. This, we hasten to say, refers to the need to ‘scrub-in’ new tyres during their first 100 miles or thereabouts.
Japan’s Zeon Chemicals says its new solution styrene-butadiene rubber plant in Singapore will now enter operation in September, two months behind its initial projected start-up date. The hold up has been attributed to the construction of a number of public service tunnels. Despite this delay, the company states the plant will run “flat-out” as of September.
Following a slow year in 2012, the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) has published first quarter 2013 figures showing that the decline has continued.
According to the association, which represents the European operations of some of the largest tyre manufacturers in the world, the market for consumer tyres fell 12 per cent (to 46.6 million units) in the first quarter. This is said to have been because of, amongst other factors, bad weather conditions, delay of the change from winter to summer tyres, and not least the current economic environment.
Following the news that Yokohama established a Mexican subsidiary, Yokohama Tire Mexico S. de R.L., local news reports suggest the tyre manufacturer is planning to use this company to build a passenger car tyre production plant in Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico. According to El Economista newspaper, the plan is for the plant to provide tyres to Honda and Mazda auto plants in the region, as well as for the North American replacement market.
On 10 April the head of Continental’s Tire division, Nikolai Setzer, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning Continental’s consumer tyre factory in Púchov. The signing of the MoU at Continental’s headquarters in Hannover, Germany paves the way for an expansion project that will see passenger and light truck tyre capacity in Púchov rising by more than 5 million pieces a year.
Pirelli has launched the third generation of its Sottozero winter tyre. The Winter Sottozero 3 is designed for cars with medium to large capacity engines and places an emphasis on grip in all conditions and tyre longevity.
This year Michelin is releasing no less than six new motorcycle tyre lines: The Power Super Sport, Pilot Power 3, Anakee III and Anakee Wild, plus the Pilot Street and Pilot Street Radial. The last two of these are of particular interest due to the strategic approach they represent.
When Maurice Taylor visited Goodyear’s plant in Amiens, France, he claims to have observed workers talking for several hours a day instead of getting busy with the tasks they were paid to do, and when he challenged them about this they replied it was “the French way.” Now the Amiens plant workers are engaging in a behaviour more in line with the American way – they have sued Goodyear Tire & Rubber.
With Pirelli Group spending around 4 billion euro acquiring goods and services in 2012, you can understand why the company wants to honour its best suppliers. That’s why Pirelli today gave out its Supplier Award 2013, in recognition of the suppliers who have “contributed in a significant way to Pirelli’s Premium strategy throughout the world.”
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