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.
Japanese manufacturer Toyo Tire & Rubber state that the appointment of Kenji Nakakura’s appointment as its new chairman and representative director and Akira Nobuki’s appointment as president, CEO and representative director will take effect on 28 March 2013. On that same date, numerous other personnel changes will occur; including those listed below.
Two new automotive cleaning products have been launched under the Britemax brand name. Grime Out is designed to dissolve brake dust, engine grease, embedded dirt in rubber, bugs, tar, salt and hard water spots on glass. According to Britemax it performs where traditional cleaners fail, “turning tyres black and white walls and white lettering bright white.”
For the year ended 31 December 2012, Japan’s Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. recorded net sales of 710.2 billion yen (£4.9 billion), a year-on-year increase of 4.9 per cent. Operating income, at 69.7 billion yen (£481.5 million), was up 29.3 per cent on the 2011 result, while ordinary income of 67.4 billion yen (£465.1 million) represented a 34.9 per cent rise. Net income for 2012 amounted to 35.5 billion yen (£237.9 million), a 24.9 per cent year-on-year increase.
A number of senior management changes were approved at Yokohama Rubber’s board of directors meeting on 14 February. These changes will be formally approved after the company’s general meeting of shareholders on 28 March.
Last year was a new high water mark for Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., with the 2012 fiscal year delivering record net sales, operating income and net income. The company says these results reflect the strong growth of original equipment sales to Japanese vehicle manufacturers, a business recovery in industrial products, success in securing market acceptance for price increases, a decline in raw material costs, continuing progress in reducing costs, and the weakening of the yen toward the end of the year.
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. has published its consolidated business results for the 2012 financial year – a shortened, nine-month period owing to the Japanese firm’s changeover to a January to December fiscal year in 2012.
First Industrial Tyres Ltd (FIT) has opened its fifth distribution depot. FIT, which was founded in 2010 by Edward Woolley, has opened the depot in Newbury, Berkshire with a view to serving the south and west of England. Prior to his latest venture, Edward Wooley was managing director of Mobile Industrial Tyres Ltd and Watts Industrial Tyre Services Ltd.
Production capacity for Yokohama Rubber’s passenger car tyres will increase in Asia and Russia through the implementation of two separate projects.
Pirelli has announced the P Zero slick tyre compounds it will provide to Formula One for the first four grands prix of the 2013 World Championship season. The races will take place in Australia, Malaysia, China and Bahrain, over the course of which all four compounds will be used. In addition, no two grands prix will receive the same allocation variation, meaning that there will be a wide variety of tactical possibilities on show in the opening stages of the season. Such a move could help to retain the intrigue of the opening stages of the 2012 season, during which seven different drivers claimed victory in each of the first seven grands prix. Pirelli’s tyres have been overhauled this year too, and while the compounds are designed to offer fast warm-up performance through being generally softer, teams will be getting used to the way their cars handle the new rubber in the different conditions offered by these races.
At present, 75 per cent of the natural rubber imported into Europe is used in the tyre sector and 93 per cent of this originates from South East Asia. The industry is thus dependent on one particular region for its most significant raw material.
India’s JK Tyre and Industries Ltd attributes much of its improved profitability in the three months to 31 December 2012 to its strong performance in the truck and bus radial sector. Despite an overall slowdown in the Indian market and a slump in orders from OEM customers, the tyre maker recorded a net profit of Rs 211.4 million (£2.5 million) in its 2012-13 third quarter. This compares with a net loss of Rs 213.1 million (£2.6 million) a year earlier. Net sales between 1 October and 31 December 2012 amounted to Rs 12.7 billion (£152.4 million), down 7.6 per cent year-on-year.
A high profile exhibitor and participant at this week’s Tire Technology Expo has been Lanxess. Senior personnel from the German specialty chemicals company were present at the Cologne-based show to share the role Lanxess products play in the manufacture of environmentally-friendly, label-friendly tyres.
At the 13th annual Tire Technology Expo awards, held last night in Cologne, Apollo Tyres was honoured as Tire Manufacturer of the Year. Shortlisted alongside Bridgestone, Continental and Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Apollo was selected for the award in recognition of the brand’s continued expansion in the European market, growth underpinned by the launch of key products such as its first high performance summer tyre for Europe, the Aspire 4G, and the inauguration of a new technical centre in Enschede, The Netherlands, a site that has taken on global responsibility for passenger car tyre research and development. Announcing Apollo’s selection as Tire Manufacturer of the year, Tire Technology International noted the company’s “impressive” financial growth; in 2011-12, Apollo’s revenue exceeded US$2.5 billion for the first time.
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Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa has posted the quickest time on the opening day of the first group test of the 2013 MotoGP season at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit. Pedrosa set his benchmark time of 2:01.157 on his penultimate lap today to finish just eight-thousandths of a second ahead of Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, while on the other Repsol Honda RC213V, Marc Márquez was third on the timesheets with a best lap time of 2:01.201. Bridgestone said the CRT-specific softer rear slick had offered riders increased grip.
As the successor to a multi-test winning winter product, Nokian believes its new Hakkapeliitta R2 non-studded winter tyre exemplifies the company’s latest winter tyre innovations. Chief among these is the Nokian Cryo Crystal Concept compound, which has cystal-esque particles designed to “grab the icy driving surface” in order to improve grip. The cryo-silane based winter silica compound works across a wide temperature range, achieving better winter surface grip and improved wear resistance. It is also optimised for reduced rolling resistance.
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