Nokian premieres ‘AA’ rated summer range
Nokian Tyres claims membership in the exclusive ‘AA’ label club with the introduction of its new eLine summer tyre range. Sales of the eLine, a product suitable for smaller cars, will begin in spring 2013.
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Nokian Tyres claims membership in the exclusive ‘AA’ label club with the introduction of its new eLine summer tyre range. Sales of the eLine, a product suitable for smaller cars, will begin in spring 2013.
On 11 September, Lanxess broke ground on its new neodymium-based performance butadiene rubber (Nd-PBR) plant in Singapore. The facility is being built with an investment of around 200 million euros and is expected to start production in the first half of 2015. Planned annual capacity of 140,000 tonnes will serve the growing market for low rolling resistance tyres, particularly in Asia.
Japan’s Nikkei newspaper and various Turkish media sources report Sumitomo Rubber Industries intends to invest 40 billion yen (£315 million) in building a tyre factory in Çankiri, about 90 miles from Turkey’s capital Ankara. Construction on the plant is set to start next year and the first phase will be ready in 2014, with further work completed in 2015. Output from the plant will be sold in Europe and the Middle East. No information on planned production capacity has been given.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company will webcast its latest presentation at the 2012 Citi Global Industrial Conference in Boston on 19 September. Darren R Wells, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will provide a business overview and discuss the company’s strategies for approximately 40 minutes.
Sailun says its winter tyres has been established in the North American and Canadian market for several years, and the company is now seeking to increase its seasonal prominence in Europe with its Ice Blazer range. Sailun is accessing the continental markets through appointed distributors covering traditionally strong winter tyre markets in Scandinavia and the Baltic region, as well as in Germany, where recent legislation has increased the profile of winter products, and Austria. Now, Sailun says it is seeking to add distribution of the product to the more temperate climates of France, Benelux and the UK, where it says distributors are “considering stocking the Ice Blazer patterns”.
Toyo’s range of winter tyres is designed to tackle all wintry driving conditions, aiming to increase drivers’ safety in more conditions than just the handful of snowy days (or weeks) in the UK. Toyo stresses that its winter tyres do not require snow to appreciate the benefits they offer. Toyo identifies slush, ice, mud and cold December downpours as conditions in which the tyres will “prove their worth in keeping drivers on the move”. The company’s computer-optimised tread designs come in a wide variety of sizes to suit all vehicles, from small compact cars to ultra high performance models to 4×4’s and SUV’s.
Continental has placed US dollar-denominated bonds worth US$950 million with institutional investors in Germany and abroad. According to the company, the bonds have a seven year term and are being issued by Continental Rubber of America, Corp., USA, and guaranteed by Continental AG and selected subsidiaries. The annual interest rate will be 4.5 per cent and is substantially lower than the interest rate on the bonds issued by Continental in 2010. Interest will be payable semi-annually in arrears. The proceeds will be used for the early repayment of part of the debts scheduled to mature in April 2014.
Some 55 hourly employees at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s plant in Danville, Va., are being laid off, according to local reports. In an article on DoDanRiver.com, Goodyear currently has about 2,300 employees. The layoff is happening across all departments, rather than affecting a single product line.
Kumho Petrochemical chairman Park Chan-koo has plans for the company’s future as a top global chemical-making company, marking over 20 trillion won in annual revenue with 20 original high-quality products that are number one in their respective sector by 2020.
Dutch tyre wholesaler Interstate Tire & Rubber Co. has added three new winter lines to its 2012 winter programme, which now covers van and SUV sizes, as well as including a fully studdable PCR-light truck line. The three new winter tyres join the popular the popular Winter IWT-2 EVO line, meaning that the company now offers over 120 unique sizes in its private brand winter line-up. The wholesaler says that the new additions mean that its own brand has 11 tyre lines and over 250 sizes in what it calls the “premium-budget segment”.
Tyre manufacturing chemical supplier Lanxess AG is to join German benchmark index DAX 30, effective 24 September 2012, according to the Stock Indices Working Group of Deutsche Boerse AG. Lanxess shares closed at 60 euros on 5 September (the day the news was announced.
The DAX (Deutscher Aktien IndeX) consists of 30 major German companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Prices are taken from the electronic Xetra trading system. According to Deutsche Boerse AG, the operator of Xetra, DAX measures the performance of the 30 largest German companies in terms of trading volume and market capitalisation.
Based in East Yorkshire, point-S member, Tyremen is conspicuously active in the seasonal winter market. Not only is there a dedicated winter tyre and wheel section on the company’s website, but banners advertise both specialist seasonal products and all-season rubber in prominent positions. The retailer says it is “well prepared” for what it predicts will be “a busy winter season in 2012/13”.
A new Nokian Tyres summer range will be available in selected European markets as of spring 2013; named the zLine, the new line-up is aimed at the UHP segment and replaces the Nokian Z G2. The zLine will be available in 31 dimensions for 16 to 20-inch rim diameters and W and Y speed ratings.
Dutch tyre and rubber machinery manufacturer VMI reports that its former president and CEO, Coos Spanjer, passed away on Tuesday 4 September 2012, at the age of 68.
During a visit to Bridgestone’s Sweden Proving Ground earlier in the year, Tyres & Accessories drove in temperatures way below freezing in some of the most extreme conditions in Europe, using the manufacturer’s current Blizzak LM-30 winter rubber, and the prototype of its successor to be, the LM-32, which remains in development for the moment, as well as a comparative summer weather tyre, which behaved about as well as one would expect on heavy snow. There was, however, an intermediate all-weather tyre option, which the company is particularly focusing on in Oceanic climates such as that found in the UK.
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