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.
A further development of Hankook’s e-cube range is currently on display at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Germany. The new tyres are promoted as e-cube Max products, and Hankook Tyre UK sales director Barrie Horrocks told Tyres & Accessories that the e-cube Max will eventually replace Hankook’s current e-cube line-up.
Although not a tyre maker in its own right, Lanxess supplies its synthetic rubbers to major manufacturers around the world. But to demonstrate the company’s competence in product innovation and its solutions for green tyres, Lanxess has entered the tyre making business, albeit on a very small scale – the German specialty chemicals company has produced an ‘AA’ rated concept tyre.
Following its US launch earlier this year, Continental will soon roll out its ContiPressureCheck commercial vehicle TPMS in Europe. The early warning system was debuted locally at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show earlier today.
During its press conference at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover, Germany, Continental announced it is establishing a new truck and bus tyre retreading plant plus a facility to recycle rubber from used tyres at its Hannover headquarters. The company claims the facility will be the first of its kind worldwide and will make use of the synergies between the retreading and recycling production. An investment of “more than ten million euros” will go into the ContiLifeCycle plant project, and more than 100 new jobs will be created at Continental’s Hannover-Stöcken site.
The China Rubber Industry Association says Michelin is assisting it in formulating the provisions of a new tyre label for China. A news release on the CRIA’s Chinese language website reports the French tyre maker is contributing its experience of European labeling to the project.
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”.
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