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 date for groundbreaking on Lanxess’ new neodymium polybutadiene rubber (Nd-PBR) plant in Singapore has been set. It is scheduled to take place on 11 September; following the signing of contracts with key suppliers, company Board of Management chairman Axel C. Heitmann announced that with these supplier agreements in place, the project executive can now commence and infrastructure for construction set up.
The final four days of practice before the second season of Pirelli’s Formula One tyre supply tenure begin tomorrow in Barcelona. The tyre manufacturer believes the session will be one of the most crucial tests of the season, with teams seeking to gain the best understanding possible of how the P Zero and Cinturato tyres work with their new cars before racing begins in Australia. In the long-term, Pirelli says that non-stop development means that the cars will change considerably as the season goes on. Additionally, an intriguing aspect of practice is the way teams will want not to show their full potential, and the desire not to tip their hands while finding the true potential of their cars on the new rubber is a key aspect of reading test times. Eight different drivers have recorded fastest times during the eight days of testing in Jerez and Barcelona underlining how difficult it can be to draw concrete conclusions.
On 28 February Goodyear Tire & Rubber called for the redemption on 29 March 2012 of all its outstanding US$650 million 10.5 per cent senior unsecured notes due 2016. The redemption price will be 107.875 per cent of the principal amount being redeemed on the date of redemption, plus the interest payment amount scheduled for 15 May 2012 (less accrued and unpaid interest to 29 March 2012), computed using a discount rate equal to the yield of a comparable US Treasury security plus 0.50 per cent. In addition, holders will receive accrued and unpaid interest to 29 March 2012.
Richard Johnson has been appointed Dunlop Motorsport’s sales and product manager, Motorcycle Tyres. The role will cover product management, pricing and strategic planning for its motorcycle range. Steve Male, manager, Motorcycle Motorsport Europe stated: “We are delighted that Richard is able to progress into this role. His appointment brings the knowledge gained in some of the world’s most competitive racing environments and gives us the opportunity to benefit from his vast experience as we grow our motorsport business.”
Almost three months to the day after the announcement of a lockout at Cooper Tire & Rubber’s Findlay factory in the US state of Ohio, agreement on a new labour agreement has been reached by the tyre maker and the United Steelworkers union. On 27 February Cooper announced that USW Local 207L has ratified a five-year agreement that covers some 1,050 union members at the Findlay plant. Union members voted 627 to 321 in favour of the agreement.
Union workers at Cooper Tire & Rubber Co’s plant in Findlay, Ohio, go to the ballot box today to consider a new five-year contract offer that could end the now three-month long lock out at the plant, reports Tire Review. But according to reports in the Findlay Courier this morning, some USW Local 207 members feel it will be a close vote, even though its 1,050 members have been without a paycheck since November 2011.
You’ve probably heard by now that at the end of February Dunlop announced the launch of its Sport Maxx Race and Sport Maxx RT products at Spain’s Ascari Race track. Designed to help some of the world’s fastest cars perform, Dunlop says the Race iteration will be fitted to key models such as the Mercedes SLS and C63 AMG Black Series, Audi’s TT RS and R8, the Porsche 911 GT3 and the BMW M5. But why develop a new sports car-orientated tyre?
Even as it tries to resolve a three-month lock out at its hometown Findlay, Ohio, plant, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co reported full-year 2011 net profit of $269.6 million against sales of $3.9 billion, Tire Review reports. The sales results were an improvement of $566 million, or 17 per cent, from 2010, while the net profit mark was up significantly from 2010’s $163.9 million.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries subsidiary, Falken has launched a new all-terrain tyre onto European markets. Available from spring 2012, the Wildpeak WP/AT01 blends off-road operational performance with construction and design features typically reserved for high performance road tyres. The tyre marks a new venture into the European all-terrain tyre market for the Japanese manufacturer; the tyre was previously launched in the USA, where a derivative of the Wildpeak won the 2011 Pikes Peak mixed surface hillclimb.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co has expanded its portfolio of Dunlop brand truck tyres with the new Dunlop SP348. The all-position steer tyre is designed for regional fleet, school bus, and pickup and delivery applications. It has a deep tread for increased longevity, a rugged casing design, enhanced shoulder ribs and stone ejectors in grooves.
90 days after they were locked out of their jobs, workers at the Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Findlay, Ohio, have reached a second tentative contract with the tyre-maker, Tire Review reports. The agreement, which will be put to a ratification vote this weekend, was reached late on 23 February. The two sides had returned to the bargaining table on 20 February and have held lengthy sessions on each day since.
Bridgestone completed its first round of pre-season MotoGP testing in early February, taking its latest hard and extra-hard front, and medium and hard rear compounds to Sepang, Malaysia. The tyre supplier also took the opportunity to meet with series organiser Dorna’s safety advisor, Loris Capirossi, who was there to “continue the good work Bridgestone and I started at Valencia last November”, in his words. He also scotched media reports of critical comments he was alleged to have made about Bridgestone’s rubber, saying he has “shared a long and positive relationship” with the supplier. “[In] Malaysia we made our plans for the season and most importantly for this time, we discussed the 2012 specification tyres and how the riders’ are responding to them,” he told the media.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced that it has commenced a public offering of $700 million aggregate principal amount of 10-year senior notes, subject to market and other customary conditions. The notes will be senior unsecured obligations of the company.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe’s Avon Tyres will be the official tyre supplier to the European GT4 Cup and Dutch GT4 Championship for the next three years. Avon has ramped up its GT tyre products since its introduction into the British GT Championship in 2006, and the brand’s representatives say the latest contract shows its boosted reputation as a “world class supplier” of the product. All tyres for both championships will be manufactured in the UK at Avon Tyres Motorsport’s headquarters in Melksham, Wiltshire.
There was a time when four-wheel drive vehicles were direct descendants of hard-nosed ‘working’ and agricultural vehicles – so the choice of suitable tyres was pretty straightforward. These days, though, drivers are faced with what can be a bewildering array of specialist tyres for specific types of 4×4 and SUV – and for an ever-widening range of applications – which makes it challenging for the retailer to stock the answer to every request they’re likely to hear from their 4×4 customers. Stapleton’s seeks to answer these questions with what it describes as one of the widest ranges of on and off-road 4×4 tyres available.
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