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.
At the start of 2012 Tyres & Accessories contacted leading automotive and aftermarket supplier Delphi with a view to getting this firm’s perspective on the increasingly important diagnostics side of the garage work. Paul Chaundy, service business line director, Delphi Product & Service Solutions answered our questions in the following interview:
This week, as the 2012 Formula One season gets under way at Jerez in Spain, F1 teams will have their first chance to sample the definitive specification of Pirelli’s latest tyres. During the four-day test at the Andalusian circuit between 7 and 10 February, each car will have 25 sets of Pirelli’s new soft, medium and hard compounds available, along with wet tyres if needed. Teams are allowed a maximum of 100 sets of tyres per car each year for testing purposes, and they are permitted to choose the compounds they would like to test within their allowance. Not a single team nominated the supersoft compound – the only one to remain unchanged from 2011 – for Jerez.
Recently resumed talks over a new contract for Cooper Tire & Rubber’s Findlay plant in Ohio have already stalled, local media sources report. Representatives from the tyre maker and the United Steelworkers union only began negotiations again on 6 February, yet a union official told the Coshcoton Tribune that they’ve already stalled.
During a workshop organised by US body the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration on 3 February, the Tire Industry Association voiced its significant reservations towards the establishment of a tyre label in the US – because statistics show a key quality to be measured is unimportant for consumers.
The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) reports that Q1 2012 Production Growth is expected to marginally increase by 0.3 per cent. During 2011ANRPC's total production rose 6.7 per cent to 10.127 million tons, faster than the 6.4 per cent rate expected until a month ago. The upward revision results from a better-than-expected output from Vietnam for the year. The country produced 811,600 tons of NR in 2011 as against 780,000 tons as anticipated earlier and 751,700 tons produced in the year before.
The third China (Guangrao) International Rubber Tire & Auto Accessory Exhibition will be held in Guangrao International Exhibition Center in Shandong Province in China on between 15 and 17 May 2012. According to the show’s organisers, preparations related to investment and promotional work are currently in progress.
The first nine months of Japan’s 2011 financial year have been described by Toyo Tire & Rubber as being a “severe” business environment. During the nine month period between 1 April and 31 December 2011, the company experienced a 19.4 per cent year-on-year decrease in net income despite rising sales. Net sales increased 6.7 per cent during the timeframe in question, to 241.7 billion yen (£2.0 billion), while operating income and ordinary income rose 10.4 per cent and 11.9 per cent respectively, to 11.59 billion yen (£95.8 million) and 8.99 billion yen (£74.3 million). Despite stronger sales, net income sank by 985 million yen to 4.11 billion yen (£33.9 million) during the first three quarters.
Interstate Tire & Rubber has announced plans to enter the truck tyre segment; the company says it will start developing a complete range of truck tyres together with its distribution partners. In terms of quality, Interstate says the range will be based on “European” standards for casing, mileage and environmental considerations, and it will possess a “unique” price-quality level.
It’s been a good six or seven weeks since the Findlay talks between Cooper Tire & Rubber and the United Steelworkers union broke down, and no positive news has been heard on the subject since the start of the year. Now it seems the two parties are finally working again towards an amicable solution. Local news source WTOL reports that Cooper Tire management met with union leaders on 6 February; discussions between the tyre maker and the union are said to have lasted some six and a half hours, and meetings are scheduled to resume this morning.
Commercial production got underway at JK Tyre & Industries’ new plant in Chennai, India on 5 February. The company announced the facility’s entry into service at a press conference in Chennai the following day.
During the last year Michelin has launched two major motorcycle products, the Pilot Road 3 and the Commander II, and these are being followed up by a new range, the Power Cup. This tyre replaces the Michelin Power One Competition, and Michelin says the Power Cup has been designed to “deliver outstanding grip when cornering and accelerating” and helps to improve track lap times compared with its predecessor.
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JK Tyre and Industries Ltd, India’s number three tyre maker, has reportedly secured an OE supply deal to Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd, supplying tyres for its Bharat Benz trucks.
“The latest original equipment manufacturer (OEM) client for us is Daimler India that will be rolling out trucks at its plant here,” Raghupati Singhania, vice chairman and managing director, told reporters on Monday 6 February, according local news sources. Daimler India is expected to launch its trucks sometime in the middle of this year.
European tyre manufacturing association ETRMA has launched a new website. The new site, etrma.org, is intended to be a “go-to point” for all of those interested in knowing more about tyres and rubber goods and the regulatory environment that surrounds these products. Not only is this website a repository of information available to all, but also a gateway to interact with the association and its members. Furthermore, it is one of ETRMA’s tools to promote the interests of an industry that is key to the EU, both in terms of job and wealth creation and in terms of provision of goods that grant mobility, safety and quality materials for EU citizens.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for Sumitomo Chemical’s new the new solution styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) plant in Singapore on the morning of 6 February. The plant is to be built in the Merbau area of Singapore’s Jurong Island and is expected to be complete in June 2013 and enter commercial operation in the fourth quarter of that year. The plant will have a 40,000 ton per annum capacity.
Starting in 2013 Pirelli will supply World Superbike Series (WSBK) riders and teams with 17-inch racing tyres instead of the previously used 16.5-inch rubber. This decision prompted Tyres & Accessories to ask Pirelli racing director Georgio Barbier what led to this “important step”, as Pirelli itself describes it, and how it can benefit the average rider. Unsurprisingly, Barbier retained a professional silence regarding the costs involved in Pirelli’s role as Superbike tyre supplier and how this compares to its Formula 1 commitment. The same applies to questioning on whether the planned switch to 17-inch tyres in 2013 is a sign of Pirelli’s intention to seek a continuation of its WSBK tyre supply beyond 2015.
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