SmarTire Systems’ results for the quarter ended 30 April show a slight increase in losses. SmarTire recorded a quarterly net loss of $5.31 million compared to a net loss of $2.95 million for the same quarter last year. The net loss for the nine month period ended 30 April, was $11.79 million compared to a net loss of $8.12 million last year.
Sapphire Energy Recovery, one of the UK’s leading end-of-life tyre disposal companies, has appointed Ryan Mifflin as sales and marketing manager. Mr Mifflin joins Sapphire from Lafarge Cement UK where he was responsible for brand development and sales and marketing strategy. As one of his first tasks, the new sales and marketing manager will be launching “the ultimate solution” campaign to help raise awareness surrounding end of life tyre disposal.
In his new position Mr Mifflin will be responsible for all marketing and commercial activities. Ryan explains: “My focus will be to raise the profile of what Sapphire offers the tyre industry along with further developing our approach to customer service excellence.”
Two ArvinMeritor LVA employees are taking up the BEN Centenary Aftermarket Challenge, as they attempt to cycle the full length of the country, from Lands End to John O’Groats. The money raised will go towards supporting auto industry employees and their dependents who find themselves in need of help.
(Akron/Tire Review) Federal Tire Co. has appointed Henry Lin as vice president of sales and marketing. Mr Lin had previously worked for Federal before leaving and then formally rejoining the company in March.
(Akron/Tire Review) Dan Wire, well-known CEO and chairman of Treadways Corp, has announced that he will retire in early 2006. Mr Wire, who said he will remain as an advisor/consultant to Sumitomo Corporation of America and Treadways until April 2008, will retire effective at the end of Treadways’ next financial year on 31 March 2006.
(Akron/Tire Review) Treadways Corp has announced several organisational changes, effective 1 May. First, Lyle Symonds has been appointed senior vice president of private brand sales. Mr Symonds will oversee Treadways’ Laramie, Eldorado, Jetzon and Telstar tyre divisions and will report directly to Roy Araki, president. Previously, Mr Symonds was vice president, sales and marketing for the company’s Eldorado division.
(Akron/Tire Review) Continental Automotive Systems has appointed David M. Mestdagh as director of the company’s North American aftermarket business.
Mestdagh will be responsible for overall business strategy, product quality and performance and will oversee development of sales and marketing activities for the company’s ATE brand.
Previously, Mestdagh served as national accounts sales manager for Visteon Corp.’s aftermarket group and has held various positions – including national retail sales manager, program group manager and sales and marketing development manager – at Federal-Mogul Corp.
The German Agricultural Society ‘Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft’ (DLG) has road tested two Goodyear farm tyres, the super wide Optitrac DT818 and the super volume Optitrac DT830 concluding that at speeds of up to 50 km/h, both tyres were “as comfortable as driving a passenger car.”
(Akron/TR) Cooper Avon has named Steven T Kersh as director of European sales and marketing. In his new role, he will oversee sales and marketing efforts for European operations headquartered in Melksham, England. The appointment will become effective on 1 April, 2005. Mr Kersh began his Cooper career in 1993 as a management trainee. In 1995 he was promoted to export sales customer service coordinator, and since has served as an export sales trainee, export sales territory manager, regional manager of export sales and most recently as manager of export sales.
Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc. has appointed Pieter Klinkers to the position of vice president of sales and marketing for the company’s International Wheel Group. Mr Klinkers replaces Marc Hendrickx who was recently appointed as vice president of the International Wheel Group’s Aluminum Operations. Mr Klinkers will report directly to president Fred Bentley. The appointment became effective on 1 March, 2005.
Pieter Klinkers joins Hayes Lemmerz from Michelin’s Wheel Group where he has worked since 1997. Mr Klinkers has served in a series of senior level marketing and sales positions with Michelin, most recently as director of sales and marketing, based in Paris, France. Fluent in Dutch, English, German and French, Mr Klinkers holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
Goodyear has appointed Denise M Morrison, president, global sales and chief customer officer for Campbell Soup Company, to the company’s board of directors. “Denise Morrison is a customer-focused leader with extensive experience in sales and marketing and in building top brands,” said Goodyear chairman and CEO Robert J Keegan. “We are confident that she will make significant contributions to our board.”
Crypton Technology Group has relaunched the Wheelforce brand with the introduction of a range of high performance wheel balancers and tyre changers. The new range is to be sold exclusively through Unipart Automotive, which includes Partco, Brown Brothers, Serck Intertruck, Plunketts and Express Factors.
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. (President and CEO Yoshio Kataoka) will establish a sales subsidiary in Neuss, Germany on January 1, 2005. The new company, known as Toyo Tire Europe GmbH, is a joint venture with Mitsubishi Corporation, set up to serve the entire European market.
Bridgestone Europe (BSEU) has promoted Gunter Unterhauser to the position of vice president, sales and marketing. In his new position Mr Unterhauser will be responsible for pan-European aftermarket sales, while maintaining responsibility for the German market. Minekazu Fujimura, BSEU chairman, CEO and president, will continue to be responsible for the company’s OE business. Mr Unterhauser was previously managing director of Bridgeston Firestone Germany.
Publishing its first half 2005 results, Toyo has reported that its operating income has rocketed 120.8 per cent, compared with the same period last year. In the period ended 30 September, the company’s operating income demonstrated the most marked increase growing from 1.893 billion to 4.18 billion yen (£21.4 million). Toyo achieved a 6.7 per cent increase in net sales rising from 120 billion to 128 billion yen (£657 million).
One explanation for the rapid ascent of the figures is the company’s increase of UHP and SUV sales. Sales of these high margin products have gone up 25.9 per cent, with tyre sales in general improving by 8.7 per cent. In Europe the company says that this has been largely down to favourable sales and marketing of new products including its Proxes T1R.
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