There was much interest in the Pro-Align stand at this year’s ATS. Not only did the company launch two new products to their range (SmartWeight a revolutionary wheel balancing technology, PA100 – a new entry-level Hunter Aligner) But “Miss Alignment” was there too, helping to promote the hourly ‘Alignment Show Live’ and SmartWeight demonstrations.
(Akron/Tire Review) AFX reports out of London say that Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its BBB+ long-term corporate credit rating on Groupe Michelin, citing concerns over the tyremaker’s profitability. S&P affirmed, however, Michelin’s short-term rating at A-2.
Alcoa Wheel Products Europe, together with DaimlerChrysler, has developed a new wheel for the Axor construction vehicle. This new wheel does not have any hand holes and it has been developed to protect the Axor construction vehicle’s disc brakes from sand and gravel on the drive/front axle. The application is as an inner dual wheel on the construction vehicle drive or tag axle, single on the front axle. Available sizes: 22.5 x 8.25, 22.5 x 9.00 and 22.5 x 11.75 (inset 120mm), 32 mm bolt holes and a brushed finish.
UK-based PCL has added to its range of air distribution products with Safeflow, a new PCL profile safety coupling for compressed air applications, to be unveiled at AirTech, which is being held at the NEC, Birmingham, from 16th to 18th May. Taking PCL’s industry-proven, quick-release Airflow coupling to the next level, Safeflow offers all of the features of its predecessor – including a robust, steel construction, ideal for engineering and workshop environments.
New 500kg and 1000kg capacity Swing Lift vehicle mounted cranes will be presented by Penny Hydraulics at CV Show 2006, Stand 4501.
The new 1000kg capacity Swing Lift vehicle mounted crane incorporates hydraulic slew for precise, controlled load handling on pick-ups, drop sides, flat beds and box vans. Its electric winch enables loads to be handled with even greater precision and is especially useful if items need to be lowered below ground, for example in civil engineering applications. The boom height and extension can be selected manually for added versatility. A completely new sub-frame design is even more compact than the previous model to maximise the available floor space.
JK Industries is planning to de-merge its assets in order to better focus its tyre business. The company’s board has today approved the proposal of de-merger. According to the India’s Business Standard newspaper, the investments will be transferred to a new company at their respective book values. Ernst & Young and Amarchand Mangaldas and Suresh A Shroff & Co (AMSS) have been appointed as advisors and legal advisors, respectively, the company told the Bombay stock exchange. JK Tyres manufactures the JK and Vikran tyre and produces 7.2 million units each year.
Kraiburg has a new managing director for its retreading material division. Dr. Andreas Starnecker (40) has been managing Kraiburg Austria in Geretsberg, Upper Austria since the start of the year, and as such is also responsible for the Kraiburg production plant in Bulgaria.
He has worked for the Kraiburg Group since 1997, and in 1999 was appointed managing director of the Kraiburg Elastik GmbH rubber manufacturing plant in Tittmoning, Upper Bavaria. Together with Assistant Managing Director Thorsten Schmidt, Dr. Andreas Starnecker has set himself the target of continuing the successful strategy pursued to date by the company. This means that Kraiburg Austria will continue to aim to win customers over with quality and service in the market.
A common misconception made by some motor mechanics and fitters is to believe the coveralls they wear are suitable for all the tasks they perform. This can be a costly and painful mistake when that task is welding, so all involved in this hazardous operation should ensure they are wearing adequate protective clothing.
Effective February 2006, Kraiburg Austria will be increasing its prices for quality tyre retreading material by five per cent in Central Europe. This is down to continuing rising energy and transport costs as well as the drastic rise in the price of raw materials with, for example, natural rubber currently costing around 40 per cent more than in August 2004.
The sale of part-worn tyres is still a cause for concern, the Tyre Industry Council has reported. These concerns are backed-up by the environmental protection services at Glasgow City Council who found in checks at tyre dealerships, that a high percentage of the second-hand tyres checked did not meet the legal requirements and therefore could have posed a risk to an un-suspecting motorist.
ATS Euromaster is tapping into the new wave of mobile phone commerce by providing an SMS service to keep fleet drivers moving.
Motorists can now text “tyres” to 82025 to locate their nearest ATS Euromaster service centre and will receive details such as the depot’s address, contact details and the exact straight-line distance from the position of the mobile phone. Though free, users will be charged the standard texting rate set out by their service provider.
Cooper Tire & Rubber’s debt rating was downgraded to junk yesterday by Standard & Poor, which cited “pressure” on the company’s earnings, reports an American news source.
The rating reflects “poor near-term earnings and cash-flow prospects,” said S&P in a statement. The downgrade to high-risk, high-yield junk affects about $720 million in debt.
Vredestein has announced a new addition to its range of tractor tyres. According to the company, the new Traxion85 represents the standard for modern medium-class tractors. Following the success of its Traxion+ extra wide 65 and 70 series products, Vredestein has developed the Traxion85 as a successor to the well-known Tractor Super Grip.
The design of the Traxion85 has the same roots as the Traxion+, which has been used in agriculture since 1997. With this popular tyre Vredestein has realized a fast-growing share of the market in virtually every country in Europe. Visitors to the SIMA international agricultural fair in Paris in the spring of this year got a first glimpse of the new Traxion85, which is available in 14 sizes:
Alcoa has developed a new wheel for the Axor construction vehicle together with DaimlerChrysler. The new product does not have any hand holes and has been developed to protect the vehicle’s disc brakes from sand and gravel on the drive axle.
The “workhorse” wheel has the same load and mounting characteristics as a standard Alcoa wheel and will be on display at the DaimlerChrysler stand at the up and coming European Road Transport Sow in Amsterdam.
It is available in three sizes: 22.5 x 8.25, 22.5 x 9.00 and 22.5 x 11.75 and in a Diamond Brite finish.
(Akron/Tire Review) In response to petitions, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced several changes to its tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) rule. First, the agency will roll back the compliance date for requiring TPMS information in vehicle owners’ manuals to 1 September 2006.
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