Bridgestone to appoint new Europe tech centre MD
At the end of April, Yutaka Yamaguchi will end his tenure as managing director of the Bridgestone Technical Center Europe. The tyre maker has not yet named his successor in this Italy-based role.
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Sailun welcomes new developer to European team
Sailun has announced the appointment of Thomas (WookChoon) Jang as the latest tyre developer to join its European head office team in Birmingham. Jang will specialise in the development of products for the Sailun passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyre range.
‘A new era’ for Continental in Stöcken, as LifeCycle retreading plant opens
Continental has opened its new ContiLifeCycle Plant at its Hanover-Stöcken facility alongside the launch of its Technology Center Campus. With various other retreading and technology centres around the world, the facilities are characterised as nuclei for Conti’s global technological operations; Conti both sends “out into the world” its technological innovations from the Campus, in the words of Tire Division head and Executive Board member, Nikolai Setzer, and brings in specialists and their expertise from global markets to help develop technology for different markets. The LifeCycle Plant is thought to be the most technologically advanced retreading facility in the world, integrating into the manufacturing processes improved rubber recycling capabilities.
Kumho OE for B-Class
Kumho reports that in October it began delivering its Ecsta HM KH31 for original equipment fitment on the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. The compact Mercedes-Benz receives size 195/65R15 91H tyres produced at Kumho’s Tianjin factory in China.
Bridgestone’s Aoki explains Phillip Island MotoGP race shortening
Shinji Aoki, manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department, explains that the “rear slick tyre allocation we supplied for the Australian Grand Prix experienced extreme temperatures which affected their durability.” The race was reduced from 27 laps to 19, including an enforced pit stop at half way after Bridgestone data from practice showed the hard rear slick should do a maximum stint of 14 laps. The tyre supplier of the supporting Moto2 race Dunlop encountered similar issues, with its race also run over a reduced distance.
Giti Tire sets up technical centres in Germany, the US
Giti Tire has announced the establishment of new technical centres in Germany and the US. The two sites will work in collaboration with the company’s MIRA-based UK facility as well as its centres located in Indonesia and China. Giti now employs more than 600 R&D personnel and describes the creation of a European and North American technical centre as marking a “significant development in the research and development capabilities of the company.”
Kumho opens new R&D headquarters
On 2 September, Kumho Tire opened a new research and development centre near the South Korean capital Seoul. Located in Yongin City and built over the course of five years, the centre covers a 34,873 square metre land area with a total floorspace of 22,823 square metres. This space is shared by a research building and testing facility. Approximately 600 researchers from Korea and abroad will be employed at the site and work with supercomputers, physical testing equipment, chemical and instrumental analysis equipment, performance research equipment and more to develop new products.
Kumho extends ‘Platinum Club’
The UK, along with Italy, served as the pilot market for Kumho’s new dealer programme. Since its rollout here a number of years ago, the Ecsta Performance Centre network has grown to include around 400 tyre retailers, while its Italian counterpart, the Kumho Platinum Club, contains some 300 dealers. The Korean firm is now launching equivalent dealer networks in other European markets; our sister publication Neue Reifenzeitung reports on the Kumho Platinum Club’s rollout in Germany.
Bridgestone Asia tech centre opens
Operations at Bridgestone Asia Pacific’s new technical centre are now underway following its official opening on 13 August. During the opening ceremony, Bridgestone’s senior vice-president Yoshiyuki Morimoto stated that the new Bridgestone Asia Pacific Technical Center – the Japanese company’s first in the region, excluding Japan and China – will provide technical support across the region and will enable Bridgestone to more quickly respond to customer needs.
The Cooper/Apollo gossip was right
When the rumour mill began grinding in the last quarter of 2012, Apollo did little to counter speculation that it was preparing to buy US tyre-maker Cooper Tire. With the gift of hindsight it seems the gossip was exactly right. Back then, as Tyres & Accessories as well as other observers suggested there was a strong rationale for such a move, but with no-one breaking ranks it was difficult to be more definite.
Now, following confirmation of the move, the purchase is being presented as a strategic merger. But it is also a complex manoeuvre. Apollo, founded in 1972, has an increasing reputation for fast development and particularly with regards to its Apollo and Vredestein brands, which have been able to attain OE contracts with leading carmakers and tuners. Cooper, the 11th-largest tyre company in the world by revenue, was founded in 1914 and supplies numerous brands around the world such as Cooper, Mastercraft, Starfire, Chengshan, Roadmaster and Avon, which is particularly popular in the UK.
Dunlop appoints Dee as Motorcycle Motorsport head
Dunlop Motorsport has announced the appointment of Jason Dee as manager, Motorcycle Motorsport Europe. He replaces Steve Male, who announced his retirement from Dunlop Motorsport after 43 years’ service. Dee has worked at Dunlop for 16 years, most recently being responsible for the Motorsport Sales and Operating Process and Supply Chain functions. He will be based at the company's Motorsport Technical Centre at Fort Dunlop, Birmingham, England.
Dana opens Wuxi R&D centre
Dana Holding Corporation has officially opened a 12,000 square-meter (129,000 square-foot) technical centre in Wuxi, Jiangsu Provence, China. The Dana China Technical Center will provide advanced product and applications engineering for original-equipment manufacturers in the light-vehicle, commercial-vehicle, and off-highway markets in China and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Bridgestone to close Italian pcr plant
Last May, Bridgestone celebrated the golden jubilee of its Bari passenger car tyre factory in Italy. There will be no diamond jubilee, however; on 4 March, Bridgestone Europe stated that the plant will be closed. Operations at the Bari facility are expected to cease within the first half of 2014, although the exact timing of the closure, along with terms and conditions, are yet to be discussed. Bridgestone says it is “immediately available to start the discussion to identify the best solution in order to minimise, as much as possible, the social impact of the decision on the approximately 950 employees involved, in line with the culture of the group.”
Bridgestone to open Thailand tech centre
Bridgestone Corporation has announced plans for its Bridgestone Asia Pacific PTE Ltd (BSAP) subsidiary to establish a technical centre in Thailand. The total investment of the project is said to be around 3.7 billion yen, with the opening pencilled in for July 2013.
Cold UK temperatures mean more accidents due to slippery roads
While it should come as no surprise to readers that slippery roads contribute to more accidents in colder weather in the UK, the latest drop in temperatures has prompted Cooper Tire to remind drivers of the last two years of accident data, suggesting that specialist winter tyres could help reduce the chances of a prang. During November and December 2011 the UK’s average temperature fell from 8.7°C to 4.8°C and Department for Transport figures showed a significant rise in accidents involving slippery roads in the winter months. A similar trend was recorded in 2010.
