In his 24 January State of the Union address, US President Barack Obama claimed the country’s trade cases against China have made a difference. Singling out a particular sector, Obama said “over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tyres.” Words that should, on the face of it, bring cheer to the US tyre industry.
Toyo Tire & Rubber has established a new company in Thailand to manufacture and distribute a distinctly non-tyre product. The new business, Toyo Rubber Chemical Products (Thailand) Limited, has been established in order to manufacture and distribute cleaning blades, which are components used in office equipment such as photocopiers, printers and fax machines. The new company is to be part of Toyo’s Urethane Business Unit.
A scientist at Birmingham-based Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has been recognised for his work in developing a new tread compound that could increase the tyre life and reduce operating costs for airlines. James O’Callaghan, 26, from Erdington received the Sue Panteny Award from the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. While developing the new compound, O’Callaghan studied one-day a week for a polymer technology degree at Staffordshire University, which, after three years, he passed with first class honours last summer.
Yasushi Tanaka, who took over as president and CEO of Yokohama Tire Corporation in July 2011, reports that parent company Yokohama Rubber is ready to commence the third phase of its ‘Grand Design 100’ plan this year, a plan he is credit as being co-architect and co-founder of. This penultimate phase is scheduled to be acted upon until 2015, when the fourth and final phase will come into effect and be carried out over a two-year period before concluding in time for the company’s centenary in 2017.
Earlier in the week Goodyear warned of potential aviation tyre shortages due to flooding in Thailand knocking its plant there out of action; it appears Goodyear is not the only tyre maker suffering as a result of the flooding. The Bangkok Post reports that Michelin dealers in flood-affected areas – 12 per cent of the more than 400 dealers nationwide – have ceased operating, and this is expected to be seen in the tyre maker’s Thailand sales figures this year.
Nankang Rubber Tire shares that it has donated NTD 2 million (approximately £41,000) to those affected by the recent flooding in Thailand. The donation was made through the Tzu Chi (Compassionate Relief) Foundation, a Buddhist non-governmental organisation, and the funds will be used to provide emergency relief and post-flood assistance to affected families in the areas of health, water supply and sanitation, hygiene and education.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber has warned aviation customers around the world that shortages of its cross-ply aircraft tyres may occur as of February or March 2012. This potential supply issue has arisen due to the severe flooding that has affected Thailand since October and disabled Goodyear’s main aviation tyre manufacturing facility in Bangkok. In order to ensure the best possible supply to its customers Goodyear says it will, in addition to increasing production at its aircraft tyre plants in the US and the Netherlands, obtain aircraft tyres from other manufacturers.
Through its “Forever Forest” programme, Yokohama Rubber and its subsidiaries aim to create verdant surroundings at Yokohama facilities around the world; the intention is to plant more than half a million trees by 2017, a goal Yokohama is almost halfway towards achieving. The company’s US tyre operation, Yokohama Tire Corporation launched the second phase of its Forever Forest activities on 7 December with the planting of more than 300 seedlings at its headquarters. This second phase planting in Fullerton, California followed the inaugural event held in December 2010 when Yokohama Tire Corporation planted more than 500 tree seedlings.
Stamford Tyres has reported its unaudited quarter earnings for the period between 1 August and 31 October 2011, a quarter in which its after-tax profit dropped 80.5 per cent. The Singapore-based company’s after-tax profit amounted to S$330,000 (£149,500) in the second quarter of the 2012 financial year, as opposed to $1.69 million a year earlier.
The Rubber Manufacturers Association, which represents the manufacturers accountable for more than 90 per cent of all US tyre shipments, has lowered its 2011 tyre shipment forecast by one per cent due to downward revisions in year-end economic growth in the US. This revised full-year forecast of 287 million total units is approximately two million units more than in 2010. For next year, the RMA retains a “guardedly optimistic” forecast as US economic growth is anticipated to remain slow, and the association expects overall tyre shipments in 2012 to increase by more than two per cent to over 290 million total units.
PT Michelindo Mitra Abadi, distributor of Michelin tyres in Indonesia, has begun selling motorcycle tyres and aims to sell 400,000 units there next year. The Jakarta Globe quotes Michelindo director Jemmy Tantoro as saying “as the third-largest motorcycle market in the world, Indonesia promises a huge market for motorcycle tyres and motorcycle-related products.” This optimistic outlook is supported by the Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI), which on 29 November reported motorcycle sales in Indonesia could reach 8.4 million units in 2011, a year-on-year increase of 13.5 per cent; on average, sales rose 20 per cent per annum between 2007 and 2010.
Michelin Siam is making preparations for a rubber composites production facility in Thailand. The tyre maker has awarded the contract to build the elastomer composite plant to energy industry project management, engineering and construction company Technip, who will set up a turnkey facility in Songkhla Province’s Southern Region Industrial Estate. The project is expected to be completed in the beginning of 2013.
To meet growing global demand for passenger car radials, Bridgestone Corporation has decided to erect a new plant in Vietnam. The company will invest 35.5 billion yen (£286.2 million) in the project, which is expected to enter production in the first half of 2014. When production reaches full capacity in the first half of 2016, the Vietnam plant will manufacture some 27,400 tyres per day and boast a workforce of around 1,900 employees.
Norbar Torque Tools has announced that Catherine Rohll has been appointed to the company’s board as commercial director, strengthening the family management team. She will hold the position jointly with her cousin Craig Brodey until he moves to Norbar’s Australian head office in Adelaide to work with the existing operation, supporting business growth for the company in the South East Asia region. He will take up his new appointment as commercial director for Australia in January 2012.
Bridgestone Corporation has announced it will donate 50 million yen (£408,000) to assist flood-stricken regions in Thailand. The Japanese manufacturer’s operations in Thailand – Bridgestone runs ten manufacturing facilities there – will also donate funds and food to the value of approximately 3.4 million yen to further aid for those affected by the disaster. Upon announcing these aid measures, the Bridgestone Group expressed its “sincere condolences to those who have suffered from the flood” and wished the nation of Thailand a rapid recovery.
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