Thailand Archives - Page 24 of 36

Resolution Found in Michelin Thailand Dispute

The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM) reports that the two-month dispute between Michelin in Thailand and rubber workers backed by ICEM affiliate Petroleum and Chemical Workers’ Federation (PCFT) has come to an end. The disagreement, which involved the company’s factory in Laem Chabang, Chonburi Province, was resolved by tripartite dialogue and, says the ICEM, its “strong intervention”, along with that of French union FCE-CFDT and Michelin’s European Works Council.

5th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bond International Developing a Stronger Foothold in Asia

Career Tracks

As a major importer of far eastern manufactured tyres, Bond International’s presence at Tyrexpo Asia was significant. The company, which has been established for more than forty years, has acquired during its time in the business vast experience in the import and export of tyres to and from the UK. Today Bond International can provide unrivalled delivery service thanks to its four warehouses and stock level of over 600,000 tyres. As well as distributing all leading premium brand tyres the company is also the agent for Marshal, Admiral, Infinity, Sumo, Firenza, Rotalla and Gerutti.

30th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Cuts Ribbon on Thai Proving Ground

Product News

Less than two years’ after being granted approval by the Thailand Board of Investment, Yokohama Rubber has officially opened its ‘Tire Test Center of Asia’ proving ground in Rayong Province. Work began on the 2.5 billion yen centre in September 2007 and the site was ready for use last December. Although the opening ceremony was not held until April 30, tyre testing has been performed at the proving ground since January 2009.

30th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Rubber Estimates Suggest Price Decreases on Horizon

Product News

New figures published by the International Rubber Study Group of Singapore suggest that the rubber price rebound of 42 per cent over the past four months is coming to an end. The Group estimates that tyre manufacturers’ sales will see a slump of 6.8 per cent in 2009, in line with the general worldwide decline in the figures of the automotive industries. 67 per cent of global output was used in the manufacture of tyres in 2008, making the industry the biggest consumer of natural rubber. Top exporter Thailand is about to increase its supply following its seasonal drop, with prices at $1,530 per tonne – 18 per cent higher than oil-based alternatives – says Bloomberg. The financial news source quotes Goodyear spokesman Keith Price’s assertion that the company would be able to convert 20 per cent of its rubber consumption to synthetic alternatives “without impacting tyre performance”. The manufacturer is keen to enhance its ability to cut costs through synthetic substitution, a sign – alongside increased supply – that natural rubber costs may be on the verge of a downturn.

20th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

China Provides Optimistic Rubber Counterpoint

Product News

China has increased its rubber imports from 180,000 tonnes in the first two months of 2009 to 190,000 in March, Bloomberg has today reported. A rise of 10 per cent in automobile sales year-on-year (according to figures from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers) has led to the rise following government subsidies. Incentives to the industry Japan, Germany and France are also offering incentives.

Bloomberg suggests that any revival in rubber demand from recovering car sales may be mitigated as tyre-makers switch to cheaper oil-based alternatives. The mix of synthetic to natural rubber in tyres is roughly 60 to 40 per cent, said Lawrence Orlowski, an analyst at S&P Equity Services in New York. Usually about 5 to 10 per cent of a tyre’s material can be switched, he said. (Tire Review/Akron)

20th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

GfK to Analyse Key Asian Tyre Markets

International News

GfK Asia is planning to expand its market research coverage to include tyre reports in China, Korea and Malaysia, followed by Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand at a later stage. The Korean market information is scheduled to be processed first with Malaysia following after that. In the first instance the reports will specifically focus on the tyre market with a view to exploring engine oil and other spare parts markets in the future.

GfK Korea, a subsidiary of GfK Asia, is to record data from 4400 shops across five regions (Seoul, Inchon, Kyunggi, Kyungbuk, Kyungnam). Meanwhile GfK Malaysia’s survey analyses the sales of the 17,800 spare parts shops, garages and tyre specialists that serve the pool of more than 12 million motorcycles, passenger and commercial vehicles. GfK Malaysia will launch its first passenger car tyre retail tracking report in June 2009 and the company hopes to expand both studies as the reports gain momentum.

16th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Positive Feedback for Automechanika Malaysia

Product News

The organiser of the Automechanika Malaysia exhibition has reported on the success of this year’s show. Messe Frankfurt states that the exhibition, held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre between March 25 and 28, attracted 133 exhibitors from 14 countries and regions, plus 4,521 visitors. The top five visitor countries and regions outside Malaysia were Singapore, China, Thailand, Korea and Egypt.

Receiving official recognition can substantially boost a show’s standing, and Messe Frankfurt comments that the Malaysian government “understands the needs of having an automotive parts and aftermarket trade fair to boost the industry”. Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of International Trade & Industry, YB Dato’ Jacob Dungau Sagan officially opened Automechanika Malaysia. He is quoted as saying: “I am happy to note that Messe Frankfurt Hong Kong proceeded with this event although the automobile industry is experiencing a bumpy ride.”

15th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Deestone: A Successful Entry into Radial Production

International News, Product News

Thai based commercial and two-wheel vehicle tyre specialist Deestone, through the founding of the new company Deestone Radial Tire Co. and the establishment of a new factory, has set foot into market territory held by the “Big Three”. The Thai radial tyre market, like almost every other around the world, is dominated by Bridgestone, Michelin and Goodyear. Yet the decision makers at Deestone Ltd. are losing no sleep over the position their own passenger car and light commercial vehicle radials hold in the domestic market – only two years after the opening of the company’s first radial tyre factory, its Thai market share has grown to five per cent. As Deestone’s business development manager Noppadol Nimdee explained during Tyrexpo Asia, this market share is expected to further increase.

15th April 2009/by Arno

Tyre Industry Industrial Unrest in Thailand Reported

Product News

Various news sources have reported on disputes between management and workers at the Thailand operations of various international companies, including Michelin and Goodyear. According to Bangkok based publication The Nation, up to five hundred workers demonstrated on a range of issues, including Goodyear (Thailand) laying off 160 workers without any advance notice and Siam Michelin cutting salaries by 13 per cent and reducing working hours.

14th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Global Natural Rubber Production to Fall 2.2% in 2009

Product News

Natural rubber production is expected to fall by around 2.2 per cent during the course of 2009, following a 0.4 per cent dip in 2008, according to the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), which represents 94 per cent of global production. According to the latest monthly report published by ANRPC all natural rubber (NR) producing countries have entered into a “declining phase.”

Thailand, which is the largest NR producing country in the world and is said to account for around a third of global supply, saw production drop 13.9 per cent year-on-year in the first two months of 2009. Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand predicts that 2009 production levels will by 0.5 per cent compared with from 2008, making it the market least affected by the apparent global decline.

14th April 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Commemorates Centenary of Taking to the Skies

Premium, Product News

It’s been a century since Goodyear introduced the first specialised aviation tyre and made travel by aeroplane – at least the part involving contact with the ground – a simpler and more comfortable affair. The Goodyear Wing Aeroplane Tire, introduced in 1909, was designed by Goodyear’s engineers to be lightweight, puncture resistant and easy to remove. A hundred years later the company remains strongly involved in the aviation tyre business, and has observed its centenary with the introduction of a new innovation and expanded product range.

“Nobody could have envisioned that Goodyear’s aviation business would last at least 100 years,” said Pierre Jambon, general manager, Global Aviation. “But we’ve prospered by doing the same things that we did at the beginning: develop innovative new products to fulfil the changing needs of the aviation industry.”

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31st March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

TyrexpoAsia09 Dates Confirmed for 2011

Product News

Exhibitors attending the seventh staging of TyrexpoAsia in Singapore have praised the exhibition for exceeding expectations in the global recession. Despite many tyre businesses cutting international travel budgets, the three-day show still managed to attract a total of 2,985 visitors, just five per cent fewer than for the last staging in March 2007. Exhibitor numbers were up eight per cent at 135, although total exhibition floor space remained the same as companies opted for more economic stand design.

“Every show organiser wants to increase visitor numbers show-on-show but in these tough times we are very pleased that so many still decided to travel. We view that performance as more than acceptable taking everything into account,” said Paul Farrant, managing director of show organiser ECI International.

31st March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Maxxis, Grouptyre Unveil New Dealer Support Programme

Product News

An all-expenses-paid trip to Thailand – including a trip to a tyre making plant – is one of the prizes up for grabs for Maxxis’ Grouptyre dealers in the UK as the manufacturer and its exclusive distributor unveil their new incentive programme called Maxxis Rewards. The top ten retailers – based on the volume of Maxxis car, van and 4×4 tyres they purchase during the promotional period of 1 January to 30 September, 2009 – will win a seven-day holiday in Thailand. Flat screen TVs, DVD recorders and digital cameras are among the prizes up for grabs in a series of quarterly draws, while dealers can also pick up Argos vouchers and Maxxis branded merchandise.

“Through the Maxxis Rewards programme we want to help retailers gain a better understanding of Maxxis and our aims both here in the UK and the 200 countries in which the brand is sold,” says Maxxis International UK managing director Derek McMartin. “Since retailers will be able to see for themselves the state of the art production facilities involved in manufacturing a million tyres and tubes a day and the scale of our operation, the trip to our Thailand factory will give them a real insight into the brand and their role in its future development.”

10th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Asian ‘Tyrepac’ Retail Tyre Portal Officially Launched

Product News

February 19 marked the official launch of Asia’s first online retail tyre portal, Tyrepac Pte. Ltd. Backed by S$2 million (£906,000) in seed funds from various investors, Tyrepac plans to offer services throughout the region, commencing in its home territory of Singapore. The company will expand its services to Malaysia, South Korea, China, Hong Kong and Thailand by the first half of this year.

Mr Ler Hwee Tiong, managing director and co-founder of Tyrepac, said, “There will always be a demand for tyres, since every motor vehicle, old or new, will need to have their tyres replaced depending on usage and driver requirements. In today’s competitive marketplace, we want to be able to provide motorists with a single platform that is convenient, has a comprehensive range of tyres, and offers transparent pricing for all products so that our customers can truly enjoy one-stop service that meets individual needs.”

23rd February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Vee Rubber Catering to Export Markets

Product News

In terms of the variety of tyre types produced, Vee Rubber Group is the leading company in Thailand – the company manufacturers a range that covers numerous applications, from go-kart to large commercial vehicle tyres. Most of the company’s production output – which in 2008 amounted to 24 million units – is destined for export, and Vee Rubber designs and manufactures tyres that are suited to their target markets.

Recently Vee Rubber introduced company’s first light truck and 4×4 tyre developed specifically for the North American market – the Taiga H/T. the new tyre was extensively tested in a number of different climates and on many different surfaces, including off road and the result, the company says, is a quiet, comfortable tyre with a long tread life; in the US, the tyre is offered with a 50,000 mile limited tread wear warranty. While the Taiga is not designed as a snow or all terrain tyre, it aims to allow drivers to face everyday driving with confidence, whatever the conditions.

10th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

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