Truck Tyres
A report recently released by the United States International Trade Commission gives an overview of the country’s retreading industry, a sector within the tyre business that appears to be benefitting from an improving US economy and a supply-demand imbalance within the new tyre sector.
Another expansion of Continental’s Mount Vernon, USA plant will commence in order to meet growing North American demand for commercial vehicle tyres. Continental Tire the Americas will invest US$129 million in the plant, with $95 million of the funds going towards expanding CV tyre production, including wide-base truck tyres. The expansion of the Mount Vernon plant’s commercial vehicle production is expected to be complete in mid-2015 and will increase truck tyre capacity to more than three million units per annum. At least 80 new jobs will be created.
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Due to weakened demand for truck tyres in North America, Goodyear Tire & Rubber is laying off 41 workers at its Danville, Virginia truck and aircraft tyre factory. Local newspaper the Danville Register & Bee writes that the layoffs will take effect on 4 February. In an article published 21 January, it quoted Goodyear communications manager Laura Singleton as saying hourly workers throughout the plant will be affected, with selections based on seniority; employees most recently hired will be laid off first.
After keeping mum about it for quite a while, Continental has shared that its tyres play a key role in making the London Eye spin. The 442 foot (or 135 metre, for those reading this in metric) high Ferris wheel is spun by drive systems located in towers at each end of the boarding platform; these systems’ hydraulic motors rotate the wheel via friction rollers, and Continental HSR (Heavy Steer Regional) tyres fulfil this role.
It has been quite a month for the forecasters. Not the weather forecasters mind you – although the winter weather that has sprinkled the UK and parts of Europe with a fresh dusting of snow will no doubt have kept them busy too – but rather the market forecasters. With ETRMA reporting that tyre unit sales fell off a cliff last year, Conti saying the market is likely to bottom out in 2013 and with other analysts predicting 2013 will be a good year for tyre retailers, what is on the horizon for the next 12 months?
After two consecutive years of modest growth in total tyre unit sales, European tyre makers are reporting double digits drops across the board in 2012. While previous market growth can be qualified by the fact that the increases came despite a decrease of ETRMA member market share, it is clear that the economic crisis is far from being over.
Eldan Recycling recently delivered a complete tyre recycling plant in Papua New Guinea. According to the company this is designed to process all kinds of tyres including truck tyres and huge mining tyres that can be over four metres and a weigh several tons each. The system will produce 0-4 mm rubber granulate (99.9 per cent free of textile and steel) at approximately four tons per production hour.
The vehicles ordered include – coaches for touring, buses for operation across Luxembourg and buses for local operations. Having been delivered at the end of December 2012, they have now entered service. Both Goodyear Marathon Coach and Ultra Grip Coach tyres will be fitted on the new vehicles, with the Ultra Grip Coach winter drive tyres mounted on the drive axles. During the winter months the front axles will be fitted with Goodyear Ultra Grip WTS winter steer tyres and during the summer season Marathon Coach tyres will be used. The vehicles will have 295/80R22.5 or 315/80R22.5 sized tyres.
Shandong Linglong’s truck and bus radial tyres have gained EPA SmartWay verification for 18 of its Linglong and Leao brand truck tyres in the USA for low rolling resistance. The verified tyres include steer, drive and trailer axle applications.
American tyre news source Tire Review has broken the news that Bridgestone Americas is to resurrect its Dayton medium truck tyre brand. The manufacturer discontinued the brand on the first day of 2011, and was said to have distributed its remianing inventory in the second half of 2010. Bridgestone issued its own statement on Daton confirming that "renewed interest from drivers, small fleets and managers" had led to the revival of the US manufactured product.
Retreaders – whether small or large, industrial scale operations – can use the best processes, machinery and materials, but if the used casing isn’t good, then the finished retread won’t be any good either. The failure of a retreaded tyre when fitted to a customer’s vehicle is a worst case scenario for retreaders. Therefore, experts such as Stefan Dengler recommend that efforts be made to ensure high-end and comprehensive casing entry control. Visually inspecting casings is of course beneficial, however the SDS Systemtechnik managing director notes that even the most experienced casing inspector cannot see within a tyre. The most important technical aid in this area is shearography, something that every retreader can and should invest in.
Continental has opened the first fully-automated tyre testing facility in the world at Contidrom, near Hanover. In addition to the ability to perform braking tests without drivers, helping to test consistently for longer hours, Conti has built a 300x30m air conditioned hall to house the Automated Indoor Braking Analyzer (AIBA), reducing the influence of atmospheric conditions on test results. The manufacturer will also be able to control the friction coefficient, as the hall enables the company to switch the 75m surfaces used as a braking area, in addition to using a low temperature hall for testing on ice. The main hall is also fitted with a sprinkler system for wet testing. Conti estimates that the AIBA will perform around 100,000 braking procedures, on passenger car, van, and 4×4 summer and winter tyres, when fully operational.
During December GiTi Tire (UK) Ltd. launched its commercial vehicle roadside service assistance programme throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. The so-called soft launch of the programme began on 1 December with pre-launch information released during November. Afterwards the company’s four key regional salespeople visited 98 per cent of the company’s dealer partners in the month that followed. The soft launch is now being backed up with complete nationwide implementation and a “big push” across the UK and Ireland. Tyres & Accessories met with GiTi Tire (UK) sales and marketing director Truck and Bus, Tony McHugh and marketing director Europe – Commercial Tires, Peter Foulkes to find out more.
Goodyear launched its line of specialist coach tyres at an event hosted by Mira in the Autumn of 2012, and designed to present the brand’s commercial vehicle tyre activities over the course of the year. In addition to providing a look at the Marathon Coach and the Ultra Grip Coach winter tyre, Adam Stanton, commercial marketing manager, Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK, showed the benefits of specialist winter products on other commercial vehicles, advising fleet managers to “look beyond the label” when selecting seasonal products. The company also announced its distribution partnership with Zafety Lug Locks, a Canadian innovation developed to prevent wheel loss accidents. Zafety Lug Locks secure adjacent wheel nuts to each other, creating resistance between two wheel nuts to minimise their ability to rotate and reduce the risk of wheel loss. The product is offered as part of a bespoke fleet proposal to customers of TruckForce.
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ATS Euromaster has secured what it calls a “significant new tyre agreement” with Derbyshire-based Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS). The agreement covers the supply and service of tyres for 100 per cent of the company’s 2,300-strong fleet of light commercials and heavy trucks. The contract is worth hundreds of thousands of pounds annually and Peter Findlay, general manager for Fleet Operations at CVS, says it will continue for “as long as ATS Euromaster performs as well as they have shown us they can.”
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