Truck Tyres
Displaying a wide range of its products on its generously proportioned stand near the main entrance in Hall 3, Kumho marketing manager Wolf Fuder said the Korean manufacturer had experienced a similar level of traffic at its stand to that in the pre-recession year of 2008. However, the make-up of the visitors was different; Fuder commented that there were “more international guests” and fewer from the domestic German market.
The Infinity brand was presented as part of a 240sqm island stand (shared with its manufacturer Shandong Linglong) situated within Hall 3, a fair indication of the global ambitions explained in previous articles (“Infinity Aims to 'Go Deep' with Fast Growing 'Premium Budget' Strategy” on tyrepress.com), since this was where many of the world’s largest manufacturers also placed their stands.
This year Continental Matador Rubber celebrates the 15th anniversary of the ZAO Matador-Omskshina joint venture project, which is based in Omsk in the Russian Federation. The founders, Slovakia’s Matador and Russia’s Omskshina, each contributed a 50 per cent capital share in order to establish a passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyre production facility. The joint-venture was officially registered in the Russian Federation on 17 May 1995.
Michelin Australia has initiated a voluntary recall of some 1,900 Spanish manufactured truck tyres after identifying an issue that may lead to a rapid loss of pressure. The 305/70 R22.5 XZE2+ TL 152/148L tyres were sold between December 2008 and May 2010 and bear the identification DOT HA 3M BJC X followed by the number (for the week and year) 4508 to 1510.
Michelin North America has celebrated the 40th year of production at its Ardmore plant in Oklahoma. The first tyre rolled off the line in 1970, and since that time the facility has grown considerably. Today the Ardmore factory covers almost 140,000 square metres of manufacturing operations and employs more than 1,700 people in the production of passenger car and light truck tyres.
Bridgestone has revised its financial projections the first half of the 2010 fiscal year and released its projections for the entire fiscal year. Its revised first half net sales figure of 1,360,000 million yen (£10.1 billion) is 1.5 per cent higher than that previously given on May 7 and projected net income, now 37,000 million yen (£275.0 million), is 37 per cent higher than the May 7 projection. The company now anticipated annual net sales of 2,900,000 million yen (£21.5), slightly higher than the 2,597,002 million yen earned in the 2009 financial year. Operating income, however, is projected to increase 58 per cent to 130,000 million yen (£966.3 million), projected ordinary income is 113,000 million yen (£839.9 million) and net income to skyrocket from 1,043 million yen to 77,000 million yen (£572.4 million). Despite rising raw material costs, the company still anticipates that operating income, ordinary income and net income will exceed the prior year’s results primarily due to increased tyre unit sales and a corresponding improvement in cost per unit due to increased production levels.
Michelin says it has recorded a 6.5 per cent improvement in stability over 385/65R22.5 tyres after measuring the vehicle overturn angle of a 44-tonne tractor unit and trailer combination fitted with X One MaxiTrailer tyres. The trial took place at QinetiQ’s automotive test facility in Chobham, Surrey, using the only tilt-table in the country capable of accommodating a fully loaded 13.6m commercial vehicle.
Shares in Apollo Tyres Ltd have fallen around five per cent since the announcement of a lockout at its Perambra factory. This plant accounts for nearly a quarter of Apollo’s global tyre production and has a capacity of 850 tonnes per day, yet even before the lockout it was not reaching anything near this amount – and it is thus not surprising that investors are showing signs of nervousness.
Information obtained by Tire Review in the US indicates that Toyo Tire USA is “scrambling to fill truck tyre orders” following its dismissal earlier in the year from the GTY Tire Co. joint venture by partners Continental Tire the Americas and Yokohama Tire Corporation. The tyre maker has taken legal action as a result of this action and, in a lawsuit filed in January, Toyo claims that both Conti and Yokohama are attempting to prevent Toyo from selling any radial truck tyres in the US for five years, and that the partners have declared GTY Tire to be no more. All this, notes Tire Review, may be the indirect result of the “business and capital alliance” partnership struck between Toyo Tire & Rubber and Bridgestone Corporation in May 2008.
Bridgestone UK and Bandag attended this year’s Tip-ex show in Harrogate for the first time since the two companies’ merger. And what’s more the company reports that it gained “55 firm leads and enquiries to follow up,” surpassing all expectations. Ross Medlyn, Bandag franchise manger for UK and Ireland commented: “Bandag attended the show two years ago and it was a real success, so we wanted to take the opportunity to present Bridgestone and Bandag under one umbrella for the first time at Tip-ex 2010."
Newton’s First Law of Motion states that ‘every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it’. For tyres, this external force is seen in rolling resistance, and it is primarily caused by the repeated deformation and recovery of the tyre as it comes into contact with the road surface. Reducing rolling resistance is, in theory anyway, relatively simple – yet achieving a reduction in rolling resistance without compromising on other essential tyre qualities is another matter entirely. In designing its latest generation trailer tyre, the Marathon LHT II, Goodyear referred to this as “mission impossible”. Yet through much research and development work the tyre maker believes it has achieved this seemingly unreachable goal.
After seven years with a Pirelli policy, Caledonian Logistics has renewed its truck tyre supply deal with the company for 2010/2011. Utilising Pirelli’s new updated Amaranto range, designed specifically for long haul usage, the company reports that it is “confident of continued excellent mileage performance and minimal downtime” following the contract renewal.
Graham Hutchison, Pirelli’s UK director of truck, was obviously pleased: “Lots of Companies chase new business, and we do, but it’s the existing partnerships that are the backbone of your success. Pirelli and Caledonian have worked together over a number of years and we look forward to a new year of fruitful partnership and success.”
Giti Tire has won a contract with Shanghai Auto-Parts E-Procurement Co., Ltd., for the huge fleet of Shanghai buses and has begun the conversion process of supplying tyres. According to the tyremaker, the key product is the city bus tyre, the GT867. This fleet is a great shop window for Giti, as the city is hosting the World Expo 2010 with an expected 70 million visitors.
Shanghai Auto-Parts E-Procurement Co., Ltd. provides professional online purchasing service of vehicles and components for Shanghai city public transportation. It is a joint venture established in 2004, by Shanghai Ba-shi (Group) Co., Ltd. the biggest land transport company in Shanghai, and seven other companies including Shanghai Bus Taxi Co., Ltd.
As an official sponsor of the 2010 World Cup, Continental AG is not missing a trick when it comes to exposure. On 1 June, less than two weeks before the world’s highest profile footballing tournament kicks off, the automotive supplier has equipped all 32 team buses with its HSR 1 premium bus tyres.
According to the company, the HSR 1 was designed especially for use on motorways and regional transport – perfect for shuttling players from game to game, they say: “Continental is therefore making a major contribution to the safety of the world’s best footballers because the tyres are the only connection with the road and have a contact patch that is just the size of a postcard,” said spokesman Alexander Lührs.
In order to address increasing European market demand for passenger car and truck tyres, the Goodyear Dunlop group is increasing production volume at its facility in Wittlich, Germany. To facilitate a higher volume the plant is being expanded and an additional 90 jobs will be created at Wittlich by September 2010.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
