Hot on the heels of the news that growing Korean tyre manufacturer Nexen has secured OE supply to Fiat, the firm has revealed details of its plans to expand in the well-known marques domestic Italian market. With a replacement market potential of over 30 million tyres a year in the passenger car segment, Nexen has suggested Italy is one of its key countries for expansion in Europe.
Apollo Tyres has launched the first of its self-branded Super Zone outlets outside India in Dubai. Designed to provide customers with a feel for the brand and its products, the Apollo Super Zone is located in Al Qiyada, near the Dubai Police General Headquarters and is operated by Middle East Tyres LLC, Apollo Tyres’ business partners. The Apollo Super Zone was inaugurated by chairman of Apollo Tyres, Onkar S Kanwar.
Turkey’s Sabanci Holding intends to invest around US$130 million in its Kordsa cord and yarn operation and $110 million in its Brisa tyre making division during the course of 2012. According to Mehmet Pekarun head of Sabanci’s Tire, Tire Reinforcement and Automotive Group, these two investments are being undertaken as part of an overall $275 million investment programme.
Continental Tyre Group has appointed Louise Franklin as its new Conti360° network manager. Franklin, 28, joins Continental with sales and marketing experience from her previous role as sales and marketing manager for Ardmore Language Schools.
Goodyear has been present in Turkey for half a century now, however the tyre maker hints it may need a little persuasion to maintain its production facilities there. In an interview with Istanbul-based daily Hürriyet, Goodyear’s EMEA Commercial Business Unit vice-president Michel Rzonzef said the cost of tyre production in Turkey is too high despite a weakening of the Turkish lira’s value; this is creating an impediment to new tyre investments.
In its recently released 2011 ‘European Tyre & Rubber Industry’ statistics, the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers Association states that retreading managed to stage an almost complete recovery in Europe during 2010. Quoting Europool figures, the ETRMA shares that after experiencing a 21 per cent decrease within the region from 2007 to 2009, with unit sales dropping from 5,800,000 to 4,561,000 during this time, in 2010 retread unit sales rose 22.9 per cent year-on-year to 5,605,000. The number of retreads sold within Europe last year is thus only 3.3 per cent lower than 2007 levels, the ETRMA notes.
Figures released by Michelin indicate year-on-year growth for Europe’s original equipment and replacement consumer tyre markets during October 2011, however the month’s results show growth of less than half the year to date amount. According to Michelin, the European (including Russia and Turkey) passenger car and light commercial vehicle original equipment market grew 2.5 per cent in October compared with the same month of 2010. The replacement market grew 3.8 per cent year-on-year during the same period. Year to date, the original equipment grew an average of 7.6 per cent year-on-year between January and October 2011, while the replacement market grew 7.9 per cent.
Pirelli says the challenge for its tyres at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, the penultimate round of this year’s Formula One World Championship, will be in maintaining their performance throughout the operating range of temperatures. The race will be run from dusk to nightfall, meaning that track temperatures tend to fall and then stabilise. This affects pace, degradation and wear. In addition to the manufacturer’s 2011 specification tyres, the Abu Dhabi circuit will act as a proving ground for Pirelli’s latest range of development tyres, echoing last year’s first appearance on a contemporary Formula One car.
Following the news that point S has embarked on a transatlantic expansion plan, the company has revealed that John Cowderoy from point S UK attended the Sema show in Las Vegas too. According to the dealer network Cowderoy flew to the US along with the point S development team to work in partnership with the latest network to join the point S ranks, Independent Tyre Dealer Group (ITDG) one of the largest tyre dealer groups in America.
Tyre dealer network point S has announced its entrance into the American market at an official event on 1 November at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where the company is exhibiting for the first time. US collective The Independent Tire Dealers Group, LLC (ITDG) has signed a partnership with point S, stepping up the group’s international development onto a new continent. Following its entrance into Turkey earlier this month, the network is now present in 21 countries in Europe with over 2,000 depots.
Turkish tyre maker Brisa reports a 36 per cent year-on-year rise in revenues between January and September. In a statement released on October 30, the company disclosed it earned some TL942.5 million (₤329.8 million) during the nine-month period. Net profits rose 35 per cent year-on-year over the same timeframe, to approximately TL47,500 (₤16,600) while EBITA grew 41 per cent to TL114 million (₤39.9 million).
Kwik Fit Group has confirmed its intention to sell Speedy, the group’s French automotive fast-fit company. The announcement confirms earlier reports tyrepress.com published in September that suggested that the business’s suitors included president Jacques Le Foll, his predecessor Giles Chauveau, backed by investment fund Butler Capital, plus automotive centre operator Feu Vert, who previously had its eye on Speedy some four years ago. (Feu Vert is a French workshop and automotive specialty shop chain that operates more than 400 outlets, around three-quarters of which are located in France).
Pirelli has announced plans to invest some $500 million in a new truck tyre factory in Argentina that will meet increasing demand for commercial vehicle radials there and in the surrounding region. Construction of the new facility is scheduled to begin early next year and the first phase of development, which will continue until 2014, will require an investment of $300 million in order to give the plant a 700,000 unit per annum production capacity. Second phase development is expected to double the plant’s capacity through an additional $200 million investment and increase its workforce from 700 to 1,200 people.
Independent tyre dealers network Point S has more than 1,950 locations in 20 countries, and continues to pursue its international development programme with the announcement that it has entered the Turkish market. The Master Franchise agreement between Point S, represented by its managing directors Jürgen Benz and Christophe Rollet, and Senturkler Holding, represented by co-owner and vice-chairman Senturk Mehmet, was signed in June. The first flagship store was officially opened on 21 September in presence of Senturkler and Point S representatives as well as numerous local politicians, journalists and manufacturers.
Pirelli has now been in the truck tyre business for exactly 100 years and the Italian manufacturer enters its second century in the sector by launching several new products. In mid-September the company introduced three tyre lines that round out its ‘01’ series; the FW:01 and TW:01 for winter conditions, FH:01 and TH:01 long-distance haulage tyres, and FG:01 and TG:01 for construction machinery.
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