In addition to the recently-announced application of artificial intelligence and digital sensor technology to automate the inspection of newly-manufactured tyres, Hankook Tire aims to improve the production flow in its factories via a new monitoring system that utilises artificial intelligence and IoT technology. It calls this Hankook Condition Monitoring System Plus, or CMS+ for short.
Production at Goodyear’s tyre plants in Europe and several other regions was put on hold almost a month ago in response to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The company is now looking to resume its production activities through a “phased restart” in the second quarter of 2020, beginning with some of its truck tyre production sites in Europe and the USA before the end of this month.
Operations at Cooper Tire & Rubber Company’s production facility in El Salto, Mexico resumed yesterday. Measures to protect the health and safety of employees, including social distancing, additional cleaning and disinfecting of facilities, as well as restricted visitor access, were put in place as employees returned to work. Cooper announced the plant’s temporary closure due to coronavirus impacts on 21 March.
The entire automotive industry has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and companies are taking steps to ensure their survival. Continental has provided an update on the latest measures being implemented, including reduced working hours and displays of executive solidarity. It has also buried its outlook for 2020.
Ukranian tyre maker Rosava has temporarily stopped production at both its production sites as part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus. It intends to halt production until 24 April. The company says shipments of products will continue from its warehouses as orders are received.
Michelin’s tyre plant in Dundee, Scotland has produced its last tyre. Although the facility wasn’t scheduled to close until mid-year, Michelin now says it won’t resume operations after the coronavirus crisis – indeed, it considers doing so “unviable and unwise”. The decision has been taken in agreement with the Unite union, and the company will pay plant workers all wages they’re entitled to through to the planned closure date.
Employee cooperation negotiations concerning Nokian Tyres’ workforce in Finland have concluded. The outcome of these negotiations is that all 1,630 employees of Nokian Tyres plc, Nokian Heavy Tyres Ltd, Vianor Holding Oy and Vianor Oy will be temporarily laid off. The length of time that each employee will be laid off depends upon their function within the company, however Nokian says nobody will be laid off for more than 90 days this year or, in the case of Vianor Oy, between now and February 2021.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has confirmed the temporary shutdown of its tyre plants in Europe. Production at the facilities in Melksham, England and Kruševac, Serbia is being phased down this week. Both plants are expected to remain closed for at least three weeks.
Titan International, Inc., manufacturer of the Titan tyre brands as well as the Goodyear agricultural tyre lines sold in the UK, Europe and North America, says its plants are operating as normal during the COVID-19 crisis. The company describes its decision to maintain production as a “commitment to keeping its US manufacturing facilities operating as normal in order to support the food and agriculture industry.”
In addition to the temporary layoffs planned for its factory in Finland and announced last week, Nokian Tyres is implementing changes at its other sites in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Production output in Russia will be flexibly adjusted “in line with global demand.” While the ramp-up of Nokian’s new plant in the USA continues, the company has postponed recruitment of additional employees. Furthermore, work on the new test centre in Spain has also temporarily stopped, delaying the project.
Several states across India have announced lockdowns in order to better deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, and as a result Apollo Tyres Ltd. has halted operations at its plants in Kalamassery & Perambra (Kerala), Limda (Gujarat) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu) until 31 March. In addition, employees in the company’s offices have been instructed to work from home.
Bridgestone EMIA will either temporarily close or reduce production plants across its European manufacturing network in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its Béthune plant in France and the Bari plant in Italy will be closed until 6 April.
It’s already decided to shutter production at some of its plants in Europe for at least a week, and Michelin has now begun a temporary, phased shutdown of some of its tyre production facilities in the United States and Canada as well. It has also “established appropriate contingency plans” for the weeks to come and will adjust its actions “as the situation evolves.”
On Friday, Pirelli announced it would suspend production at its two tyre plants in the UK in light of the COVID-19 emergency and its effect on the automotive industry. Yesterday it extended the production stop to its Settimo Torinese and Bollate plants in Italy.
Market demand for tyres in some parts of the world is declining parallel to the spread of the coronavirus, and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has responded by announcing a temporary shutdown of its tyre manufacturing facilities in the United States and Mexico. In a statement published on Saturday, the tyre maker said it is also “currently assessing plans” for its operations in Europe. Cooper Tires’ plants in China, which reopened several weeks ago and have continued to ramp up production since then, remain in operation.
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