Across the Atlantic they are called tires, while over here we use a “Y” and say tyres. This tag provides the latest tyre business news emanating from the United States of America (USA), whichever way you spell it.
Unionised workers at Cooper Tire & Rubber’s Findlay plant in the US state of Ohio remain on the job, even as its leadership continues contract negotiations. Ohio-based industry publication Tire Review reports that workers represented by the United Steelworkers’ Local 207have been working for three weeks without a contract as the two sides continue negotiations – and these negotiations have been described as “getting intense.”
At its ‘Rubber Days’ event held in Japan and South Korea during November, chemical company Lanxess reported it currently working on a feasibility study regarding switching production at its Triunfo site in Brazil from emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber (ESBR), which is used in standard tyres to solution styrene butadiene rubber (SSBR). According to the German company, ESBR capacity at Triunfo is currently 110,000 tonnes per annum and a changeover to SSBR would “potentially require a medium-size, double-digit million euro investment.” A final decision on converting the Triunfo facility in order to supplement existing SSBR production in Cabo de Santo Agostinho (Brazil), Orange (USA) and Port Jérôme (France) will be made in mid-2012.
Bridgestone Americas has been given the Wildlife Habitat Council’s 2011 William W. Howard C.E.O. (Conservation, Education, and Outreach) Award for its work in creating wildlife habitat areas at its facilities and its ongoing commitment to environmental education and outreach. As opposed to other recognition levels bestowed by the WHC, this particular award honours not a single programme, but rather an entire organisation for its combined efforts.
Media reports in the US indicate it may be third time unlucky for Kumho Tire’s planned factory in Bibb County, Georgia. Macon-based newspaper The Telegraph states work on the US$225 million plant has been placed on hold for a third time, a move that allegedly has prompted local economic development officials to rethink the entire project’s future and mull over the prospect of putting the greenfield factory site back on the market.
Cécile Michelin, widow of Michelin chief executive Edouard Michelin, who died aged 43 in a boating accident five years ago, died of cancer in Clermont-Ferrant on Sunday. She was just 44 years old and leaves behind six children aged between 9 and 18 years.
Load handling equipment manufacturer Penny Hydraulics believes companies can do more to prevent injuries resulting from manual handling, following the publication of the latest official statistics by the Health & Safety Executive earlier this month. The figures for the year ending April 2011 showed that more than 36,000 workers suffered a reportable injury while manual handling. Almost 28 per cent of these injuries were directly linked to lifting or putting down items while a further 19 per cent could be linked to unspecified handling, lifting or carrying.
US tyre distributor The Tire Rack plans to break ground this week on a 130,000 sq ft expansion to its South Bend, Indiana, headquarters, reports Tire Review. The expansion project will add warehouse and office space to the site, which already measures 532,000 sq ft.
Bridgestone’s 2012 specification tyres were also debuted at the Valencia circuit at the Official MotoGP Test on 8-9 November. The test was conducted mostly with the new-era 1000cc machines including five Claiming Rule Team (CRT) bikes from BQR Inmotec, BQR FTR, TeamLaglisse and the Grellini Team. Every rider’s tyre allocation comprised only the 2012 tyres, marking the first full usage of the 2012 tyres that Bridgestone have been developing for one year. The manufacturer explained that the tyres have been developed to improve warm-up and operating range. The test was the first time that next year’s rider changes take effect and the 1000cc bikes have been on track at the same time.
MotoGP’s final meeting of the season in Valencia was made a difficult affair for riders by inclement weather. Tohru Ubukata, general manager of Bridgestone’s Motorsport Tyre Development Department, said “all weekend the track conditions were neither one thing nor the other. When the track was wet, it wasn’t really fully wet and it dried through the session leaving the teams to chase setup, and when it was dry it was still very greasy. In the race spots of rain fell throughout, which made it very tricky for the riders to gauge the level of grip available, as it was often different from corner to corner, and in such a situation tyre performance is always a compromise.”
Yokohama’s BluEarth S34BZ eco tyre has been chosen as original equipment for the 2012 Toyota Prius V. The new crossover, which is known as the Prius + in Europe, is available to US and Canadian purchasers fitted with the BluEarth tyre in size P205/60R16 91V.
Local TV stations in the US (namely WPSD-TV in Paducah, Kentucky), is reporting that the now closed Goodyear plant in Union City., Tennessee, may open up again soon. Tire Review reports that rumours are flowing through the community that a "major company" is looking at the plant with an eye toward potentially buying, modifying and reopening the facility.
The SEMA show has come to an end, and point S Development states the exhibition, where managing director Jürgen Benz and Independent Tire Dealer Group (ITDG) CEO Michael Cox signed a master franchise contract for the USA, more than met the company’s expectations. Commenting on the show, Fabien Bouquet, international operations director at point S Development, shared: “Our presence at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, an important US exhibition, was a complete success.
Halfords Autocentres proposed the relocation of its Head Office from Olton to the Halfords Group Head Office site in Redditch. The proposed move would see Halfords Autocentres Head Office staff join their Halfords Retail colleagues in Spring, 2012. It is anticipated that the majority of existing Autocentres Head Office staff will transfer to Redditch.
In the US the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall of certain Shandong Yongtai tyres. The recall relates to size LT265/75R16 and LT235/85R16 Negotiator Commercial H/T tyres manufactured between April 2009 and May 2011. According to the NHTSA, some of these Shandong Yongtai tyres have experienced blistering or bubbles on the tyre’s sidewall, which under extended use could lead to a loss of tyre pressure.
Groundbreaking for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations' new 1.5 million-square-foot (140,000 square metre) large and ultra-large radial manufacturing facility has taken place at the greenfield site the company selected in Aiken County, South Carolina. The tyre maker also announced further information regarding the start-up team that will take the helm in overseeing construction and hiring efforts. The core team is as follows:
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.
