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.
A replacement for Michelin Guide director Jean-Luc Naret has finally been named – New Yorker Michael L. Ellis has filled the shoes vacated last December. In announcing the appointment, Michelin states that Ellis, vice-president of marketing and sales for the French manufacturer’s Two Wheel Tire Division since 2007, has “always been a food enthusiast” and previously “studied the culinary arts” in the US and Europe.
The Warren County tyre plant operated by Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has received the highest health and safety award given out by health authorities in its home state; on July 27 the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development’s Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) unit honoured the plant with its Volunteer STAR (Safety Through Accountability and Recognition) award.
Recently RH Claydon decided that a new sales and distribution strategy should be adopted in the UK and Northern Ireland. markets and as such, the “Infinity Dealer Partner Programme” has been launched. According to group business development and purchasing manager, John Parker, the Infinity Dealer Partner Programme is a “new and exciting marketing concept for RH Claydon that offers many benefits to both the tyre distributor/service provider and end user in the light and heavy Truck tyre market.”
Casey Stoner used the harder compound Bridgestone slicks to climb from third and take a decisive victory at Laguna Seca in MotoGP’s US Grand Prix. Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa’s early pace faded in the latter stages, and Stoner’s ascent to the lead in lap 27 of 32 proved decisive. Hirohide Hamashima, assistant to director of Bridgestone’s Motorsport Tyre Development Division said: “The harder option front and rear slicks were clearly the faster options today and, especially in the case of Casey, consistency was impressive. Whilst his fastest lap was a few tenths off the lap record, the total race time was 2.7 seconds faster than the previous record which is a very good indication of consistency and durability.
Almost two years ago Kumho Tire announced it would delay construction of its new factory in the US state of Georgia, with a start to work pushed back until late 2013. Now local news sources say construction of the new plant may commence sooner than anticipated. According to Middle Georgia NBC network affiliate WMGT-TV, Bibb County officials who are working together with Kumho on the project anticipate a summer 2012 start to work on the new plant.
Those wishing to exchange online pleasantries with a 113 year old can now do so, thanks to a bit of help from Michelin. The French tyre maker has introduced a new feature on its corporate website, a ‘chatbot’ feature that enables visitors to engage in a tête-à-tête with none other than Bibendum, the iconic Michelin Man. The feature, created by VirtuOz, appears on the michelin.com website’s home page and provides a human-like interface between users and the Michelin brand. In announcing the feature’s launch, the tyre maker comments that Bibendum is the first world-famous brand icon to interact with users in this way.
Toyo Tire USA has launched the Versado Eco range in North American markets. The new tyre is described as being an all-season, low rolling resistance luxury performance tyre designed for hybrids and other environmentally-friendly vehicles; Toyo says it has used a combination of innovative technology and environment-friendly materials to deliver low rolling resistance without sacrificing tread life, luxury or performance.
US safety body the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that California-based company ITR USA is recalling approximately 51,000 Negotiator Commercial H/T tyres due to blistering and bubbling problems that could lead to a sudden loss in air pressure. The tyres in question were produced by Chinese manufacturer Shandong Yongtai between April 2009 and May 2011. The NHTSA reports the affected sizes are LT265/75R16 and LT235/85R16.
A licensing agreement signed between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and US firm Xerion Advanced Battery Corp. is expected to exploit a technology said to potentially enable the charging of electric vehicle batteries within minutes. Under the terms of the agreement, announced on July 19, Xerion has been granted the exclusive right to bring the University’s ‘StructurePore’ battery-charging technology to market.
The labour minister of India’s West Bengal state has asked Ruia Group chairman Pawan Kumar Ruia to clarify his intentions regarding Dunlop India, and its Sahaganj plant in particular, to the state government. Labour minister Purnendu Bose visited the Sahaganj facility on July 17 – and articles published by India’s media indicate he was not impressed by what he found.
Falken Tire Corporation, the US based subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, has appointed Vivien Winneke its director of human resources. Commenting on Ms Winneke’s new role, company president and CEO Richard Smallwood said: “As Falken continues its rapid ascent in sales, it becomes increasingly important to find and recruit talented individuals who can support that growth. This rapid expansion of personnel, along with increasingly complex labour laws, make human resources one of the company’s cornerstones that advocates our cultural belief of plan ahead to maximise opportunities and manage risks.”
Toyo Tire North America has signed a deal with the state of Georgia and Bartow County to help expand the county’s bonding capacity and Toyo’s Georgia plant, reports Tire Review. The $910 million bond deal will add 470 new jobs to the plant, which first opened in 2006. Georgia governor Nathan Deal, Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing president Jim Hawk and James Jarrett, chairman of the Bartow-Cartersville Joint Development Authority signed the deal at a press conference on 12 July.
BKT Tire (USA) has added four new products to its agricultural range and a go-kart tyre in the USA and Canada, reports Tire Review. The two new tyres to the market are the BKT TF 9090, which was created for front axle fitment on tractors. It has three ribs for increased traction and stability on wet soil, according to the manufacturer, and is available in size 4.00-12. The SM 68 is a new go-kart line available in size 11×6.0-5.
Goodyear is well known for its tyres, yet more than a few people may be surprised to learn that the company has also been involved in the blood donation business for almost six decades. Since 1952, workers at the US-based firm’s headquarters have donated a total of 182,663 pints of blood – that’s 86,431 litres – for use at local hospitals. These employee donations have benefitted 547,989 patients over the years, and Goodyear’s long-term dedication to blood donation has now earned the company the “2010 Top Corporate Blood Donor Award” from Northern Ohio Red Cross Blood Services. The award was recently presented to Goodyear chief health officer Brent Pawlecki.
The US Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently awarded three industry teams a total of US$7 million to aid the development of computer-aided software design tools for producing the next generation of electric vehicle batteries. The three teams’ projects support the DOE’s Computer-Aided Engineering for Electric Drive Vehicle Batteries (CAEBAT) program, a project aimed at helping the automotive and battery industries design and develop electric vehicle batteries more quickly, thereby lowering unit cost.
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