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.
Bridgestone Americas has commenced an exclusive partnership with carbon capture and transformation (CCT) specialist LanzaTech NZ, Inc. to address end-of-life tyre waste. The two companies will co-develop the first dedicated end-of-life tyre recycling process leveraging LanzaTech’s proprietary CCT technology.
The California Energy Commission (CEC) has selected Symbio – the joint venture created by Michelin and Faurecia in 2019 with the aim of becoming a world leader in hydrogen mobility – to develop and demonstrate a hydrogen-fuelled, regional-haul Class 8 truck for a state-supported hydrogen mobility project. Symbio will collaborate on this project with Michelin, Faurecia and other industry partners, including energy transitions research and training organisation GTI.
The USA has classified natural rubber as a strategic raw material that serves as a critical ingredient in military, aircraft and truck tyres. The country currently relies on rubber imports for its tyre production but wishes to reduce this dependency, and government and military are thus working with private partners to accelerate commercialisation of natural rubber from dandelions. Goodyear Tire & Rubber will play a key role in achieving this goal.
Hamaton has promoted Enri Osmani, general manager of Hamaton Inc., to vice president of the company’s North American distribution and technical centre. Osmani has worked in the TPMS market for 12 years.
Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) has promoted Ray Polentz to the role of senior director of supply chain and logistics. He will report to YTC president and chief executive officer Jeff Barna.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute has awarded Bridgestone Americas a research grant to advance its optimisation of guayule, a drought resistant, desert shrub that shows promise as a local source of natural rubber for tyre production. Bridgestone has spent more than a decade researching guayule rubber for use in tyres.
Tyres are an essential part of mobility, but are their days numbered? One company believes that its new wheel technology can substitute the traditional rubber tyre used in mining applications and provide an alternative that is “eco-friendly, cost-effective, stronger and safer.”
Nokian Tyres has explained the decision to retain its manufacturing operation in Russia, a facility that reportedly produced 82 per cent of Nokian’s passenger and light commercial vehicle tyres last year. The Finnish tyre maker states that by continuing to operate the passenger car tyre factory in Vsevolozhsk, Russia it wants to “make sure that the factory is operated and controlled by Nokian Tyres also in the future.”
Bridgestone Americas has made a minority investment in May Mobility, marking the company’s first investment in public-serving autonomous vehicles (AVs). The new partnership paves the way for the future integration of Bridgestone’s digital and predictive tyre-centric technologies into May Mobility autonomous vehicles. The partnership will also provide Bridgestone with insights into autonomous vehicle operations that improve its core tyre products and mobility solutions.
Following an investigation performed by Bridgestone Americas and third-party security advisors, Bridgestone Corporation understands that the “IT security incident” that Bridgestone Americas experienced on 27 February was the result of an “untargeted ransomware attack.”
The cyberattack on Bridgestone Americas resulted in the perpetrators gaining access to “a limited number of Bridgestone systems and threatening to make this information public.” However, the Bridgestone Americas statement released in answer to Tyres & Accessories questions on 15 March also explained that the company is: “…working around the clock with external security advisors, Accenture Security, to investigate and understand the full scope and nature of the incident.”
Pirelli has announced a range of price increases in the United States for car and light truck tyres. Specific price increases will vary according to product line and size, but price hikes will range up to 10 per cent.
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has appointed Steve McClellan of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company to its Board of Directors. Goodyear says McClellan is joining the board to bolster US-based association’s “leadership in policy advocacy, workforce solutions, legal action, operational excellence and news and insights.”
Tire Group International (TGI) has turned 30 years old, and as part of the year-long celebration of three decades in the business, the US-based tyre and tube supplier is commemorating the clients, team members and friends that helped the company get to where it is today.
Bridgestone Americas has become a minority shareholder in tyre sensor and data management company Tyrata, Inc. It says this partnership will “enable Bridgestone to offer more sustainable, efficient and cost-effective tyre management practices for fleets, including last- and middle-mile delivery fleets.”
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Hamaton
Bridgestone Firestone Americas