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.
US motorsport entity the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has bestowed Goodyear’s Stu Grant its 2021 Buddy Shuman Award. The general manager for global race tyres at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company gained this accolade at the organisation’s annual awards celebration on Saturday.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co’s Malaysian tyre factory has been under scrutiny for at least two years following questions relating to working conditions. At the end of November, US Department of Homeland Security officials interviewed local staff as part of investigations that “could lead to US prosecutions”, according to Reuters, which added Goodyear faces “related lawsuits and two ongoing investigations by regulators in Malaysia and the United States, each looking into potential exploitation of foreign workers.”
In response to the investigation and related reporting, Goodyear issued the following statement: “Goodyear takes seriously any allegations of improper behaviour and is committed to ensuring that our business practices and those of our associates, our supply chain, and our vendors adhere to both our policies and all applicable legal requirements.”
Giti Tire has responded to allegations of problematic employee relations at its Richburg plant in the USA. Following the publication of a joint letter penned by the United Steelworkers (USW) union and “more than 40 civic, faith and government leaders,” David Shelton, director of industry relations, Giti Tire Manufacturing (USA), states that the tyre maker “always welcomes sincere and legitimate input from our team members and other community members.” He adds that Giti Tire’s policy is to ensure it possesses “all the facts and accurate information” before taking action on such matters and calls upon others to do likewise.
London-based company Enso Tyres has won the LA New Mobility Challenge 2021, an event co-hosted by CoMotion LA and Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and supported by the UK Government. The judging panel awarded Enso for tyres that increase electric vehicle range while reducing both air pollution and micro-plastic tyre particulate matter pollution.
Bridgestone is enhancing its tyre development capabilities in the USA with an expansion to its Americas Technology Center campus in Akron, Ohio. The project includes the construction of a new vehicle dynamics test track that will facilitate the development of future tyre technologies by allowing team members to drive prototypes first-hand and thus quickly ascertain which further enhancements are necessary. The track will also supplement tyre testing operations currently performed at Bridgestone’s Proving Grounds in Texas, Ohio, Mexico, and South America.
US-based sustainable materials supplier Bolder Industries, Inc. is looking forward to increasing deliveries to tyre makers and other manufacturers thanks to a new partnership with Liberty Tire Recycling, one of the leading providers of tyre recycling services in North America. It anticipates that the Liberty-supplied feedstock will help it meet growing contractual obligations for its BolderBlack recovered carbon black and BolderOil petrochemicals.
The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) intends to produce cryogenically milled tyre tread (CMTT) and provide samples to researchers in order to advance scientific study on tyre and road wear particles (TRWP). Representatives from the industry have presented information about this initiative at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) North America, a virtual meeting that’s taken place between 14 and 18 November.
The world of tyres and that of the silver screen seldom cross paths. They notably did so in 2010 when French director Quentin Dupieux brought us Rubber, the tale of an anthropomorphised but troubled tyre named Robert. They cross paths again in 2021, this time via a film jointly written and produced by a major name in the tyre wholesaling sector.
Cimcorp, manufacturer and integrator of turnkey robotic order fulfilment and tyre handling solutions, has joined US-based trade association MHI’s Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) Industry Group, a collective of the world’s leading AS/RS suppliers that focuses on collaboratively growing and supporting the AS/RS market. As part of the Industry Group, Cimcorp says it will leverage its knowledge and expertise to help MHI members and customers discover efficient, safe, and innovative solutions to their most pressing material flow challenges.
Bolder Industries, Inc., a US-based firm specialising in converting end-of-life tyres into sustainable carbon black, oil and steel, has raised US$80 million in equity and an additional $100 million in committed project-level funding. This will support global growth to meet rising customer demand, including long-term contracts from major automotive, manufactured rubber, plastics and sustainable petrochemicals partners. Funding is co-led by CIM Group and Aravaipa Ventures and supported by strategic partner Tauber Oil.
After launching the Vredestein brand across North America in September 2020, Apollo Tyres Ltd presented its new tyre on a Times Square billboard in New York, USA. According to the company, the new Vredestein Pinza AT features ‘Silent Groove’ multi-pitch technology for quieter operation “than competing all-terrain tyres”; a three-ply triplex casing for enhanced durability and protection against external damage; and a “severe snowflake marking”.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has published figures that show its third-quarter 2021 sales were $4.9 billion, up 42 per cent compared with a year ago. Of course, much of this increase was driven by the company’s acquisition of Cooper Tire, but growth still came in at 16 per cent with the benefits of the Cooper merger excluded. At the same time, Goodyear executives also reported that the company now expects circa 50 per cent greater Cooper merger-related synergies than before. Specifically, this means a benefit of $250 million in run-rate synergies by mid-2023 up from an initial forecast of $165 million. And what’s more, the company expects to realize approximately $20 million of these savings in 2021. No estimates for 2022 synergies are being released until at least the end of 2021 and more likely February 2022 when full-year 2021 data has been processed.
Mickey Thompson’s Baja Legend EXP off-road have claimed 2021 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show Best New Product Awards in the Tire and Related Product category. Mickey Thompson’s ET Street Front drag tyre and Cooper Tire’s Discoverer Snow Claw were also named runners-up.
Michelin Group has named Felicia Sanders the next chief human resources officer of Michelin North America. She succeeds David Stafford, who will retire in December, and will be responsible for all employee-facing functions in the United States and Canada region.
The US-based subsidiary of Korean tyre maker Nexen Tire has relocated its headquarters from California to Richfield, Ohio. The tyre maker chose Richfield as the site is already home to its North American technical centre, opened in 2019 and one of three that Nexen Tire operates worldwide.
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