Falken OE on Jeep Gladiator in US
Following Falken Tires’ recent selection as an original equipment (OE) supplier for the 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, Falken tyres will also be OE on the 2020
Jeep Gladiator mid-sized pickup truck.
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.
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Conti opens Ulvade Advanced Indoor Evaluation Center
On 5 June 2019 Continental opened the new Advanced Indoor Evaluation Center at its Ulvade, Texas testing facility. The company has invested around 9 million euros in the new facility, which tests the properties of passenger car tyres. The Advanced Indoor Evaluation Center is designed to test all passenger tyre models manufactured in Continental’s North and South American tyre plants.
Hankook tyres for Toyota Corolla
Toyota has chosen Hankook tyres as original equipment for the North American market 2020 Corolla. The new model, which went on sale in April, wears the Hankook Kinergy GT (pattern H436) in size 205/55R16 91H.
Do tariffs and trade wars work?
At the time of going to press, the President of the United States of America is mid-way through a state visit to the UK. Before he even landed on British soil, President Donald Trump stirred up controversy by tweeting his disparaging thoughts about London Mayor Sadiq Kahn. Whatever view one might hold about the propriety of Trump’s visit, we all know that 31-gun salutes and tea with the queen are about more than niceties. Sure enough less than 24 hours into the state visit, presidential talk turned to trade, with Trump backing out-going Prime Minister Theresa May to complete Brexit negotiations and promising a “phenomenal” trade deal between the US and UK. But all this is set against the backdrop of all-out trade war between the US and China at the same time that Europe is involved in somewhat more Cold War-esque trade skirmishes with China as well. The questions are: do such measures work? And what do they mean for the tyre business?
US tariffs hit Chinese alloy wheel exports
Following the US’s implementation of 25 per cent import tariffs on Chinese aluminium wheels on 1 May, China exported 70,400 metric tonnes of aluminium alloy wheels in April, down 9.6 per cent compared with the previous month and down 11.6 per cent compared with the year before. However, while down Chinese wheel exports in April were above their recent low point. In February exports dipped to the lowest in five years at 53,700 tonnes.
GM names Hankook Tire a supplier of the year
Hankook Tire was named a GM supplier of the year by General Motors during its 27th annual Supplier of the Year awards ceremony, which was held in Detroit, USA on 15 May. This is the third time Hankook Tire has received the award.
Sentury Tire USA moves to larger HQ
Plans for a new factory may be on hold, but Sentury Tire USA says demand for its tyre brands is growing – and this growth has necessitated the operation’s move to a larger headquarters and warehouse. The new corporate office and warehouse, twice the size of the former location, is located in Hialeah, Florida.
Goodyear piloting predictive service solutions with EV fleets
Collaborations with US-based shared mobility providers Borrow and Envoy are providing Goodyear Tire & Rubber the opportunity to pilot its predictive digital service solutions with electric vehicle fleets. Experience gained with the two companies allows Goodyear’s Innovation Lab in San Francisco to test solutions on new models of emerging mobility.
Goodyear pilots predictive digital service solutions for electric vehicle fleets
Goodyear has started to pilot a new predictive digital service with Borrow, a short-term, fully electric car subscription company based in West Hollywood, California. Reflecting the tyre manufacturer’s increasing interest in future mobility services, Goodyear is using its predictive tyre servicing solution for connected fleets to forecast and automatically schedule needed tyre maintenance and replacement. Leveraging Goodyear’s expertise in tyres, the cloud-based platform predicts and automatically schedules tyre servicing via vehicle data and proprietary algorithms.
USA sets final duties on CV steel wheels from China
The USA has determined the rate of anti-dumping and countervailing duties it will charge on steel commercial vehicle wheels imported from China, and the levels set are high. This month, the US Department of Commerce announced final anti-dumping duties of 231.7 per cent and countervailing duties of 457.1 per cent.
Hankook Tire a Honda double award winner
Hankook Tire reports that two awards came its way at this year’s Honda Supplier Conference in the USA. The tyre maker was one of just four “double award” suppliers to receive Supplier of the Year awards for excellence in both Quality & Delivery as well as Value. In total, Honda honoured 85 North American OEM parts suppliers.
Sentury Tire: Plans for USA tyre plant on hold
It appears that Sentury Tire has paused its project to set up a tyre factory in the USA. Local newspaper the Valley Times News shares that work has been “placed on hold indefinitely.”
Nokian Tyres: US factory launch team training in Europe
Following a month of orientation, Nokian Tyres has sent the first group of employees hired for its new factory in the USA on a six-week training experience at its facilities in Russia and Finland. The training trip’s aim is to equip members of the Dayton, Tennessee plant launch team with the skills they’ll need when beginning the production process ramp-up ahead of the start of commercial production in 2020.
Introducing tyre royalty…
Here in the UK and in Europe, Uniroyal belongs to the Continental tyre portfolio, but in North America it is a Michelin brand. And across the pond, Uniroyal Tires has gained a new brand mascot – Royal.
USA: Tyre makers’ association voices support for ‘Tire Caucus’
The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) says it “applauds” the recent formation of the bipartisan Congressional Tire Caucus, co-chaired by Joe Wilson and Jim Cooper, members of the House of Representatives from South Carolina and Tennessee, two states with significant tyre manufacturing footprints.
