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.
Last month, Michelin announced that as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations it would conduct a geocaching treasure hunt in the US. The contest began on 8 September and in this first phase, geocachers are voluntarily distributing the nearly 1,500 Bibendum, or Michelin Man, tyre gauge trackables – each has a unique alphanumeric code –throughout the country. When this task commenced, Michelin said all trackables will be hidden and logged “within days”.
A 20,000 tonne expansion to Evonik Corporation’s precipitated silica plant in Chester, Pennsylvania officially opened on 9 September, and has boosted the company’s global capacity for precipitated and fumed silica and matting agents to around 550,000 tonnes per annum.
The agricultural tyre market appears particularly well suited towards specialised manufacturers; Trelleborg Wheel Systems acquired Pirelli’s agricultural business in 1999, with the branding switched between 2006 and 2010. Since acquiring various technologies from Pirelli, the Trelleborg Group has invested heavily in order to make its tyre and wheel operation a premium brand player in the agricultural and forestry tyre market. The Tivoli facility, with its buildings showing a manufacturing history dating back to the 1940s, but also incorporating the latest agricultural tyre building machinery, represents “a history full of innovation for farming professionals,” in president of the Agricultural and Forestry Tyres business unit, Paolo Pompei’s words.
It appears Bridgestone Americas is looking for a larger place to call home. The Tennessean reports that Bridgestone’s US subsidiary is looking for a 400,000 square foot (37,000 square metre) premises in downtown Nashville. This is around double the floorspace the company now occupies in the city’s airport area. The lease at Bridgestone Americas’ current headquarters site expires in 2017, and the shortlist for potential new properties is said to include a high-rise office tower that will be built as part of a redevelopment project at the old Nashville Convention Center.
Goodyear has confirmed what many must have already realised – tyre makers build factories in economically favourable sites. The US doesn’t top any list of low-cost locations, and therefore the bid its home town launched to host a new factory planned for the Americas was always going to be a long shot. Akron City Council nevertheless declared itself “willing to do what it takes” to host the new plant – but its hopes have now been dashed by Goodyear’s chief financial officer, who has sent word that Akron – where Goodyear last produced car tyres in 1977 – is considered too costly.
The USW has petitioned for and received an extension from the US Department of Commerce, pushing back to November the deadline for completion of the preliminary determination on its antidumping and countervailing duty complaint targeting China-made consumer tyres imported into the US, Tire Review reports.
After extending its partnership with NASCAR Group company the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), Continental Tire the Americas will continue as official tyre of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship and exclusive tyre supplier and sponsor to several event classes. The company will also remain entitlement sponsor and exclusive tyre supplier to the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. All up, Continental says it will continue as the ‘official tyre of IMSA’ through to 2018.
With the launch of its new MichelinTruck.com site, Michelin Americas Truck Tires says it has introduced some industry-first features, including a retread selector. It also says the refreshed website is more customer-driven and mobile-friendly than the previous incarnation.
In 1889, Édouard Michelin took over a factory in Clermont Ferrand, France that produced farm machinery and rubber balls, and renamed it Michelin et Cie. Exactly 125 years have passed since that fateful acquisition, and part of its celebrations in this anniversary year, Michelin is calling on interested parties to take part in a “treasure hunt across the United States with the world’s largest location-based activity: geocaching.”
Tyre brand Dmack achieved the most successful motorsport weekend of its short history in July. The firm’s gravel tyres, manufactured by Shandong Yongtai, helped secure victory at a number of high-profile international championships. Drive DMACK World Rally Team crew Ott Tänak and Raigo Molder won an emphatic and popular home victory at Rally Estonia – a round of the FIA European Rally Championship. Tänak has hit a run of good form for the Drive DMACK team, having previously claimed 25 WRC2 points in Poland.
In its final determination on the tyre design patent infringement complaint that was filed by Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. and Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas on 20 September 2013, the US International Trade Commission issued limited exclusion orders and cease-and-desist orders to the eight remaining respondents. These orders prohibit them from importing or selling any infringing tyres. Each respondent was found to be in default and in violation of the law prior to the 28 July determination.
Two years ago, Goodyear Tire & Rubber said it would hire 1,000 United States ex-military personnel over the coming three years. Today, the company announced it surpassed this goal more than a year early, and has pledged to hire an additional 1,000 veterans. The company has also formed an employee veterans association, which is devoted to supporting the transition to civilian life and enabling internal networking opportunities.
Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) has announced that it will move its Western Region distribution centre to Chino later this year. The 22 mile move is inspired by recent growth, causing the company to increase warehousing capacity from its existing 380,000sqft facility in Fullerton, California. The newly constructed Chino warehouse will measure 658,000sqft.
Yesterday the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) determined there is a reasonable indication that imports of certain passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyres from China – tyres alleged to be subsidised and offered for sale in the US at less than fair value – materially injure or threaten to materially injure the country’s domestic industry. USITC chairman Meredith M. Broadbent, vice-chairman Dean A. Pinkert, and commissioners Irving A. Williamson, David S. Johanson, F. Scott Kieff, and Rhonda K. Schmidtlein voted in favour of continuing the investigation into these products.
Moves by United States trade authorities towards reintroducing duties on certain Chinese tyres have been applauded by the union representing many US tyre industry workers, yet China says this not only contradicts international trade rules and national law, but any new antidumping or countervailing duties that emerge from current investigations will also fail to achieve their intended result.
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