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.
TireHub is now five years old and says it is looking forward to future growth. The US-based national tyre distributor, which was co-founded by Bridgestone & Goodyear, now operates 80 TireHub Logistics Centers and will add more to the network in the coming months, and TireHub also plans to open its first regional distribution centre later this year.
Toyo Tire Corporation will end the manufacture of non-tyre automotive parts at its subsidiary in the USA. The cessation of production at Toyo Automotive Parts (USA), Inc. will take effect on 31 October 2023, and the company will be dissolved as a business entity. The closure of the Franklin, Kentucky-based business affects (as of June 2023) 207 employees.
Nexen plans to expand its production capacity by 40 per cent within five years. It plans to achieve this by building a new tyre factory in the United States and to expand its existing Czech factory. According to Korean media reports, Nexens’ factory in Zatec, Czech Republic, will complete the expansion project in September this year, following its 2019 official opening. Progress on the expansion project, which commenced immediately after opening, was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Nexen has invested 1.2 trillion won (approximately £732 million) in the expansion of the Czech factory. Before the expansion, the factory was able to produce 5.5 million tyres per year. After the expansion phase in 2024, the production capacity is expected to be 9.2 million tyres. By 2025, it is expected the production capacity to increase further to 11 million tyres.
Pirelli North America has partnered Atlanta, Georgia based The Ray, a non-profit which has helped to develop a net-zero highway testbed. The 18-mile stretch of Interstate 85 in West Georgia is located near Pirelli’s US production facility in Rome, Georgia. Pirelli states the partnership “aims to advance research and solutions in areas such as technology for road safety, circular economy, EV charging infrastructure, renewable energy, and environmental and social impacts of tyres and roads.” Pirelli has joined The Ray’s advisory board and will contribute to its strategic thinking around roadways of the future. Projects include future rubber-modified asphalt projects and the use of tyre-derived aggregate for stormwater galleries. Pirelli is also joining “a multi-tiered partnership focused on tyres and the circular economy.” This intends to drive forward education, innovation, solutions development and sharing best practice.
The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), the trade body representing 12 tyre makers who operate 58 tyre-related manufacturing facilities in the USA, projects that its members will ship 325.4 million tyres in 2023. This figure represents a 2.0% decrease on the 332 million units delivered in 2022 and is also 2.2% lower than pre-pandemic 2019, when US tyre shipments totalled 332.7 million units.
When announcing expansion plans for its North American plant in January 2023, Nokian Tyres said it would increase the workforce to 475 by hiring 75 new employees. The company has now completed the recruitment process, having hired 125 new workers for the Dayton, Tennessee factory as part of plans to double production at the facility by 2024.
The Tire Society has published the details of presentations scheduled for its 42nd Annual Conference (12-13 September 2023, at the University of Akron, Ohio). In addition to in-person attendance, benefitting from live Q&A, sponsor exhibits and a student poster session, registrants can access the presentations after the Conference via a “play-on-demand” feature. Registration includes Tire Society Membership, which gives access to the critically reviewed Tire Science and Technology Journal.
Cosmo Tires and Paul’s Tire Services of Hollywood, Florida have opened the first Cosmo-branded retail store. The 8,000 square foot facility marks a significant milestone for Cosmo Tires offering “an enhanced tyre shopping experience for its customers.”
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has reported a second quarter 2023 net loss of $208 million compared to net income of $166 million a year ago. According to executives, the sharp drop was primarily due to lower sales volume and higher “other expense”, driven by lower net gains on asset sales and higher pension costs.
Changes within the Tire Group International (TGI) management team, with the Florida, USA-based wholesaler welcoming Joe Rios as its new CFO and Enrique Hernandez as COO. Announcing these appointments, TGI says both Rios and Hernandez “bring a fresh perspective” to the company, positioning it for “continued growth and expansion in both domestic and international markets.”
moveero has announced the appointment of Steve Cook as its new sales and business development director, Americas. Cook will lead the strategic alignment with global customers and resulting company’s growth drive.
In January 2022, Ceat announced it had “curbed” its ambition in the truck and bus radial segment and was looking to shift its investment focus to off-highway tyres. The company now appears to have reconsidered this step and is reactivating previously approved TBR capacity expansion plans.
The US Tire Industry Association’s 69th Annual Off-the-Road Tire Conference has opened early registration, having moved to a digital system. The TIA said delegates attending the 21-24 February, 2024 event at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas would find registration “a much easier and more efficient process.”
The Bridgestone passenger/light truck tyre manufacturing facility in Wilson, USA has earned International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS recognition for its transparency and traceability of sustainable raw materials. It is the second Bridgestone tyre manufacturing facility in the country to gain this certification
Recently, the United States Department of Commerce’s anti-dumping review investigation on PCR tyres produced in Thailand has a preliminary result. Tyrepress China notes that the new developments are positive for Thailand’s tyre factories.
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Nexen
Pirelli North America
Sumitomo Rubber
TGI
moveero
Scott Graham; Unsplash