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.
Chicane, has boosted its media relations team with the appointment of Chris Wakley as a consultant. Wakley brings with him 35 years of automotive media relations experience and will assist Chicane with further developing its media relations offerings to automotive businesses as well as to the agency’s existing client base.
When it was published at the start of the year Tyres & Accessories' January 2013 edition kick-started the back-to-work season with special features on motorcycle tyres and agricultural tyres in addition to all the regular news and analysis you can expect. Subscribers can view this in e-paper format by simply clicking more.
Nissan will fit Bridgestone’s Potenza S001 tyres to its new European market Nismo. The tyre manufacturer will supply wider 245/40R19 sizes on the front and 285/35R19 on the rear with a “tailor-made” compound. The tyre will respond to the V6 344-horsepower coupe’s cornering, sporty handling and power, Bridgestone says.
Hercules Tire & Rubber is recalling certain 16 and 17-inch fitments in its All Trac A/T 10-ply road range. In a notification lodged with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the tyre maker reports that an unspecified number of tyres manufactured between mid-2008 and 2010 can potentially experience in-servnice belt and tread separations. Hercules says it will notify owners and replace the affected tyres free of charge.
The verbal fisticuffs between Titan International’s Maurice Taylor and France’s minister of industrial renewal Arnaud Montebourg, first leaked to the world by financial newspaper Les Échos on 19 February, has been played down by the US Department of State. During the department’s daily press briefing on 21 February, Taylor’s disparaging comments regarding the French work ethic were broached and spokesperson Victoria Nuland asked whether the US administration considers investing in France any more (or less) difficult than investing in other European countries.
On 20 February, Goodyear Tire & Rubber announced that a public offering of its 8-year senior notes had commenced and will close on 25 February, subject to market and other customary conditions. The notes will be senior unsecured obligations and Goodyear says the offering has an aggregate value of US$900 million. They will be sold at 100 per cent of the principal amount and will bear interest at a rate of 6.5 per cent.
The first employees are making themselves at home in Goodyear’s new global headquarters. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, around 200 employees from the tyre maker’s information technology and finance departments started work in the new US$120 million facility on 18 February. Eventually as many as 2,000 employees will work there.
Cooper Tire & Rubber intends to open a new technology centre at its US headquarters site by the end of this year. According to Tire Review, the tyre maker plans to hire approximately 40 new employees, including engineers, scientists, researchers and technicians, to perform research at the Findlay centre. The trade journal adds that local reports indicate a US$2.8 million grant from the state of Ohio will go towards establishing the centre; Cooper said it aims to invest $40 million in the project over the next five years.
US-based Michelin Retread Technologies (MRT) retreader Allied Oil & Tire Company has reached the million-mark. The company, which is located in Omaha, Nebraska, opened the doors of its MRT plant in 1998, and upon celebrating the retreading of its one millionth commercial vehicle tyre plant manager Don Roberts commented that “this milestone speaks volumes about our commitment to customer satisfaction and producing industry-leading retreads.”
US distributor of the Double Coin brand, the China Manufacturers Alliance, is one of the latest companies to join the Retread Tire Association. Reporting this new addition, RTA managing director Harvey Brodsky commented “We continue to be very pleased and gratified at the amount of support our exciting new association continues to receive from retreaders and others in the retread and tyre industries. Since our beginning in 2010, 298 members have joined our association and we are grateful to every one of them for their support in our ever growing association.”
Myers Industries has reported full-year 2012 figures, which feature a 40 per cent increase in earnings per share (EPS) growth. This was reportedly driven by productivity gains and new product introductions. 2012 net sales were US$791.2 million compared with $755.7 million in 2011. However, it has to be said that this was mainly held up by strong sales performance in the Engineered Products and Material Handling Segments. In fact, according to the company, it was the relative strength of these segments that “more than offset sales decreases in the Distribution and Lawn & Garden Segments.
Michelin and BMW Motorsport have announced plans to join forces to contest the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2013. According to the two companies, this means the German carmaker’s BMW Z4 GTE and BMW Z4 GT3 cars will run on Michelin ‘Ultimate’ endurance racing tyres. The 2013 programme’s first competitive outing will be the 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida, USA, on 16 March.
Hankook Tire America Corp has named Thomas Kenny its new vice president of technology and head of its Akron Technical Center. Tire Review reports that Kenny will be responsible for managing various aspects of work at the Akron Technical Center, including development, testing and research for Hankook tyres sold in the US.
Cooper has secured its first US original equipment deal with Ford, which has selected the Cooper Zeon RS3-A as the standard fitment on its 2013 Ford Focus SE and Titanium models. Tire Review reports that the all-season UHP tyre will be supplied in W-rated size 215/50R17.
Dunlop’s motorcycle tyre management team in the US has been expanded by the appointment of Cary Budzinski as its new general manager of sales. Budzinski begins his new role with more than 26 years at Goodyear’s retail store and consumer business units behind him; most recently he served as general manager of dealer development for Goodyear’s Consumer business unit. In his new position, Budzinski will report to Mike Buckley, Senior vice-president sales/marketing & R&D. Reporting to Cary will be Scott Dewey, Phil Waters, Fred Hassen and the rest of Dunlop’s sales force.
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