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.
Michelin Tyre PLC is celebrating 10 years of its Performance and Responsibility Michelin (PRM) programme, the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility charter. In 2002, the company developed the PRM framework to provide a more strategic approach to the efforts it was already making to improve the support it provides to employees, communities and the environment.
First Line is exhibiting Borg & Beck in Moscow at Automechanika, Russia on 27-30 August this year. Dan Joyner, managing director of First Line said: “Last years show was a useful ‘toe-in-the-water’ exercise for us to test the reaction to our products in the market and we were very pleased with the warm reception we received.
Visitors to Hall One at Reifen 2012 will have noticed periodic loud bangs emanating from the Gaither Europe stand, where the Netherlands based company was demonstrating its innovative Bead Bazooka product, a hand-held rapid air release tool for seating tubeless tyre beads. The company said it was rolling out a nine litre “XL” version of the product at Reifen and forthcoming European shows, having displayed the six litre model at SEMA. TÜV approved, the tool was also nominated for an innovation award.
Taking place in the beautiful surroundings of Düsseldorf’s Schloss Eller, BKT celebrated its Silver Anniversary in style on the evening of 5 June. The Indian OTR tyre manufacturer, distributed in the UK by Kirkby Tyres and RH Claydon, numbers Europe “one of its strongest markets”; the company’s representatives say that nearly 50 per cent of its sales go into the continent. The company was publicising its new production plant in Bhuj, Gujarat in Western India, having invested $365 million in the new plant, partially self-financed. The company exemplified its green credentials introducing the plant by showing that part of its investment is devoted to a large green area and clean energy and water treatment plants are anticipated as additions to the current production plant and research and development centre.
Scottish braking firm Alba Diagnostics was established in 1991, designing and manufacturing professional garage equipment. Developing from a two-person operation, Alba became the manufacturer of what it says is the world's number one brake fluid tester. The company has recently been talking up the benefits of offering customers free brake fluid checks using the Alba Diagnostics brake fluid tester. This is a boiling point tester; the only approved way to test brake fluid.
Irish delivery company Fegan Transport has fitted cheaper tyres to its 25 DAF tractor units and 50-plus trailers for years in a bid to save money, but less than satisfactory returns on the company’s investment led to a rethink. Having moved back to premium tyres from Continental, the company says performance and life expectancy have increased; arguably more beneficial in balancing the books than the experiment with lower-cost rubber. “We’d used Continental tyres before, and then found that some of the Chinese tyres coming onto the market were cheaper, but it took us two years to realise that this wasn’t actually the best way to go. In some cases we’d taken the tyres off the vehicles after just 40,000km, because we found that they weren’t delivering what we expected,” reveals Martin Fegan, owner of Fegan Transport Ltd.
On 16 July Sumitomo Rubber Industries officially opened its second tyre factory in China. The Sumitomo Rubber (Hunan) Co. Ltd plant, located in the city of Changsha, is set up for the manufacture of passenger car tyres. Production got underway in July and plant capacity will reach 15,000 units a day by the end of next year. Full stage one capacity of 30,000 units a day is expected to be attained by the end of 2015. A total of some US$297 million is being invested in the 550,000 square metre, 100 per cent Sumitomo-owned facility.
The second half of the 2012 MotoGP begins with the US Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend – the first of two consecutive US rounds. Tyre supplier Bridgestone is anticipating the section known as the Corkscrew, providing rubber to deal with the quick changes of direction and elevation required to complete the stretch successfully. Bridgestone will supply front tyres to provide increased front-end stability, high levels of edge grip for the more demanding sections, and good warm-up performance for a circuit that has one of the lowest average speeds in MotoGP. With seven left-hand turns and only four right-hand turns, the asymmetric rear slicks feature slightly harder rubber on the left shoulder for greater durability, though overall Bridgestone will supply rubber compounds for its rear tyres at the soft end of the spectrum.
At a ceremony held earlier this month, Porsche AG honoured its ten best suppliers from last year with a Porsche Supplier Award 2011. On this exclusive list of top suppliers was Pirelli, who was acknowledged in the production material category.
Pirelli Tyre SpA and Zafco have signed an agreement that will allow Zafco to use the previously mothballed Armstrong brand under license for five years. The UAE-based company has an understanding with Pirelli that it can acquire the brand from Pirelli within the five years of the licensing agreement, which was signed on 23 April, 2012. Asif Yusufzai, member of Zafco’s board of directors, described the deal as marking a momentous occasion for both Zafco and the Armstrong brand. Zafco said that Armstrong tyres will be manufactured at reputable factories commensurate with its internationally recognised high quality.
The US National Highway Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a recall notice from North American truck manufacturer Navistar. According to the company, the problem is that “over time, due to corrosion and fatigue, the wheels may crack, resulting in possible wheel separation from the vehicle.”
The latest RMA produced US tyre market shipment figures do not suggest any kind of immediate recovery is on the horizon. According to financial analysts who trawled through the figures, despite the fact that the comparison period wasn’t particularly strong, the market was down 1.5 per cent year-on-year in June. Commercial vehicle tyre shipments saw an even sharper decline (-11 per cent) but this was also described as a tougher comparison.
Michelin is continuing to recall up to 73,645 truck tyres in North America. This is a continuation of a recall that was first announced 30 April 2012. Originally it was thought that 77,000 tyres were affected. While any of the tyres made on the affected production runs could potentially display the defect only 0.25 per cent has done so at this point.
The Goodyear blimp will be present over London during the Olympics later this month and in August thanks to Goodyear’s selection as provider of aerial images by the US-based NBC network. Goodyear will lend its aerial presence to NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Olympic Games for the tenth time; the company most recently worked for NBC Olympics during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
In response to economic conditions, Goodyear Tire & Rubber is considering closing down production at its Fayetteville, US plant for a week in August. Plant spokesman Richard Evans told media that discussions have been held about the possibility of “taking production days out” if the market doesn’t improve. According to Evans, closing down production on certain days would be done to “reduce the inventory level because of a soft market.” Goodyear has not made any official statement regarding a temporary closure at Fayetteville, and it is not known which week the plant may close.
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