Alcoa has announced it will completely withdraw from the passenger car cast aluminium wheel business, instead focusing its efforts in this segment upon forged aluminium wheels. This completes a trend begun some four years ago; of the four cast aluminium wheel factories operated by Alcoa, three have already been taken out of service.
The 30,000th flow meter produced by specialist flow meter maker Litre Meter is being used by tyre manufacturer Michelin to measure water spray. The LMH Pelton wheel flow meter was shipped to Michelin for use in its rubber mixing operation in South Carolina. Rubber is mixed to the exact ratio required to make tyres for the automotive industry. The meter forms part of a spray system that is used to jet hot water onto the rubber mixture to maintain a constant temperature as it passes through the production line. It precisely measures the amount of water passing through the spray system in order to ensure consistency.
Fred Tienken, mechanical design engineer at Michelin North America, said: “We use Litre Meter flow meters throughout the rubber mixing process. It is essential that the water flow rates in our spraying system are kept constant and the Pelton wheel flow meter enables us to achieve this.”
Chiltern Tyre and Exhaust Specialists based in Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire played host to Bridgestone’s Formula One car as part of a family fun day. Families were invited down to the free event to get up close to the Formula One car, which took centre stage at the event alongside the Bridgestone Formula One simulator.
Visitors had their photos taken with the real Ferrari racing car, tested their driving skills on the simulator and enjoyed the food on offer. The kids at the event were also treated to free face painting all day.
The latest wheel from the respected Finichi stable is the attractive and durable Monza. The latest wheel features a stainless steel lip to give the wheel the visual ‘kick’ of a polished lip, but without the maintenance problems that those styles can bring.
Beissbarth UK is introducing a new easy use Drester W-750 fully automatic wheel washer to their range which cleans in approximately 30 seconds. Additionally, the company showcased its new hope for the future of wheel alignment, the Easy 3D, at the Automechanika Show. Beissbarth believes that the machine will save workshop space, requiring little room in which to work and easy storage capabilities.
The Drester wheel washer gives wheels a low environmental impact wash that aspires to generating a show-room sparkle. The company claims that the relatively short payback time on the machine can also have a similar effect on the balance sheet, boosting profits in a comparatively short space of time.
According to his own words, Hans-Rudolf Hein – in charge of tyre and wheel development at BMW – will after 32 years turn his back on the automobile industry to join Bridgestone Europe at the start of next year. While he cites private reasons for the change, he also states that he’s always wanted to know what it’s like to work for a tyre manufacturer. Among other things, Hein will in his new position be responsible for representing Bridgestone’s point of view in various committees and organisations.
In 2008 the Ultra High Performance tyre market experienced changes unlike any year before it; and as a result will, never be the same again, Sentaida USA general manager Don Mathis recently told Tyres & Accessories
“UHP aftermarket sales have been the main and nearly only, shining star in the tyre business for the last eight to 10 years. The margins and growth have surpassed nearly every other segment of the market,” he explained. However, this year has also been unlike any other in Mathis’s 36 years of experience. His thinking is that the unique combination of surplus capacity in UHP factories, the early year surge in the raw material costs, a mid-year surge in fuel cost, and the credit crunch halting new car sales and taking aftermarket wheel sales with them means the market has hit a watershed.
His advice? “Reduce your UHP stock to bare minimum. I think it is really ugly now, and is going to get worse. Clear out old, high priced stock, so money can re-circulate. Take whatever loss there is now. Get it over with, as it will only get worse in 2009. Buy smart for the future with an emphasis on value in the popular passenger car sizes.” For more overview on US market sales see January’s issue of Tyres & Accessories.
The management of Bridgestone Australia Ltd Group has paid tribute to Mark Skaife, who took the wheel for his final V8 Supercar race on the weekend of December 6–7 after announcing his retirement from the sport earlier in 2008. Skaife’s achievements, comment Bridgestone, make him one of the sport’s greatest champions.
During his racing career Skaife gained a record-equalling five Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar Championships, a number only equalled by Ian Geoghegan and Dick Johnson. He also won five Bathurst 1000 titles and a record 40 Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar Championship round victories. Skaife also won three consecutive Australian Drivers’ Championships (1991-93).
This year has been an important one for Remog S.p.a., the company reports. During 2008 it has achieved numerous set objectives, including the introduction of a new high tech facility. As well as expanding its range of wheel balancing weights, Remog has established a new plant in which epoxy powder coating treatments are applied to weights. This facility will supplement operations the company has conducted since 2000, producing products with a 100 per cent coating, certified to 500 hours in salt fog tests.
In the area of wheel balancing weights, B.F. srl believes it stands out in terms of its enterprise in researching new weights and solutions to meet all market requirements. The ISO 9001:2000 certified company reports it has made a number of important decisions in recent years, including the creation of a technical department for internal projection, which is capable of designing and manufacturing balancing weight production machinery, along with moulds and all relevant spare components.
Hofmann Megaplan, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of high performance tyre equipment, has recently introduced two new models into their range; the ‘Spacy’ and ‘The Major’.
The Megamount Spacy represents an evolution of a model that the company says was a commercial hit, the popular 701XL model. According to Hofmann Megaplan, the 701XL has established itself as the best selling tyre changer in its class within the UK tyre and wheel industry, leaving the new edition plenty to live up to. The Spacy offers an identical specification to the 701XL, put together in a smaller package to reduce the area needed to operate the machine. The Spacy has the demount head swing up and away, as opposed to tilting back, as it does on a traditional column, allowing the space in which the machine works to be used more economically.
A full product range should include something for every requirement and budget, and Rema Tip Top reports that its workshop equipment line-up includes run-flat solutions spanning the spectrum from entry level to high end solutions that will keep even the most demanding workshop happy.
The Butler Topline tyre changer is a superb introductory machine, reports Rema Tip Top. It adds that this unit represents an intelligent evolution to the award winning Airdraulic and Aircombi tyre changers. One of the new standard features on the Topline is the ‘safety belt’, which has been developed to reduce the mounting stress particularly whilst fitting low profile, UHP and self supporting tyres, thus preventing damage to any part of the tyre or rim.
The Trade Group boasts a wealth of experience in every area of garage equipment and, the company believes, nowhere more so than in wheel care products. As Trade Group spokesman Terry Bullworthy explains, “We not only select and specify the most advanced, most user friendly and most cost effective equipment but we will always offer our customers a choice to suit their budgets and because of this our range includes market leaders Hofmann Megaplan, Beissbarth and also the newly introduced range of Trademaster tyre and wheel equipment.
Christmas may be even a touch more fun this year, at Just Motorcycles in Basingstoke, now that they have won a luxury Christmas hamper packed by Royal grocers, Fortnum and Mason of London. ust Motorcycles was one of hundreds of customers who replied to the annual customer survey by two-wheel tyre wholesaler Bike Tyrestore and fortunately for them was the first to be drawn when the survey competition closed on 30 November.
BTS managing director, Peter Smith, told Tyres & Accessories: “Uniformly high scores were given to all aspects of the company’s service and customer support package. Reading each reply personally gives…a great handle on how customers rate the trading experience with Bike Tyrestore.”
The final round of this year’s FIA GT Championship, which took place on the new Argentine circuit near Mendoza, saw a victory from the PZero Racing-equipped Saleen S-7R from Longin-Kumpen (PeKa Racing). This triumph compensated the Belgian squad for the bad luck they endured earlier in the season, and highlighted the partnership between the American supercar and Pirelli tyres: a combination that has, comments Pirelli, been winning since 2004.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
