Wheels
Amcast Industrial Corp has again filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy three months after emerging from an earlier filing, according to court documents. Previously the company had filed for bankruptcy in November 2004 before clearing this status in August.
Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc today announced that it has increased its ownership stake in its Turkish aluminium wheel joint venture, Jantas Aluminyum Jant Sanayi ve Ticaret AS (aka Jantas Aluminum Wheels), to 60 per cent.
In 2004 the global tyre market for passenger cars, light, medium and heavy-duty truck applications totalled nearly 1.2 billion, of which 857 million (72 per cent) were replacement tyres. According to a new report published by Research and Markets, the world tyre market is essentially a replacement market in terms of volume and value, with OE sales representing only a small but influential quarter of the market.
Alcoa Wheel Products achieved a European record when the Székesfehérvár, Hungary plant produced its four millionth forged truck wheel on 6 October 2005.
Alcoa sees the achievement as a reflection of the company’s position as the largest forged aluminium wheel supplier in Europe. Customers include European truck manufacturers Scania, Volvo, Renault, DaimlerChrysler, MAN, DAF, Iveco, and European trailer manufacturers such as Feldbinder, Spitzer, Benalu, Schmitz, Krone, to name just a few.
Alcoa has announced a US $83 million (Euro 70 million) investment in its Hungary based operation. The injection will modernise Alcoa-Kofem Ltd, expanding its products capability and related infrastructure, and adding new aluminum wheel production.
Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc has announced that its Commercial Highway operations in Akron, Ohio and Berea, Kentucky have received the 2005 Supplier of the Year Award from Strick Trailer for their exceptional effort in providing quality products and services.
(Akron/Tire Review) China has been reshaping the tyre world in the recent years, with most of the world’s leading brands either launching or expanding their manufacturing bases and sales networks in China. But even there, the key players need a trade show to effectively meet the needs of distributors, suppliers and manufacturers.
The third annual China International Tire Expo (CITExpo), to be held in Shanghai from 14-16 December aims to link the professionals from the worldwide tyre industry. According to the organisers of CITExpo, thousands of buyers from over 66 countries attended last year’s event, and hundreds more are expected this year. Exhibitors were satisfied with the results and found that it was much easier for them to close the trade leads and obtain buyer information at CITExpo, according to organisers.
Pirelli is claiming that it has exhibited the most OE fitments at this year’s SEMA exhibtion. For example, one of the stars of the Ford exhibit was the Ford GTX1 roadster and to celebrate the introduction of this topless GT concept, both of the GTs on the stand were shod with 19-inch Pirelli P Zero Rossos. Also at the Ford display, 19-inch P Zero Neros could be found on the all new Fusion.
Group Tyre (UK) Ltd is to exclusively distribute Marangoni passenger car and light truck tyres in the UK mainland. “The move will allow Group Tyre to offer the independent sector a European manufactured product with premium brand quality but offering better value for money,” the wholesale operation said in an official statement.
“The addition of the Marangoni brand to our portfolio illustrates our commitment to offer our customers a full range of quality brands. We believe that we can develop Marangoni in the UK market to emulate the success it has achieved in the rest of Europe, and that Marangoni will contribute to our continued success in the independent sector,” commented Group Tyre chairman, John Church.
Marangoni Tyre has launched a new tyre series aimed at the European ultra high performance market. The new Mythos range will combine “leading-edge technology” with “experience acquired in motor racing” to make a Y-rated road tyre, the Italian manufacturer explains. Marangoni even goes as far as describing the new tyre as the “jewel in its crown.”
Currently 30 per cent of the European replacement tyre market is made up of tyres approved for speeds of 240 km/h and higher. With this percentage expected to increase, Marangoni’s efforts to produce a UHP tyre are seen as a response to these developing market conditions. The manufacturer puts it another way: “This new product is the synthesis of the know-how and experience acquired by Marangoni over many years of research, races and tests in the most extreme conditions.”
(Akron/Tire Review) Yokohama Rubber Co. has released its Intelligent Tire Pressure Monitoring System (Intelligent TPMS), which not only measures tyre inflation pressure, but also identifies road conditions and tyre motion across the road surface.
Yokohama said that combined with “sideslip (stability control systems) prevention systems being installed on more and more vehicles, Intelligent TPMS can detect vehicle sideslips 0.2 seconds faster than existing systems – a difference of 11 meters of travel at a running speed of 100 kilometers per hour.”
The grounds of STS Watford were graced with a line-up of high performance Lexus cars when it recently hosted a free tyre health check event with the expertise of it’s resident doctor, Tony ‘Dr’ Bones. STS Stapletons Tyres and Exhaust Centre, based on Lower High Street, Watford hosted a unique Geometry and Wheel Alignment Health Check Day for the Lexus Owners Club, where top geometry wheel alignment expert, Dr Bones performed stringent tyre safety checks on over 30 Lexus cars.
The FIA World Motorsport Council has officially approved new Formula 1 rules, which will see the series re-introduce a control tyre and bring back tyre changes. The new rules also mean larger wheels and slick tyres will be used. The new rules state: “Each driver will be permitted to use seven sets of dry-weather tyres for each event. All tyres used for qualifying and race must be of the same specification. Tyre changes will be permitted at any time during the race.”
While the reintroduction of pit-stop tyre changes and the use of more than one set of tyres will begin next season, the control tyre concept, larger wheel sizes and slick tyres were originally slated for 2008. However, the FIA has allowed for this collection of rules to be brought forward to 2007 if an 80 per cent majority of the Formula One Technical Working Group agree to do so before the end of December 2005.
Hanksugi Japan has a new distributor for the UK. Following Hanksugi Japan’s decision to release Stamford Tyres from any duties in Europe, North West Tyres (NWT) from Morecambe, Lancashire, has been appointed as a partner for distribution. As NWT’s managing director Andrew Wess explains, his company has just received the first 20 containers full of Hanksugi truck tyres from the company’s factory in China. These tyres, which are first to be supplied to Europe’s central warehouses, are what Mr Wess calls an “initial buffer stock” for the sales operations that are about to commence. When NWT took over the Hanksugi business in the UK itself, the company began looking “for the right people” in other European markets. North West Tyres says it can guarantee on-time supply, even at short notice for customers in the UK or Ireland and for relatively small amounts because it runs its own delivery fleet of 20 vehicles.
Group Tyre (UK) Ltd is to exclusively distribute Marangoni passenger car and light truck tyres in the UK mainland. The move will allow Group Tyre to offer the independent sector a European manufactured product with premium brand quality but offering better value for money, the wholesale operation said in an official statement.
“The addition of the Marangoni brand to our portfolio illustrates our commitment to offer our customers a full range of quality brands. We believe that we can develop Marangoni in the UK market to emulate the success it has achieved in the rest of Europe, and that Marangoni will contribute to our continued success in the independent sector,” commented Group Tyre chairman, John Church.
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