Wheels
In the sport of drag racing Mickey Thompson Drag Tyres are a force to be reckoned with in the United States. Now, through Cooper Tire Motorsports, Mickey Thompson drag tyres will be available from Avon Tyres Racing and three specialist distributors in the UK.
Sir Tom Farmer has launched is Tyres and Wheels Autocare operation and it offers the trade a new opportunity.
“The plan is,” explained Sir Tom, “that we will help people realise their ambition to develop their own businesses. We understand that there are people out there in the automotive sector who want to go out on their own, but who don’t have access to the funding. They may be excellent salesmen, mechanics, tyre technicians, but be lacking in administration skills. We can help the people with the right attitude to achieve their ambition.
“We will put up, for the right people, 100,000 poundsw to finance the co-owned business. They will have to put in between 25,000 pounds to 45,000 pounds of their own money to become a Farmer Autocare co-owner. They will have to locate the premises and we will take care of fitting out the business, developing the branding and carrying out all the administration work for the business. That leaves the co-owner free to operate the business.
“If the project requires the purchase of premises, then we will buy the premises and lease them back to the co-owners.
“Many small businesses fall down because the owner is too involved in one area or another of the business. If they devote their time to the customers and the physical side of the business they end up working till all hours doing paperwork. That isn’t good business practice. On the other hand, if they do the paperwork well they often don’t have the time to devote to their customers. Few people have the ability to run every element of their business nowadays. We can take the administration load away from them and allow them to do what they are good at, dealing with the running of the business and the customers. That’s not to say that we expect our co-owners to be out there fitting tyres, but they will have the time to manage their business, to look after the suppliers and the staff. If they don’t get the people and the suppliers right then they won’t get the customers.
“This is an opportunity for the more mature person with the energy and the enthusiasm, who wants control and who wants to work to live rather than live to work.”
South African Tiger Wheels has reached agreement in principle to create a uniform global ownership and management structure for its original equipment manufacturer wheel businesses. Eddie Keizan, a joint chairman of Tiger Wheels, said that this would involve the alignment of the previously unequal shareholding of Tiger Wheels and the significant German minority shareholder in ATS and TSW Manufacturing, the wheel manufacturing plant in Babelegi near Pretoria. Tiger Wheels owns 100 percent of the Babelegi plant and 74 percent of ATS and the remaining plants, including those in Germany, Poland, the US. This unequal and differential shareholding had led to conflict and difficulties in the past. Keizan said that possibly the easiest way to resolve the difficulties caused by the differential shareholding was for the minority shareholder to buy 26 percent of the Babelegi operations so there was then equal shareholding in all the manufacturing operations. As a result of the agreement with ATS, Tiger Wheels has terminated negotiations on the possible disposal of its wheel manufacturing businesses.
Rising real income in booming economies like China and Thailand are driving sales of automobiles there, Singapore companies YHI International and Stamford Tyres are poised to ride the strong tide of demand.
Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc. (Nasdaq: HAYZ) announced that its Commercial Highway Division received a multi-product agreement with Hyundai Translead. Hayes Lemmerz will supply all standard wheel-end components for all of Hyundai Translead’s dry freight vans, refrigerated trailers, chassis and converter dollies for the agreement term. The agreement includes CentruMount(R) steel wheels, and Cast Hub and Drums and Centrifuse(R) Drums. This announcement continues to support the Commercial Highway Division’s goal of providing high quality, lightweight wheel-end systems to the truck and trailer industry, improving fuel economy and increasing revenue producing payload.
Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc. purchased certain assets from Hayes Wheels Aluminio, S.A. de C.V., which operated a cast aluminum wheel plant in Chihuahua, Mexico. The Chihuahua aluminium wheel plant has been renamed “Hayes Lemmerz Aluminio, S. de R.L. de C.V.” and will be part of Hayes Lemmerz’ International Wheel Group.
Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc. has announced that its Commercial Highway Division reached an agreement with Strick Corporation to supply 100 per cent of all standard, non-specified, wheel end components for Strick in 2004 and 2005. This includes CentruMount(R) Steel Wheels, Cast Hub and Drums and Centrifuse(R) Brake Drums. This agreement continues to support the Division’s goal of providing major trailer manufacturers with innovative and quality components. Strick Corporation produces custom dry freight vans.
Alloy wheel manufacturer Fintrade has taken the decision to run down and cease production of its own make alloy wheels. The company says that it cannot compete with products from emerging markets and that the closure of the factory was the only route open to avoid financial ruin. The company has announced an orderly run down of production and will be liquidating the assets of the business to service debts in order of preference. It is expected that there should be no shortfall at this point in the proceedings.
Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc. has acquired an additional 35 per cent of its joint venture, Jantas Jant Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., in Turkey. Hayes Lemmerz now owns 60 per cent of the company, which is part of Hayes Lemmerz’ European Wheel Group. The remaining 40 per cent is held by Inci Holding A.S., Cevdet Inci, and members of his family. The joint venture has been renamed Hayes Lemmerz Jantas Jant Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S.. Jantas has the capacity to produce over 1.2 million wheels annually. “Jantas supplies over 175 customers in 50 countries,” said Curtis Clawson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hayes Lemmerz International. “We are confident in the tremendous opportunity Jantas provides to increase our market share in Western and Eastern Europe and Asia.”
Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position tyres are OE on the new Chrysler PT Coupe Concept, which was on show at the SEMA show. The vehicle is based on the PT Cruiser, with various additions such as custom large wheels. The tyre size for the new vehicle is 245/45 R19.
Dunlop North America announced the SP Super Sport Race; a Z-rated radial designed for super car owners and autocross enthusiasts who want a non-competition, street-legal tyre that nevertheless has race-like levels of grip. The Super Sport Race is available in eight Z-rated sizes, with aspect ratios from 40 series down to 30 series and for 17″ and 18″ wheels. Target cars include Audi TT, A4 and A6, Porsche 996 and 986, BMW 3 series, 5-series, M3 and Z3, Honda S2000, VW Golf GTi and the Mercedes SLK, CLK, C-class and E-class.
Ford has great hopes for the 2004 version of its F-150 4×4 vehicle. The F-150 is already the US’s most popular-selling vehicle and the 2004 version is marketed with the phrase “built Ford tough”. It includes larger-than-before tyres and wheels and the Goodyear Wrangler AT/S tyres supplied as OE are in the size LT 275/65 R18 – representing Goodyear’s first 18″ OE selection in radial light truck tyres. The same size of Wrangler tyres have also been chosen as OE on the 2004 Ford Harley-Davidson Edition pickup and the Ford F-250 Super Duty.
The Alcoa-Kofem factory in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, is the first-ever recipient of the Good Corporate Citizenship and Social Responsibility Award, from leading Hungarian business and economic journal Figyelo. The Alcoa-Kofem factory produces forged aluminium truck wheels.
Superior Industries has announced that the company is supplying two new designs of alloy wheels to GM for the redesigned Chevrolet Malibu. SI President and COO says that “We see many opportunities in the years ahead as GM…offers aluminium wheels throughout its product line up.”
Citroen is recalling 900,000 aluminium rims, fitted to 180,000 C5 models sold before May this year, as a preventative measure. The wheels were manufactured by Michelin subsidiary Kronprinz (Solingen/Germany), who will bear the cost of producing replacements. The recall will be handled via the Euromaster and Viborg chains and analysts estimate that the total cost will be over 20 million Euro.
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.
