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Yokohama ends Chelsea shirt sponsorship

While Yokohama has ended its Chelsea shirt sponsorship after “five very successful years”, the Japanese tyre manufacturer will continue its relationship with the premiership team as Official Global Tyre Partner.

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2019 UK car tyre stagnation, but strong all-season and SUV tyre growth

The combination of political disruption and Brexit uncertainty made 2019 a tough year for the UK economy in general, so it is not surprising to learn that this was reflected in the overall passenger car tyre replacement market. According to the latest sell-out UK tyre replacement market data collated by analysts at GfK, the headline news is that both the value and the volume of the decreased in 2019. But there are reasons for hope, with signs of growth remaining in the value-rich SUV tyre sub-segment and with evidence of strong growth in sales of all-season tyres.

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ETRMA reports weaker tyre sales in 2019

Sales of tyres produced by European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) members decreased year-on-year in almost every product category during 2019. The ETRMA describes the market last year as “weak”, and this is particularly the case for the original equipment segments.

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Goodyear buys two VI-grade driving simulators for tyre development

Goodyear has purchased new VI-grade driving simulators, including a dynamic model, to enhance its product development. The tyre manufacturer has selected a Compact Simulator recently delivered to the company’s innovation centre in Luxembourg and a Dynamic Driving Simulator DiM250 (Driver-in-Motion) to be installed in Akron, Ohio, in the coming months.

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Michelin installs Ansible Motion compact driving simulator to assist tyre R&D

Michelin is installing a new Ansible Motion Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) simulator at its North America Research & Development centre in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. The Theta C simulator offers virtual test driving and evaluation of tyre-road-vehicle interactions in advance and in parallel with physical testing, with detailed simulation environments. Michelin is the first company to take delivery of the Theta C simulator since the product was formally launched.

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Company News

Pirelli major shareholder Chemchina restructuring

On 23 January 2020, Pirelli & C. S.p.A. received a notification letter from its largest shareholder, China National Chemical Corporation Ltd. (ChemChina), informing the firm that it is undergoing “strategic restructuring”. The restructuring notice covered both ChemChina and Sinochem Group Co., Ltd.

UK News

GKN Wheels names Abdul Butt as CEO

GKN Wheels and Structures has announced the appointment of Abdul Butt as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately.

Product News

New Textar brake pad for DAF applications

Premium commercial vehicle braking brand Textar has launched a new brake pad kit for DAF applications. Featuring original equipment (OE) Pro TecS technology, the new pad – part number 2927804 – comes complete with an OE approved accessory kit and features a wear indicator, heatshield and retaining clips.

International News

US2$ million funding keeps material research rolling at LeHigh University

Recent funding grants given to LeHigh University mean the college’s friction and adhesion research department will continue to develop innovative solutions that could fuel tyre development. According to the University, Anand Jagota, professor and founding chair of Lehigh University’s bioengineering department, has arrived at a milestone in his 15 years of researching friction and adhesion.

Career Tracks

HMP Featherstone inmates train with Bridgestone

Prisoners at HM Prison Featherstone are being given truck tyre training in an attempt to address the skills shortage in the truck tyre industry and “instil pride into prisoners’ lives”. Bridgestone has partnered with the prison to offer a hat-trick of commercial tyre training qualifications.

Motorsport News

Giti Tire all-female VLN, French drifting success cap ‘busiest motorsport year’

Giti Tire’s “busiest year-to-date in European motorsport” was capped by two victories by Giti and GT Radial sponsored partners. The all-female racing team, ‘Girls Only – Ready to Rock the Green Hell’, recorded their first ever class win in the ninth and last race of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft in their VW Golf VII GTI TCR. Meanwhile Benjamin Boulbes became a six-time French Drift Championship winner on GT Radial tyres.

Retreading News

Vipal Rubber VT110 tread approved in Romania

Global retreading supplier Vipal Rubber’s VT110 tread has been approved in Romania following trials conducted by fleet operator Senidav Trans SRL. The Eastern European fleet company carried out performance tests using retreaded tyres with the VT110, recording favourable results against a competitor brand. Measurements were recorded by Vipal’s Moldovan partner, Tehno Profil, after 260,000km on Romanian roads, which present adverse track conditions, with mountains, slopes, snow, and other problems.

Comment

Counterfeiting: Flattery or just illegal imitation?

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, according to Oscar Wilde. But businesses don’t tend to be so charitable in their interpretation of such actions. Indeed, industrial counterfeiting, copyright breaches and general contempt for intellectual property are all-too common. The most recent example of copyright dispute in the tyre industry saw one of the world’s largest and longest established tyremakers pitted against a relative unknown.