Bridgestone and Truck Point have announced a three-year tyre contract to supply Bridgestone truck tyres and service for the CM Downton fleet in all of its UK locations. Under the arrangement, Bridgestone UK will supply original equipment and replacement truck tyres and tyres to the Downton fleet. This will be serviced through its national Truck Point service network.
(Akron/Tire Review) ArvinMeritor Inc. opened its new warehouse and distribution center in Monterrey, Mexico, earlier this week. The facility will serve customers of its Commercial Vehicle Aftermarket (CVA) business, said ArvinMeritor, and is double the capacity of the company’s previous warehouse in Escobedo, Mexico.
(Akron/Tire Review) After its first year of operation, Russian tyremaker Amtel-Vredestein NV ended up in the black, posting net income of $5 million in 2005 against sales of $671 million. Net sales jumped 40 per cent for the year versus 2004’s results, the company said.
During the Essen show Bandag representatives announced that Reifen Wondraschek had become one of its members. Company representatives said they “greatly appreciate the knowledge and expertise built up by Reifen Wondraschek since its foundation back in 1935.” The company specialises in the distribution and retreading of tyres across the Austrian market. The company’s highly trained personnel operate from five service stations.
Credential Environmental has sold its hazardous waste division for £8.13 million giving the company’s tyre and waste business – Credential Automotive – a multi-million pound platform for growth through acquisition and new projects.
(Akron/Tire Review) The independent automotive aftermarket scored a major victory May 25 in its battle for passage of the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (H.R. 2048) when the House Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee voted in favor of the legislation in an open mark-up session.
Although the bill was amended during the committee meeting, AAIA said the primary goal of the legislation remained intact. Right to Repair legislation would require the Federal Trade Commission to enforce requirements that independent repair shops have access to the same information and tools that are available to new car dealers.
(Akron/Tire Review) Hankook Tire America Corp. is raising prices by up to 5 per cent on all of its passenger, light truck/SUV and medium truck tyres as of 1 July. Hankook said the increases will vary by line and tyre size.
A large fire at a West Yorkshire landfill site sent plumes of black smoke several hundred feet high into the sky. Up to 40 fire fighters from Leeds and Castleford were called to tackle the blaze at the Peckfield landfill site in Micklefield, on 28 May. Two JCBs were used to cover the tyres with soil in an attempt to extinguish the blaze. A fire service spokesman said the pile of tyres involved in the blaze measured approximately 250 square metres.
Renault Trucks and Continental Tyres have announced the winner of their joint World Cup Prize Draw, which took place at this year’s CV show in Birmingham. The promotion, held on the Renault Trucks stand in conjunction with Continental Tyres, Official Sponsor of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, attracted over 1500 entries.
Pirelli’s plans to construct a 393-foot tall wind turbine at its factory in Carlisle, have moved a step further. “If the wind speeds match data collected over the years at Carlisle Airport, then we can put forward a final working proposal to Milan,” a Pirelli spokesman said. The first phase is to erect a 45-metre tall mast to measure wind speeds and directions on 8 June. The factory has set a target of having the turbine fully operational in the second half of 2007.
(Akron/Tire Review) News reports say that Pirelli SpA may throw its hat back into the Formula One tyre ring. According to Autosport magazine, Paul Hemery, head of Pirelli’s motorsport programme, said the company was considering all of its options after FIA began accepting bids for tyre suppliers for the 2008 season.
(Akron/Tire Review) Chinese retreading product manufacturer Maxlink Corp., based in Guangdong Province, has joined TRIB as the groups 457th member. “TRIB continues to grow internationally as more and more companies in the retread industry throughout the world realize that TRIB is the only international retread industry association,” said Harvey Brodsky, TRIB’s managing director.
Bridgestone Corp. is ready to build a 300 million euro factory in the north west of Poland, according to newspapers Puls Biznesu and Gazeta Wyborcza. The papers said construction will start in spring 2007. The factory will cover 100 hectares and will be located near Stargard Szczecinski. Puls Biznesu said the plant will be operational within three years and will eventually employ 700-800 people. When asked to comment on the reports, Bridgestone Poland said it had yet to make any definite decision. The company would only say it plans to invest in Eastern Europe and expects to make its mind up in two to three months.
The Serbian Privatisation Agency has just published a tender for the sale of 76.9 per cent of the capital of the Trayal Corporation. Offers will only be considered from companies that have been involved in the production and/or sale of tyres for the past three years. In addition, such companies must have had an annual revenue last year of at least 50 million euros. Trayal manufactures around two million tyres a year, employs 3,500 workers and, last year, reported losses of 3.5 million euros.
Tributes have been paid from politicians and industry figures following the tragic death last Friday of Edouard Michelin, Managing Partner of the Michelin group. Mr. Michelin (42) drowned in a boating accident off the Brittany Coast during a fishing trip. He is survived by his wife and their six children. The Michelin company was founded in 1889 by Edouard Michelin’s great grandfather and Mr. Michelin joined the family firm in 1985, after training as an engineer at the Ecole Centrale de Paris. He took over as head of the company in 1999, succeeding his father Francois.
