ETRMA seeking to bridge rubber industry skills gap
On 6 October the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) ran a workshop on the role of “innovative educations tools” in bridging the skills gap in the rubber industry.
On 6 October the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) ran a workshop on the role of “innovative educations tools” in bridging the skills gap in the rubber industry.
Drivers are being urged to make sure they keep up to date with the rules of the road, as research shows that less than a quarter of motorists read the Highway Code after passing their test.
Point S Development, the international HQ of Point S, has announced plans for a new European B2C campaign. The European press campaign will focus on promoting Winterstar, the winter tyre range of Point S private label portfolio.
Cooper Tire Europe has launched the Cooper Zeon CS8 – a high performance passenger car tyre, which ‘A’ grade wet grip and is also said to perform in terms of fuel efficiency and handling. Brand ambassador and Formula 1 driver, David Coulthard, evaluated the Cooper Zeon CS8 and provided feedback to Cooper’s product development team.
On 2 October, Toyota Material Handling UK launched a forklift tyre replacement service with a view to servicing the range of fleet sizes. Toyota has not revealed details of which supplier it is using.
Mitas reports that the development of its PneuTrac concept has reached a new milestone with the start of field tests. According to the company, these show the advantages of the product’s larger footprint and better tractive force over standard but also IF agricultural tyres. Thanks to positive progress in testing, Mitas has outlined its goals for further development of PneuTrac. The aim is to measure and compare characteristics of Mitas PneuTrac and rubber tracks during 2016 to clearly position PneuTrac among tyre and track solutions offered on the market. Mitas’ goal is to have all data needed for a successful market launch available by the end of 2017.
Autodata has added the largest amount of new content to its system in the organisation’s 40-year history. The technical information supplier reports it has made over 36,000 core updates to new and existing vehicles so far in 2015, representing the highest annual figure since its founding in 1975. The firm’s new online platform, launched towards […]
At the UK Tyre Recovery Association’s Recycling Day 2015, Bandvulc director Richard O’Connell presented an update on the ongoing pan-European ReTyre (tyre labelling for retreads) project. As T&A mentioned briefly within the first article of this supplement, supplying information on running costs (including fuel efficiency and safety characteristics) could play an important role in retreads’ competitiveness against cheap imported new tyres. The ability to provide a tyre label for retreads, facilitated by an algorithmic tool to take variables into account, could help to achieve a new way to do this, yet there are significant challenges to overcome – a fact referenced by O’Connell when he joked that a talk on the Higgs boson would be “simpler”.
NTDA honorary life member Findlay Ferguson Picken died aged 84 on Friday 25 September after a long struggle with Parkinson’s decease. Announcing the news, the NTDA directorate team and executive officers of the association commented that they were “very sad” to hear of his death and added: “our thoughts are with Findlay’s wife Jean and his family and friends.”
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) is urging the Environment Agency (EA) to listen to the recycling industry to avoid the inadvertent promotion of unregulated businesses. While the TRA and other waste streams have repeatedly been calling for amendments to the EA’s proposed new Fire Prevention Plan over the past four years, especially to proposed stack heights and the fire breaks between them, the recommendations have, as yet, gone unheeded. The TRA believes that if due action is not taken, unregulated businesses will profit while those with a proven, professional and regulated background will rapidly be forced out of the industry.
Bridgestone Europe’s senior manager, automated inspection and systems development commercial product, Neil Purves, recently called for the tyre industry to engage with e-jobsheet, the open digital tablet platform, as a way of securing efficiencies, receiving data more quickly and maximising support for customers. His advocacy for the system came at the recent CAM UniSerV User Group 3 meeting held in Birmingham ahead of the NTDA awards dinner on 1 October 2015.
Trinseo, a materials company that supplies latex and synthetic rubber products to tyre manufacturers, has announced a number of leadership changes. All changes are effective 1 November 2015.
Martin Pugh, currently senior vice president and Business President for Performance Materials, has been named executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO) of Trinseo. He will report to Chris Pappas, president and CEO of Trinseo. In this newly created interim role, Pugh will elevate his focus to stimulate and support cross-business optimization initiatives; lead, mentor and partner with the new Business Presidents on key strategic business issues; and support strategic efforts across the company.
BF Goodrich has launched its new Urban Terrain T/A tyre for European SUV and crossover applications. Available from early October 2015 and offering an extended range from November 2015, BFGoodrich reports that the tyre offers “exceptional toughness to SUV and urban crossover drivers, combined with high performance braking grip and long tread life”.
Al Dobowi Group, which is well known for importing and exporting tyres around the world, has appointed Malcolm Wall Morris as group chief executive officer effective immediately. This is the first time Al Dobowi has appointed a group CEO in the company’s 40-year history. According to Al Dobowi representatives, the decision – taken in the firm’s 40th anniversary year – reflects the understanding that the family business “needs to develop and evolve to ensure that we are best positioned to continue growing for the next 40 years”.
Goodyear Dunlop UK has confirmed the closure of its Wolverhampton retreading plant. Closure will happen on a phased basis. The first roles to be made redundant are likely to occur on 31 December 2015, with anticipated production at the plant ending no earlier than January 2017. “It is important to understand that no alternatives to the company’s proposal have been made”, company representatives wrote in a statement.
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