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Goodyear Tire & Rubber shareholders re-elected 11 members of the company’s Board of Directors at the 2009 Annual Shareholder Meeting, held on April 7. Re-elected were:
James C. Boland, retired vice chairman, Cavaliers Operating Company, LLC;
James A. Firestone, executive vice president and president, corporate operations, Xerox Corporation;
Robert J. Keegan, chairman, chief executive officer and president, Goodyear;
The North America based Michelin Retread Technologies (MRT) network of servicing dealers has grown through the addition of Snider Tire. The retreader, headquartered in North Carolina, is one of the largest commercial tyre dealers and retreaders in the US. At present the company operates eight retread facilities and 31 commercial service locations, primarily in the Carolinas, Georgia and Texas area.
“Snider Tire has long been recognised for the quality of its people and service to the fleets,” said Francois Corbin, COO of Michelin Americas Truck Tires. “We are confident that John Snider and his team will help us continue to provide excellent commercial truck services to fleet customers.”
Bridgestone Americas is helping consumers make informed choices through the production of a short video that will be launched in time for ‘National Car Care Month’ in April. The company has teamed up with the Tire Industry Association (TIA) to work on the seven-minute video, which is available for viewing online.
The video, titled ‘Passenger Tire Replacement’, is comprised of three modules: Module 1 discusses tyre sizing and how the information contained on the vehicle tyre placard helps consumers select the best tyre and inflation pressure for their vehicle. Module 2 helps consumers understand tyre replacement guidelines, most importantly the proper installation when replacing only two tyres and the consequences of improper installation. Module 3 educates consumers on the critical issue of tyre rotation, and how proper tyre rotation can save consumers money, fuel and ensure maximum tyre life and performance.
Football fans that can’t get by without their mobile phones will soon be able to gain blessed relief from an online service operated by Continental. The manufacturer is launching a new service that provides news and facts on the Conti sponsored 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. Information about tyres and other Continental products will also be available. The website for the company’s German home market has already been launched (http://mobil.continental.de) and Conti says sites for other countries will be introduced in the near future. Additional content is also planned, including a search engine for locating garages, workshops and motorway services.
Alcoa has reported a 27 per cent sequential drop in revenue, resulting in a loss of US$480 million for the first quarter of 2009. This figure, says the company, reflects the impact of the economic downturn on its core industrial and commercial markets as well as an historic decline in aluminium prices. Revenues for the first quarter 2009 were $4.1 billion, down from $5.7 billion in the fourth quarter 2008 and down 36 per cent from revenues of $6.5 billion in the first quarter of 2008 (after excluding divested businesses). The sharp drop in revenue resulted from the impact of the economic downturn on Alcoa’s end markets, including the automotive industry.
Last May Belgium’s Bekaert and Chinese steel producer Ansteel established a strategic partnership, and several months later set up a 50/50 joint venture called Bekaert Ansteel Tire Cord (Chongqing) Co., Ltd. Almost a year after the partnership was first announced, the companies have celebrated the official opening of their 150 million euro joint steel cord production plant in Chongqing, China.
The new facility is intended to meet rising local tyre industry demand for steel cord, and at present 130 people are employed at the site. This number, says Ansteel and Bekaert, will grow in line with market demand and the realisation of further investment phases.
Continental’s PremiumContact 2 was ranked best in the recent Which? tyre rankings, earning the tyre maker its seventh and eighth “Best Buy” recommendations from the consumer advice magazine’s website. The ContiPremiumContact 2 received the highest overall performance score in the two tyre sizes featured in this month’s (April’s) report.
In the 205/55R16W review, Which? said; “The ContiPremiumContact 2 offers first-rate handling on dry roads, good wet and dry braking and good resistance to aquaplaning in bends and on straight roads.” Testers commented that the 185/60R14 H size offers “excellent handling on dry roads, good wet and dry braking and decent wet grip in bends and on straight roads”. In total the tyre, designed for medium-sized family cars, has now been given four “Best Buy” gongs in 205/55R16V (the UK’s most popular size), 205/55R16W, 185/60R14H and 195/65R15V.
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We’ve been bombarded with a multitude of Trinny & Susannah style homely to comely shows and home renovation programmes along the lines of ‘Changing Rooms’, but to date vans have been largely left out of this makeover mania. One UK company – Vanstyle – intends to change all this. While it won’t be coming to a television near you any time soon, the company is calling upon all van, SUV and truck drivers to join its campaign to give the nation’s vans the once-over with new wheels and accessories.
Ultimately every van or truck driver chooses his or her vehicle for its functionality, and this naturally shouldn’t be overlooked at makeover time. But Vanstyle says this “doesn’t mean the beast can’t be tamed”. In other words, why not make your machine look good?
Schmitz Cargobull, Germany’s largest manufacturer of trailers for HGVs, plans to eliminate one-eighth of its workforce. It was announced on April 8 that around 500 of the company’s 4,000 employees will lose their positions. The company stated it plans to take a number of social factors into consideration when selecting the positions to be eliminated. In addition, all 350 temporary contract positions with the company will not be renewed.
Bridgestone Biker’s Club is celebrating a new arrival this week – a 2009 Tiger 1050. The newest member of the Club will enable the Biker’s Club team riders to get out and about across the UK, visiting dealers, members and attending biker meets and ride-outs.
Andy Whitehead and Gary Hartshorne are looking forward to introducing both the Club, and its latest addition, to the UK biking fraternity. Said Whitehead: “Gary and I really appreciate the kind offer from Cambrian Tyres which allows us to use the new Tiger to showcase the Bridgestone’s Biker’s Club. We will be travelling around the UK on the bike, supporting our trade and consumer customers, and giving them the bikers’ nod of camaraderie when we’re out and about. Our growing Biker’s Club Dealer network and new website, www.bridgestonebikersclub.co.uk, put our UK customers in touch with us here at Bridgestone and we are looking forward to developing our relationship with them and showing our commitment to and appreciation of their business.”
Klarius Group, the exhaust manufacturer, reports that it is currently enjoying success despite the challenging market having invested £1.2 million in its UK manufacturing and R&D facilities over the last 18 months. According to the company, the investment has gone into moving production arrangements over to lean manufacturing, fast track product development for exhausts and catalytic converters and in-house logistics facilities.
The Klarius Group was formed in August 2007 following the acquisition of the Emissions Control activities of ArvinMeritor Light Vehicle Aftermarket Europe. In its final year of trading prior to the acquisition (2006/2007), the Emissions Control division registered a £7 million operating loss. However, since the Klarius takeover this has been turned around, as evidenced by the Group’s first set of accounts which reveal that Klarius moved into profit well within its first full year of trading. Favourable euro exchange rates have also combined with a strong international sales approach to secure new supply agreements and install new distribution facilities and warehousing across Europe.
On 7 April Schaeffler Group finalised a 1 billion euro loan agreement with its banks. “With the 1 billion euro credit line we have gained further flexibility for Schaeffler Group,” said Klaus Rosenfeld, group CFO at the automotive supplier, adding: “The conclusion of the loan agreement is an important sign of trust from our banks.” According to a statement issued by Schaeffler’s press office, all parties involved have agreed on strict confidentiality regarding further details of the loan agreement.
While the new financing is likely to help the company shore up its financial position, last year Schaeffler borrowed 16 billion euros to finance the takeover of Continental AG, but when the automotive markets spirally and the company’s share price nosedived Schaeffler was left with high debt service payments in the midst of an automotive industry crisis. This led the company to request support from the German state and federal government. In February co-owner Georg Schaeffler said the group needed up to 6 billion euros in fresh financing.
Dunlop has announced that it has been chosen by car maker Jaguar to provide as original equipment the ultra high performance summer tyre Dunlop SP Sport Maxx for both the XFR and the XKR. The new models are the latest additions to the Jaguar line-up, featuring a 375 kW/510 hp supercharged engine and acceleration of 4.8 seconds from 0-100 km/h.
Dunlop states that its tyre’s handling and grip qualities make the SP Sport Maxx an important addition, considering the overall car’s performance. It is noted for its dry handling and its luxury sport vehicle applicability, and is also available in sizes for tuned cars.
The recall of a number of Bridgestone tyres fitted as OE to Triumph motorcycles in 2008 and 2009 is currently underway. The tyre in question, the Exedra G850 in size 180/70R16 77H, was shipped with the Triumph Rocket III Touring. This particular motorcycle develops very high torque and can cause torque-induced degradation in a body ply, which may result in cracks forming in the rear tyre’s inner liner, leading to a slow leak. This condition does not affect the front tyre.
The winner of the Street Touring Ultra class at this year’s Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) competition, held in California, may have appeared familiar. The man taking the honours at the event was none other than last year’s winner, Richard Jung. At both the 2008 and 2009 competitions Jung attained victory on Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec tyres.
“There has been a lot of hype about new street tyres from some of Dunlop’s competitors for this type of competition, so it was satisfying to get a repeat victory as evidence that the Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec is still the tyre to beat,” said Jung. “Enthusiasts are getting the message that this Dunlop tyre is proven to be the fastest in competition. You can feel the difference when you push the Star Specs, which is an advantage, because it allows a more consistent feel and reduced the need for suspension adjustments between runs.”
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