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Michelin to Establish New PCR Plant in Mexico

Michelin plans to capitalise on the energetic Mexican automotive market through investing US$740 million over the next four years in the establishment of a new factory. The tyremaker will set up the plant in Silao, in the central state of Guanajuato, and production is scheduled to begin in 2010. According to Jim Micali, chairman and president of Michelin’s North America unit, the new factory will employ 1,300 staff and produce passenger car and SUV tyres for the domestic and US export markets.

“This is one of the most dynamic automotive and tyre markets in the world,” said Micali during in a ceremony with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Numerous car manufacturers, including the US “big three”, have adopted Mexico as a low cost manufacturing base for exports to the US and other markets. Michelin said in a statement that the Guanajuanto facility is part of a $1.2 billion investment plan for the region.

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Stamford Tyres: Quality Products For A Global Market

Having enjoyed very successful shows recently at Tyrexpo Africa 2006 and Autopromotec in Italy with their European trading division – Sumo Firenza. Stamford Tyres prepare for Tyrexpo Asia 2007 in their home-base of Singapore with justified optimism.

The company’s primary objective at the show will be to promote the benefits of the Sumo Firenza tyre ranges as well as its wheel division – Stamford Sport Wheels (SSW). There will be an extensive selection of products on display including the Sumo Firenza ultra high performance and truck ranges and high quality aluminium wheel designs.

The Sumo Firenza range is manufactured in China incorporating Japanese state-of-the-art-technology and both the high performance and truck tyres are expected to arouse a lot of interest among visitors. The Sumo Firenza ST-08 high performance pattern offers a number of features including twin wide grooves to combat aquaplaning, tapered groove walls for improved overall grip as well as a silica-based compound to further enhance grip on wet roads.

Pat Berriman, Vice President for Sales and Marketing states, “We are confident of being able to maintain a premium above most other Chinese tyres and as visitors to the stand will discover, you only have to inspect the ST-08 to appreciate its sheer quality and durability.”

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  1. Stamford Keeps Moving With Wheel Production
  2. Tyre distributors in Singapore on a roll
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  4. Second Tyrexpo Africa Grows in Stature

Yokohama HPT Partners With MK Dons Football Team

The UK distributor for Yokohama tyres and TSW, MAK plus a range of marque-specific replacement alloy wheels, Yokohama HPT Ltd, has become a partner to the Milton Keynes-based football team, the MK Dons. The partnership will see Yokohama logos displayed at the MK Dons’ brand new 31,000-seat stadium in Milton Keynes and will allow Yokohama HPT to support the team from its own box at the stadium during home games.

The MK Dons are eagerly anticipating the start of the new football season this weekend and with it, the commissioning of the brand-new multi-million pound StadiumMK. Situated within strolling distance of the Yokohama HPT offices, thus the relationship between the team and the company is a logical one, and reflects Yokohama HPT’s commitment to the local community.

The MK Dons are currently situated in the Second Division but a series of high-profile additions to the team structure over the winter have strengthened its chances of gaining promotion this season. The former Manchester United and Liverpool player and England captain, Paul Ince, has joined as Manager and brings with him a wealth of experience of top level football, both in the UK and abroad.

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Tyre Safety No Joke in Switzerland

Car owners take note – a motorist who was caught by the Swiss police with insufficient tread depth on his car tyres has been banned from driving for a month, following the decision of the federal court in Lausanne. This ruling by Switzerland’s highest court overturned a lighter sentence previously given by an administrative court, deciding in favour of clear punishment in the case of unsafe tyres on vehicles.

At the hearing on 7th August, the court was told about a professional driver who had been stopped in May last year during the course of a police check in wet weather. The tread depth on the vehicle’s tyres was in part below the minimum specified limit of 1.6mm. According to the federal judges, this was something the driver would have been able to see and he should have replaced the tyres. Continuing to drive with tyres this worn was considered to be a moderately serious offence, as it posed a danger to others.

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Update: Infinity Truck Tyres at a Realistic Price

Manufactured by the Shandong Linglong Rubber Company in China, Infinity tyres continue to be seen as a leading ‘value for money’ force in the highly competitive international market. A private brand label of the Al Dobowi Group based in Dubai, Infinity is not produced by the Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber company as was erroneously reported. Al Dobowi’s divisional Company, Goldspark Trading is based in London, and they are responsible for the distribution of the brand in the UK, Ireland and throughout Europe.

A fully comprehensive range is available from 16 inches and 17.5 inch ratios, through to 445/65R22.5. Goldspark General Manager, Rob Henderson says: “Infinity truck tyres represent excellent value for money and the production capacity in China is being further enhanced to cope with the additional ongoing demand for the tyres. This currently stands at 3 million units but in 2008 this capacity will rise to 4 million.”

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Net Sales Up, Net Income Down at Toyo

Toyo Tire & Rubber has made public its consolidated business results for the first quarter of the 2007 fiscal year (April 1, 2007 to June 30, 2007). The company reports that, due to the strong performance of the tyre business in overseas markets, net sales rose by 8,895 million yen (£37.2 million) to 82,777 million yen (£345.7 million), a 12 per cent increase on the first quarter of the 2006 fiscal year. Operating income increased 22.2 per cent to 4,217 million yen (£17.6 million), ordinary income was up 54.3 per cent to 4,240 million yen (£17.7 million). Net income, however, decreased 55.3 per cent or 4,498 million yen (£18.8 million) to 3,632 million yen (£15.2 million).

Net sales within the company’s tyre segment increased by 8,608 million yen (£35.9 million) to 58,468 million yen (£244.2 million), an increase of 17.3 per cent. From this figure, OE tyre sales declined below last year’s first quarter level, a drop the company attributes to decreased production of car lines equipped with Toyo’s products. In the domestic Japanese market demand was slow, however Toyo’s “vigorous” efforts to boost sales resulted in sales equivalent to the levels of the same period of the previous year. Meanwhile, the volume of overseas sales, centring mainly on the North American market, comfortably surpassed the levels of the same period of the previous year. This increase, combined with the weaker yen, ensured higher net sales than for the previous period last year. Operating income increased by 27.9 per cent or 890 million yen (£3.7 million) over Q1 2006 to 4,075 million yen (£17.0 million).

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Indian Tyremakers Thinking Globally

With India’s vehicle industry experiencing a slowdown of late, the country’s tyremakers have needed to consider how to best maintain their profits. According to a report published in India’s Business Standard newspaper, a number of manufacturers including Apollo, Ceat, JK Tyre and MRF are increasingly thinking internationally in the face of this new challenge. Not only are Indian tyremakers looking at establishing overseas manufacturing plants – at least one is also casting its gaze at established manufacturers in other countries with a view to acquiring one of these firms.

The nation’s second largest tyre manufacturer, Delhi based Apollo Tyres is reportedly actively pursuing the acquisition of an overseas tyremaker. It seems most likely that Apollo will seek the purchase of a company based in Europe, although an acquisition in the Americas is by no means out of the question. “Margins are better in Europe with good product acceptability and confidence in technology,” commented Neeraj Kanwar, joint managing director and COO, Apollo Tyres. The company has seen European market demand for radials increase substantially in recent times, and on the back of this Apollo aims to become a major player in Europe in the next half decade or so.

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  4. Apollo Planning European Factory & Distribution Chain

Sumitomo Rubber Reports Half-Year Figures

Sumitomo Rubber Industries has announced its consolidated interim financial results for the period between January 1 and June 30, 2007. Net sales for the company were reported as 253,858 million yen (£1.060 billion), slightly lower than the 2006 half-year figure of 254,664 million yen (£1.063 billion). Operating income was 17,322 million yen (£72.35 million), down from the previous year’s 18,466 million yen (£77.13 million), and ordinary income for the half-year was 17,231 million yen (£71.97 million), up from the 2006 half-year result of 13,819 million yen (£57.72 million). Net income was 8,159 million yen (£34.08 million), a significant jump on the half-year 2006 result of 1,924 million yen (£8.04 million).

Net sales of tyres to unaffiliated customers equalled 211,715 million yen (£884.26 million), while operating income was 12,796 million yen (£53.44 million).

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Van den Ban Re-brands Flamingo as Blackstone Tyres

For the past thirty years Van den Ban Autobanden B.V. (VDB) has distributed its private brand Flamingo tyres, building up from initial local distribution in Holland into the current UK and European distribution network. The tyres are manufactured by a premium brand European manufacturer and are said to stand for ‘Comfort and Durability’ which is illustrated in the name of the CD patterns. The assortment consists of three distinctive patterns: CD1000, CD2000 and CD 3000 which serves the high performance sector of the market up to size 235/40/R18. Also a Flamingo Alaska winter tyre assortment has been available for a number of years now and has proven to be successful.

Blackstone Alaska winter tyres will be introduced first, as of the Autumn of 2007. Then in the first quarter of 2008 the PCR (CD range) will also be changed to Blackstone.

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  4. Keep in Contact

Private Firms “Prey For Value Hunters”

The UK’s dwindling number of privately owned tyres, exhausts & batteries firms are looking more and more like potential takeover targets, according to a new report by business analysts Plimsoll Publishing. Latest research shows that 804 of the UK’s top 1000 tyres, exhausts & batteries companies remain in private hands, and their values are increasing faster than those of their corporate competitors. Their exclusivity, niche products and unique services are adding to their attractiveness.

Another more practical factor is also coming into play, according to Plimsoll’s senior analyst, David Pattison. “The increasing age of owners and principals at some of these companies is causing them to consider their choices,” he says. “While many family firms have succession plans in place, an offer for the company at the crucial moment is often listened to sympathetically, as the new generation review their options.”

But the big prize for corporate and private raiders is the hidden potential of family-run companies. Current owners typically strip out 80 per cent of profits as fees. To the value hunter, this is a huge platform on which to build. But for those who are not averse to the idea of a takeover, their past activity may backfire on them.

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Steve Cundy to Head Cooper Passenger Car Division

Steve Cundy, European Business Development Director, has been named the new head of Cooper Tire’s UK passenger car sales team. Cundy, a veteran of 36 years, first with Avon Tyres and then with Cooper Tire Europe, will have overall responsibility for Avon and Cooper brand replacement tyre sales for the sector. The new role will be in addition to Steve’s existing European Business Development, OE and Private Brand responsibilities.

Two other long-serving Cooper men will report directly to Steve Cundy in his new role. They are National Accounts Director, Ian Daniels, who has been with the company for 19 years, and Jason Clarke, UK Sales Manager for Regional Accounts, who has notched up nine years of service.

Cooper’s National Accounts team will also receive some new blood in the shape of James Steventon and Adrian Aynsley, who have joined as National Accounts Managers.

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Matador Motorsport Victorious at Pezinská Baba Hill Climb

During the weekend of 21 to 22 July, the European hill climb championships took place at Pezinská Baba. Matador entered the history books with several entries. One of them can be attributed to an excellent performance by Czech driver Marek Fried in the E1 category of touring vehicles.

Marek Fried (driving a BMW M3 GT3) collected absolute victory in the touring vehicle category with a time of 2:17.062 he broke the last year´s record set by Štefan Rosina junior. His victory is a triumph for Matador as well, since Fried has used the manufacturer’s tyres throughout the series. “The motivation for victory of our team was even greater at Baba, because it was our home environment and we used tires from Matador which were excel-lent,” said the team manager Robert Šenkýř after the event.

In the N-category of the hill-climb racing the victory was taken by the Slovak pilot of Matador Motorsport Peter Jureňa with Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX. With overall combined time of 4:50.077. First runner up was Miroslav Jakeš, 2,100 ahead of third-place Jiří Voves.

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Hendrickson Launches New Automatic Tyre Inflation Unit

US supplier of truck suspension and related equipment, Hendrickson Trailer Suspension Systems, have introduced a new variation of its automatic tyre inflation system for trailer units. Named the Tiremaax CP (Constant Pressure), the new unit features a more simple design than the original Tiremaax, which has now become known as the Tiremaax EC (Electronic Control).

Both Tiremaax systems draw from the trailer’s air supply to help keep trailer tyres properly inflated. The mechanical Tiremaax CP unit continually checks tyre pressure without pressurising the axle or wheel ends and employs a pneumatic controller to direct air to tyres that fall below a preset pressure level. A signal light illuminates only when attention is required to alert the operator of tyre or system leaks.

The unit’s mechanical design, free from electronics, transducers and pressure switches, allows for easy maintenance of the Tiremaax CP. The CP requires no special tools to adjust tyre pressure settings and operates on either 12- or 24-volt electrical systems.

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Automechanika Shanghai – December 2007

Automechanika Shanghai has gained a reputation as one of China’s most valuable professional forums for the automotive parts, components and aftermarket industry. The Automechanika show to take place in China’s largest city is scheduled for 5 – 7 December and will house a complete range of products for the automotive original equipment and aftermarket, including parts and systems, accessories and tuning, repair and maintenance, and service station and car wash. Over 700 exhibitors have already confirmed their attendance, necessitating a doubling of the size of the fair to over 46,000sqm.

When Automechanika Shanghai was last held, in December 2006, more than 12,000 visitors from 97 countries & regions attended, 38 per cent more than attended the previous show in 2004. An onsite survey revealed that around 90 per cent of visitors were people involved in purchasing decisions for their company. Of this figure 25 per cent were attendees from overseas.

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