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Toyota Formula One driver Jarno Trulli believes that Bridgestone’s existing tyre partners will not have an advantage over their competitors in 2007. The sport’s leading teams, including McLaren and Renault, have been compelled to switch to the Japanese supplier following Michelin’s F1 departure at the end of the 2006 season, but 32-year-old Trulli insists that the new 2007 ‘control’ tyre is a vastly different animal to Bridgestone’s 2006 equivalent.
The strike at Alcoa’s US wheel manufacturing plant in Cleveland is not affecting production levels, according to a company report. Since negotiations between Alcoa and the United Autoworkers Union (UAW) broke down on November 6, salaried employees from the Cleveland plant and from other Alcoa facilities began operating the Cleveland works.
Alcoa reports that normal production levels of commercial vehicle wheels and forged specialty wheels resumed after only a short time, and at present the company is enjoying record commercial vehicle wheel production levels.
Union employees at the Cleveland plant have been striking over issues related to health care, absenteeism, wages, and pensions.
Marangoni tyres’ Progetto Marangoni – the tyremaker’s joint project with tuning magazine Redline – is off to an inspired start. The Progetto Marangoni, which has set out to create what Marangoni hopes will be the ‘toughest, meanest and hottest Toyota Yaris ever’, received so many styling ideas from Redline readers that the criteria for judging needed to be revised.
Following Michelin Australia’s recall of a potentially unsafe light truck tyre sold in the Australian market, Michelin Siam has recalled 55,000 units of this particular tyre and other variants. The recall involves the tyre models 225/70 R15 100S LTX A/T TL and 225/75 R15 102S LTX A/T TL.
A possible weakness in the bead area leading to a rapid loss of air pressure has presented itself in these tyres, which were manufactured at Michelin’s Thailand plant between January 2005 and October 2006 and were sold in Thailand during this period. Details of which markets the tyres were also exported to are not available at present.
One of Europe’s leading international tyre wholesalers, Van den Ban Autobanden, have announced the launch of their all-new website www.vandenban.nl The new site features an e-commerce capability allowing for online ordering 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Stock levels and prices are constantly updated and the company state that the site has already gained positive feedback regarding its user friendliness.
According to Van den Ban, initial reactions from clients have been very positive. The company’s Managing Director, Frans P. van Lenten, commenting on the new site, stated that “Ongoing improvements to our client base has always been a very important issue to the company and I believe this latest e-Commerce service further emphasises VDB’s strong position in the market as an international ‘total tyre supplier’.”
Sources inform us that Finnish tyre manufacturer Nokian seems set to expand their distribution centre. The company’s Prague (Czech Republic) distribution centre, which already services a number of East European countries, will apparently see its role upgraded into a European-wide distribution centre. T&A has also been told that a re-organisation of the centre will accompany this expansion. Dieter Köppner, current Managing Director of Nuremburg based Nokian Reifen GmbH, Nokian’s German subsidiary, will be responsible for the new European Centre.
Both Goodyear and the United Steelworkers Union have remained tight-lipped following negotiations conducted on December 18. The two parties met in a Pittsburgh hotel for the first formal talks in more than a month, and according to a union spokesperson, Goodyear made a presentation and USW negotiators took some time to review Goodyear’s information.
Canadian TPMS specialist SmarTire Systems Inc. has announced that its revenue for the first quarter of the 2007 fiscal year has increased by 44% to $851,770 (£436,476), up from $592,866 (£303,805) in the first quarter of the 2006 fiscal year. At the same time net loss for the quarter decreased to $5.3 million (£2.7 million), or $0,02 per share, for the fiscal year’s first quarter, down from $17.8 million (£9.1 million) or $0.06 a year earlier.
Carlisle Companies Incorporated, parent company of Carlisle Tire & Wheel, have on December 18 announced details of their agreed purchase of a tyre group in China. This latest acquisition adds to the US company’s already sizable manufacturing base in that country, a presence the company has had for more than a decade.
Carlisle will acquire the assets of Meiyan Tire Group, based in Meizhou, Guangdong Province, and the deal is expected to be finalised by March 31.
(Akron/Tire Review) Pirelli Tire North America’s automated tire plant in Rome, Ga., received Ford Motor Co. Q1 Accreditation for operational excellence recently. The plant, featuring Pirelli’s MIRS production system, supplies OE tires for various Ford vehicles.
“This is a prestigious award from a world-class organization and is a sure indication of the rapidly developing capability of our company in the U.S.,” said Francesco Gori, managing director of Pirelli Tire. “Pirelli Tire North America is focused on selective growth in both the replacement and original equipment markets in the U.S. and Ford is very much part of that strategy, making it doubly satisfying to receive the accolade of their Q1 Accreditation.”
Following the conclusion of the initial three Formula One winters tests at the Jerez de la Frontera test circuit Bridgestone has shown signs of satisfaction with the way the ten teams (the Spyker team did not test) have adapted to the 2007 tyres.
Bridgestone Motorsport’s technical manager Hisao Suganuma commented that “Our initial impressions of the first three winter tests are very positive and I would like to thank the teams for their co-operation and hard work in their efforts to learn about the new Bridgestone Potenza tyres.”
(Akron/Tire Review) Coral Springs, Fla.-based importer/exporter World Trade Association has become the exclusive North American distributor of Uzmai International produced Maitech steel radial OTR tires for construction, mining and fire/rescue applications.
Maitech tires are produced in Turkey and marketed by Italian exporter Uzami. WTA said it will offer Maitech radials in sizes from 15.5R25 to 445/95R25.
Italy’s Gigi Galli has once again driven to victory in this years’ WRC rally at the Memorial Bettega, held in conjunction with the Bologna Motor Show. The 2005 winner’s Pirelli-liveried Peugeot 307 won three of the race’s five heats. The Peugeot, riding on Pirelli’s P Zero tyres, also broke the stage record. Chris Atkinson took third place in his Pirelli fitted Subaru.
Also riding on Pirelli tyres was Toscana driver Tobia Cavallini, who also won the Trofeo WRC Italia in his Subaru Impreza WRC and another two successes came Pirelli’s way thanks to Anton Alen in the Subaru Impreza Cup and Tonino Tognana in the Historic Rally Show, driving a Lancia Rally 037.
The final tyre has been produced at the Bridgestone/Firestone plant in Oklahoma City only eight months after Bridgestone Firestone North America announced its impending closure. The plant produced budget tyres for the low-end segment of the market, a market where demand has been shrinking in the face of vigorous overseas competition.
The tyremaker has disclosed that the Oklahoma City facility, which had a daily output of more than 26,000 tyres, recorded a loss of US$40 million (£20.5 million).
Michelin Australia has recalled a potentially unsafe recreational light truck tyre. The company has stated that the tyre’s bead area was less robust than expected and any failure in this area could lead to a rapid loss of air pressure. The tyres, which have the identification number 225/70 R15 100S LTX A/T TL were manufactured in Thailand between January 2005 and October 2006.
Michelin Australia has said that only a small quantity of the tyres were brought to Australia and any such tyre will be replaced free of charge.
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