Euro Car parts opens Londonderry depot
Euro Car Parts (ECP), the leading distributor of car parts, has opened its new Londonderry branch, employing 19 new members of staff to strengthen its delivery service across Northern Ireland.
Continue ReadingMidwest Motor Factors joins Groupauto
Midwest Motor Factors, part of Arnold Clark Automobiles Ltd, has joined automotive trading group Groupauto. Midwest Motor Factors operates out of six branches across the West Midlands alongside the award-winning Monmore Auto Parts branch, which is based in Wolverhampton. All operations will join Groupauto with immediate effect.
Continue ReadingBridgestone closing test centres in Germany
Bridgestone Europe has confirmed the planned closure of two sites in Germany operated by its Rome, Italy-based Bridgestone Technical Center Europe S.p.A. The facilities in Bad Vilbel, north of Frankfurt, and at the Nürburgring are expected to close this autumn.
Continue ReadingOfficial opening for Kumho’s US tyre factory
Kumho Tire has held a ceremony to mark the opening of its new factory in the USA. The facility in Macon County, Georgia, enters operation with the capacity to produce up to four million tyres a year, and will later be expanded to a capacity of up to ten million tyres per annum.
Continue ReadingCooper Tire Q1 2016 operating profit up almost 30%
Cooper Tire & Rubber is, says chairman, chief executive officer and president Roy Armes, “off to a strong start in 2016” after reporting a 29.5 per cent increase in operating profit despite net sales being down 2.0 per cent in the first three months of the year. Operating margin rose from 10.6 per cent in Q1 2015 to 14.0 per cent in the quarter to 31 March 2016.
Continue ReadingNexen scores hat-trick of A’ Design awards
Nexen Tire has received three A’ Design awards for its latest tyres. Nexen’s All Road Transform concept tyre and Winguard Snow’G WH2 received gold awards, in addition to the N’Fera RU1 being granted a silver award. The company’s three products competed in the vehicle, mobility and transportation design categories.
Continue ReadingBoost in Hankook Tire turnover, operating profit in Q1 2016
Hankook Tire has reported its first quarter 2016 financial results, and these show a 9.4 per cent year-on-year rise in consolidated sales; these amounted to KRW 1.6 trillion (£975.4 million) in the three months to 31 March 2016. Operating profit rose 23.6 per cent to KRW 251.1 billion (£150.3 million).
Continue ReadingTitan puts Italtractor subsidiary up for sale
Titan International, Inc. has engaged Goldman, Sachs & Co. to advise on the sale of its Italtractor ITM S.p.A. subsidiary on 25 April 2016. The news follows the announcement that the firm had established a special committee of its board of directors to review and analyze the issues relating to the possible sale of ITM. These moves and the language of the legal disclaimers attached to the official statements announcing them suggest Italtractor is now well and truly up for sale.
Continue ReadingNew products, new technologies for Falken at Essen show
Under the heading of ‘On the Pulse of Tyre Technology’, Falken Tyre will present its extensive portfolio of tyres for cars, SUVs, vans and trucks at Reifen, the international trade show held in Essen from 24–27 May 2016.
Continue ReadingGoodyear updates pan-regional truck tyre website
The Goodyear truck tyre website for customers in the EMEA region – Europe, the Middle East and Africa – has been re-launched and is now available in a range of local languages. The updated truck.goodyear.eu site provides information on new and retreaded tyres, the Europe-wide TruckForce service network, the internet-based FleetOnlineSolutions management programme and the location of truck tyre dealers throughout the region.
Continue ReadingMichelin signs land contract for Mexico factory
According to reports from Mexico, Michelin has signed a contract to acquire land for a new passenger car and light truck tyre factory in Guanajuato state. Mexican publication ‘am’ shares that Hector Lopez Santillana, mayor of Guanajuato León municipality, has reported a sale contract has been signed for one block of land, and negotiations are currently being held over the sale of a second, 80 hectare block.
Continue ReadingThe right direction: Bridgestone North Region MD, Robin Shaw one year on
Roughly a year after Tyres & Accessories met Bridgestone North Europe region managing director Robin Shaw, just a few weeks after he took on the role, progress at the Warwick, UK-based part of the global company is said to have been “really good”. More than 12 months after our last interview, Shaw’s perspective on the tyre industry – previously he led Bosch’s UK operations UK – has deepened significantly as has his influence in the industry. “The direction is good, but we always want to be further on than we are,” Shaw told Tyres & Accessories. Of course when you ask how business is at multi-segmented, multinational like Bridgestone, there is no simple answer to that question. Rather there are multiple variables, the importance of which differs from segment to segment. However, the general synopsis is that all segments are doing well, with some doing particularly well.
Continue ReadingStarco restructures its business with European OEMs
A new organisational structure is being rolled out for Starco’s original equipment business in Western and Northern Europe. The company’s national sales entities will adopt a cross-border, segment-driven approach that will focus more strongly upon current customers and new, larger customers. Starco explains that this new structure’s adoption is being driven by market demands for specialised knowledge, strong supplier partnerships and cross-border mobility.
Continue ReadingOmsk Carbon Belarus factory: construction underway
Construction of Omsk Carbon Group’s third production site – a carbon black plant in Mogilev, Belarus – is underway, according to the company. Omsk Carbon Mogilev’s production facilities are being constructed in a Belarusian Free Economic Zone. Production is expected to begin in July/August 2016. The plant is expected to reach full capacity in 2019.
Continue ReadingGoodyear: volumes up in Q1 2016, operating margin grows to 11.4%
Goodyear Tire & Rubber has released its results for the first three months of 2016. During the first quarter of the current financial year, the company achieved higher sales volumes compared with the same period a year earlier, however sales revenues were slightly lower. Operating income and margin was higher, while a number of one-off occurrences impacted upon net income.
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