Michelin buys ‘Fox Farm’ test centre in Ivalo, Finland
Michelin has acquired the Fox Farm artic test centre in Ivalo, Finland in order to “reinforce its testing and approval operations for winter tyres for passenger cars, vans and trucks”. Michelin, which made the purchase through its Michelin European Technology Centre, reports that it has operated the site for more than 20 years on an exclusive basis, regularly carrying out its testing and approval operations for winter tyres there. According to the company, the purchase guarantees Michelin can control its own test equipment and “top up” its winter testing resources, which range from Alpine passes to the Finnish plains as well as indoor infrastructures.
Continue ReadingPirelli completes transition year with Cal 2016 launch
Pirelli has capped a transition year with the launch of its flagship branding product in London. Like the Italian company, now under the control of Aeolus brand manufacturer ChemChina, the 2016 edition of the Pirelli Calendar has been launched in a new and somewhat unexpected form. In the hands of legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz for the second time, the Cal has undergone a dramatic shift in character away from both the female models usually a staple of the annual publication and the almost exclusively erotic tone. The 13 subjects are instead photographed in simple, naturalistic poses – “noone was supposed to look like they’d tried,” Leibovitz says – which are designed to portray the diverse range of the female subjects’ achievements; the subjects are representatives from professional, charity, cultural and sporting spheres. The Cal was introduced by Pirelli executive vice president and CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera in a press conference at Grosvenor House, with Claire Balding chairing a panel of guests, comprising Leibovitz and three of her subjects. The launch continued in the evening at Camden’s Roundhouse, a former industrial building and iconic music venue – presumably familiar to Leibovitz, who started her rise to legendary status at Rolling Stone magazine – since the 1960s.
Continue ReadingLassa Tyres takes dealers to Barcelona’s Nou Camp
Lassa Tyres’ first tyre dealer meeting for specialists in the Barcelona region was held on Saturday 21 November at the Camp Nou, coinciding with the Real Madrid - FC Barcelona the football match. Lassa Tyres invited 100 dealers to the game via Barcelona regional distributor, Comercial Rojas.
Continue ReadingNexen Tire launches European TV advertising campaign
Nexen Tire is to launch its first European TV advertising campaign on Eurosport, Europe’s No.1 sports channel. The 30-second commercial will air across 54 European countries for 6 months, from December 2015 to May 2016 via Eurosport, which includes Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, and Eurosport 2 NEE.
Continue ReadingGRP joint venture brings Marangoni’s Ringtread system to India
Marangoni S.p.A. has provided additional details about the recently-announced commercial vehicle tyre retreading joint venture it has commenced with Indian rubber recycling company GRP Ltd. According to the Italian retreading specialist, the aim of the joint venture is to “establish a pan-Indian network of tyre retreaders able to spread the quality of the Marangoni system to commercial vehicle fleets.”
Continue ReadingTyres & football: Goodyear becomes Bayern Munich platinum partner
Top-level football has become a sponsorship favourite for tyre makers, with Nexen’s partnership with Manchester City and Yokohama’s sponsorship of the Chelsea home shirt just two of the agreements announced in the second half of 2015, But the Goodyear name has been absent from such dealings for quite a while. This is now set to change following yesterday’s signing of a platinum sponsorship partnership with high-profile German club FC Bayern Munich.
Continue ReadingCourt rules in favour of Michelin in $20 million lawsuit
In a unanimous verdict handed down on 19 November, a jury in the US state of Arizona found in favour of Michelin North America on all claims relating to a product liability lawsuit filed by plaintiff Kimberly Allen. The verdict followed a three-week trial in the Arizona State Court.
Continue ReadingSistino out – Tronchetti Provera takes direct responsibility for Pirelli’s Industrial business
Pirelli says it has reached an agreement with Lorenzo Sistino, general manager of the company’s Industrial business, for the “consensual resolution” of his “existing work relationship.” He leaves the tyre maker after less than half a year, having been appointed to the role of general manager, Industrial on 6 August 2015.
Continue ReadingDexter Axle acquires Titan International’s brake and actuator business assets
Titan International has announced the sale of the assets of its North American brake and actuator business to Dexter Axle. The sale covers an extensive line of brakes, actuators, couplers and hubs for trailer applications; these were produced as part of Titan’s consumer segment.
Continue ReadingBBC: VW cheated in Europe too
The BBC has claimed that VW deliberately cheated emissions tests in Europe, in addition to the US emissions scandal it has admitted to. In addition the BBC’s Panorama programme also questioned the emissions behaviour of an Opel Zafira, which appeared to emit more NOx in both hot and cold engine conditions than European legislation allows.
Continue ReadingTyreSafe helps Britain’s largest motorway police group measure tread depth
TyreSafe has presented Central Motorways Police Group (CMPG) commanding officer, Superintendent Paul Keasey, with tread depth gauges to help it implement its tyre safety policy. The CMPG is responsible for over 400 miles of Britain’s busiest motorway network, reaching from the Welsh borders through to Cheshire and across to the East of Birmingham. Comprising specially trained officers from the West Midlands, West Mercia and Staffordshire police forces, CMPG is the largest single motorway police group in Britain.
Continue ReadingFate distributing Cooper tyres in Argentina – production, research collaboration may follow
The signing of a letter of intent between Cooper Tire & Rubber and Argentine tyre maker Fate opens the door to a number of cooperative possibilities, including joint research and development and the offtake production of Cooper tyres in Argentina. Initially, however, the two companies’ work together involves Fate serving as a distributor of Cooper-branded passenger car, light commercial vehicle and SUV tyres in Argentina alongside its own tyre portfolio.
Continue ReadingBridgestone takes majority share in Slovakia’s A.R.S.
Bridgestone has acquired a majority shareholding in Slovakian tyre retailer and retreader A.R.S. spol sro. The Japanese tyre major hasn’t disclosed how much it paid for its shareholding or what the post-transaction ownership structure of A.R.S. looks like, however it states that the deal will “guarantee the stable growth of A.R.S. and will give customers access to best quality products and highest level of services.” The former Michelin strategic partner’s eight service locations will now be rebranded under the ‘Bridgestone Partner’ name and its retreading operation joins Bridgestone’s Bandag network.
Continue ReadingApollo’s acquisition of reifen.com a ‘sound strategic extension of the value chain’
Apollo Tyres’ takeover of reifencom GmbH, operator of e-commerce sites in six European countries, has been described as part of the company’s strategy to expand its retail network in the European market. Apollo said its takeover will allow it to support the expansion activities of its subsidiary Apollo Vredestein, which include major investments in the European premium brand Vredestein. The company stated that it has major plans for growth via an expansion of its original equipment activities – the groundwork for which is being laid via the current construction of a new plant in Hungary.
Continue ReadingJSR, MOL to build joint venture S-SBR plant in Hungary
Groundwork begins this month on a new 60,000 ton per annum S-SBR plant destined to supply synthetic rubber to tyre industry customers. Construction of the new plant begins in the first quarter of next year at the MOL Petrochemicals site in Tiszaújváros, Hungary and the facility is a 51/49 per cent joint venture between Japan’s JSR Corporation and Hungary’s MOL Group. It is expected that the plant’s mechanical completion will take place within 2017.
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