Apollo ‘yet to finalise’ greenfield tyre factory location
Following news reports that Apollo has chosen Hungary as the location of its new tyre plant, the company has released a statement reiterated its plans and stating that it is “yet to finalise the exact location” for its factory.
Continue ReadingBorbet unveils new online presence
Alloy wheel manufacturer Borbet marked the start of Reifen 2014 last week with the launch of its new-look website. The www.borbet.de site offers both English and German language options, although at the time of writing some features are only available in German.
Continue ReadingReports: Apollo chooses Hungary for new tyre factory
Slovakian news sources are reporting that Apollo has chosen Hungary over Slovakia for the site of its new 500 million euro tyre factory. According to the reports, is was “the business environment in Slovakia” pushed the manufacturer towards the other site when choosing from a shortlist of two.
Continue ReadingMitas selected as OEM supplier for TM Racing
Mitas is proud to announce its selection by TM Racing as an OEM tyre supplier for motocross, enduro and supermoto motorcycles. Mitas will supply C-21 Super and EF-07 Super tyres for enduro motorcycles (EN 300, EN 450FI, EN 530F, EN 125, EN 144, EN 250 and EN 250FI), C-19 and C-20 for motocross motorcycles (MX Junior) and Sport Force radial tyres for its supermoto models (SMM 530F, SMR 530F, SMM 450F, SMR 450F).
Continue ReadingBridgestone dismisses 500 tyre retail branch acquisition reports
Bridgestone representatives have dismissed reports that the company is considering acquiring up to 500 tyre depots in the UK in a bid to go head-to-head with the leading tyre retailer in the UK, Kwik-Fit. According to the reports, which surfaced over the weekend in The Telegraph, Bridgestone “is seeking to buy eight to 10 regional automotive retail groups within a year and merge them into one brand.”
Continue ReadingNew Goodyear plant to meet growing Americas demand
Due to a strong free cash flow in 2013, Goodyear Tire & Rubber is reallocating approximately US$1.1 billion of its 2014-2016 cash flow – $300 million of this will go towards establishing a new consumer tyre facility in the Americas. Goodyear aims for the plant to begin production in the first half of 2017 with an annual capacity of around six million tyres, an amount that will be expandable as demand increases. Site selection to identify a suitable location for serving North and Latin American customers is now underway. Total plant investment will be in the vicinity of $500 million.
Continue ReadingKumho, Yokohama extend cooperation with R&D agreement
Collaboration between Yokohama Rubber and Kumho Tire will become even closer following the signing of a cooperative research and development agreement and a license and technology exchange agreement on 31 May. The agreements are based on the master technological alliance agreement signed by the two companies on 15 February, an agreement that in turn followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on 29 November 2013. Under this latest agreement, Yokohama Rubber and Kumho Tire will begin joint research and development on new tyre-related technologies, including ultra lightweight tyres and other environmentally friendly tyre technologies, as well as new concept tyres.
Continue ReadingReifen 2014 heralds new era of Kenda European product development
Taiwanese manufacturer Kenda has sold products into European markets for some time, but Reifen 2014 is seen as an opportunity to enhance and solidify its position. This rejuvenation of Kenda’s European business is inspired by the establishment of a new European headquarters in Oldenburg, Germany, and two key appointments.
Continue ReadingNokian appoints new president, CEO
Later this year, Ari Lehtoranta will succeed Kim Gran at the helm of Nokian Tyres. Lehtoranta will join the tyre maker on 1 September and take over as president and CEO on 1 October. He is currently employed by Kone Corporation as executive vice-president, Central and North Europe. Kim Gran will continue in his current positions until 30 September and then use his option to retire. Gran has led the company since 1 September 2000. He will continue to be a member of the Nokian Tyres Boad of Directors.
Continue ReadingPoint S presenting consolidation strategy at Reifen
While Point S used the 2012 Reifen show to announce the signing of partnership agreements in South Africa, Slovenia and Canada, at this year’s event the retail cooperatives will be reporting details of its consolidation strategy.
Continue ReadingHiQ appoints property agent to aid ‘ambitious’ network growth plans
HiQ has hired property agent CPBigwood to identify new sites as it seeks to increase its number of branches. HiQ retail director Farrell Dolan told Tyrepress: “Our growth plans for our network are ambitious, but we are in the process of developing a new retail model that will make it easier for prospective franchisees to join the HiQ network.”
Continue ReadingUK and European motorists increasingly buying tyres online
UK and European motorists are increasingly choosing to purchase tyres through the Internet. The latest research published by one of the largest tyre e-tailers, Delticom also suggest – perhaps unsurprisingly – that consumers are increasing tending towards their online retail platforms. These results of the research have been published in the Delticom Report “Tyres Online 2014”.
Continue ReadingPirelli and Rosneft in synthetic rubber cooperation talks
Rosneft president and chairman of the management board Igor Sechin has held negotiations with Pirelli’s top management including Marco Tronchetti Provera on the subject of expanding the two companies well reported cooperation.
Continue ReadingBrembo reports huge double-digit rises in 1Q sales, margin and EBITDA
Brake manufacturer Brembo has reported very strong increases in first quarter revenues - up 20.2 per cent to 446.9 million euros; operating margins - EBITDA at 69.1 million euros (+46.1 per cent); and pre-tax profits - EBIT of 45.9 million euros, +75.6 per cent.
Continue ReadingPirelli figures suggest improved European tyre demand
The latest Pirelli tyre market watch figures suggest demand is continuing to improve in the European market in both the original equipment and replacement sectors. First off the European car tyre market (excluding Russia) showed a positive trend in April despite the unfavourable comparison.
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