Continental opens China test centre
The official opening of Continental’s newest test centre took place last Friday, and the tyre maker and automotive supplier says this facility, which is located in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, will “provide Continental with a more solid foundation for technical support and product development in China.”
Continue ReadingWarehouse expansion at BFGoodrich tyre plant
The warehouse at one of the two Michelin factories fully dedicated to the production of BFGoodrich tyres will more than treble in size through a US$8 million investment. Michelin North America shares that the warehouse of its BFGoodrich factory in Tuscaloosa (Alabama, USA) will increase from 29,000 square feet to 92,000 square feet (8,550 square metres). This expansion will result in a storage capacity more than nine times greater than at present. Construction work on the project begins in August and is expected to be completed early next year, with the enlarged warehouse operational in the second quarter of 2017.
Continue ReadingMichelin highlighting historic ranges at Le Mans Classic
Michelin is participating as a partner to the Le Mans Classic, a biennial event that attracts more than 110,000 historic motorsport and classic car fans and gets underway today at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France. During the four-day event, the tyre maker will present its latest historic motorsport and classic car tyre collection, as well as provide advice to owners of the participating cars, a collection of vehicles that includes numerous cars Michelin has equipped for the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race over the years.
Continue ReadingAnother change for First Stop in Germany
A week ago we reported Bridgestone’s plan to roll its First Stop tyre retail operation in Germany into a joint venture, with a 75 per cent share in this operation to be acquired by independent retailer Pneuhage. News of this pending ownership restructure has been accompanied by a change in leadership of the national First Stop network, however the two events are not related. Frank Fuhrmann, who held the post of managing director for First Stop in the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland since 1 September 2015, has been succeeded in this role by Daniel Giroud, Bridgestone Europe’s vice-president of retail operations.
Continue ReadingSouth Carolina chosen as site for Evonik’s US silica plant
Last May, Germany’s Evonik Industries reported its intention to set up a precipitated silica plant in the USA, near major tyre factories located in the country’s southeast. US newspaper The Post and Courier now reports that this facility will be built in Berkeley County, South Carolina and constructed with an investment of US$129.4 million. The publication writes that while Evonik has yet to officially confirm its choice of location, the company’s plans can be found in South Carolina state agency documents.
Continue ReadingSecond Bridgestone Americas facility for Nashville
The traditional centre of country music in the USA will soon be home to a major tyre maker upon Bridgestone Americas’ move in 2017 from a leased site on the city’s outskirts to a new, 30-storey building currently being erected downtown, and yesterday Bridgestone Americas shared that its presence in and near Nashville will be further boosted next year by the opening of a second location. The new Bridgestone Americas Service Operations Center (BASOC) will be located in the Antioch area of Davidson County and open in the first quarter of 2017; the facility is being set up to support Bridgestone’s IT, Customer Service and Shared Business Service departments and will host some 450 employees and contractors.
Continue ReadingChem-Trend expanding European headquarters
Chem-Trend, the release agents, purging compounds and other ancillary moulding products supplier, and its parent company Freudenberg Chemical Specialities (FCS) have broked ground on the construction and expansion of its facilities in the Maisach Gernlinden area outside Munich, Germany. Chem-Trend’s European headquarters, already located at the site, will expand as part of the project to create an approximately $45 million complex that will also encompass facilities and services for two additional FCS business units, Klüber Lubrication Munich and OKS Specialty Lubricants. FCS is a member of the Freudenberg Group, a technology company active throughout the world.
Continue ReadingTIA elects John Evankovich as secretary
At its AGM, between 22-24 June 2016, the Tire Industry Association (TIA) board of directors elected John Evankovich as its new secretary. He will begin his one-year term as secretary on 31 October 2016. After that year, he will proceed as vice president, then president, then past president; all of these positions are for one-year terms.
Continue ReadingChinese tyres drive 12% increase in imports into India
Tyre imports into India grew 12 per cent in the 2016 financial year, reports ICRA. The India-based ratings agency, which is majority owned by Moody’s Investor Service, comments that this growth was driven by an “unabated flow of cheaper Chinese tyres in the truck and bus radial, passenger vehicle and two-wheeler segments.” The 12 per cent increase witnessed in the 12 months to 31 March 2016 followed a 17 per cent rise in imports the previous year.
Continue ReadingNew location, more floorspace – CITExpo even more attractive in 2016
This year the China International Tire Expo returns to Shanghai for the 14th time, and 2016 is a significant year for the show as it represents the start of a new era.Instead of taking place at the Shanghai Everbright Convention & Exhibition Centre, where it has been held for the past decade, on 26 September CITExpo – arguably China’s most significant tyre industry fair – will open its doors at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center (SWEECC). The change of venue offers a substantial increase in available exhibitor floorspace, and visitors will benefit from modern, attractive facilities and easier transport connections.
Continue ReadingETRA: tyre rubber cancer claims unsupported
The European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA) has launched a campaign to refute allegations about the impact of tyre rubber granulate used in sports fields. In recent years, it says, unfounded claims have been made that recycled tyre rubber can harm those coming into contact with it while playing sports - in particular, those in goalkeeping roles. However, despite two decades of research into the subject funded by industry, governments and public interest groups, “there is no empirical research that links tyre rubber to cancer”, ETRA asserts.
Continue ReadingBridgestone seeks NHTSA inconsequential noncompliance decision
In the USA, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has petitioned the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) for an inconsequential noncompliance decision relating to Bridgestone VSB heavy-duty radial truck tyres.
Continue ReadingDuraturn continues developing business in UK
Reifen 2016 at the end of May marked the first time Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum (Group) Rubber Co., Ltd., (Yanchang Rubber) has taken a stand at Europe’s leading tyre fair. The company invested in a significantly sized booth and Ms Zhang Dongyang, the managing director of Yanchang Rubber, led her international team into the event in the mid-German city of Essen, highlighting that the company’s European development will be conducted in line with a clear localization strategy
Continue ReadingNexen Tire continues GCSI winning streak
For the seventh year in a row, Nexen Tire has topped the tyre category in Global Customer Satisfaction Competency Index (GCSI), a survey carried out by the Global Management Association in Korea under the supervision of Japan’s JMA Consultants. The tyre maker was honoured for this result at a ceremony in Beijing on 23 June, with Yang Chang-soo, president of Nexen Tire Qingdao, accepting the official award certificate on behalf of Nexen Tire.
Continue ReadingAutomechanika motors into Birmingham
New show presents strong start, builds platform for Reifen UK in 2017 and beyond While the Automechanika name is well-known in the tyre and wider aftermarket business, the event hadn’t been held in the UK until this year. Between 6 and 8 June some 12,000 visitors attended the event at the NEC in Birmingham, viewing […]
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