Sales of European consumer, truck tyres up, imports enjoy higher growth
Sales of car, truck and two-wheeler tyres amongst European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association members increased year-on-year during the first quarter of 2016, however agricultural tyre sales continued to decline.
Continue ReadingMitas named John Deere ‘partner-level supplier’ for 5th time
Mitas has earned recognition as a partner-level supplier for 2015 in the John Deere Achieving Excellence Program. The partner-level status is Deere & Company’s highest supplier rating. The Prague based company was selected for the honour in recognition of its dedication to providing products and service of outstanding quality as well as its commitment to continuous improvement.
Continue ReadingHankook Tire confirms location of new US headquarters
Later this year, Hankook Tire’s North American headquarters will relocate from New Jersey to Nashville, Tennessee. Hankook Tire America Corp announced that an investment of approximately US$5 million will go into setting up its new headquarters there, adding that the project will create up to 200 jobs in the local area.
Continue ReadingTGI’s Tony Gonzalez enters into movie rights deal with Paramount Pictures & Appian Way
Tyres are not Tony Gonzalez’s sole passion. In addition to holding the positions of chief executive officer and chairman at US wholesaler Tire Group International (TGI), he has also built up a multimedia and artist management company, Rock The Moon Productions, LLC. Yesterday, the Film division of Rock The Moon Productions announced it has sold the rights to develop the film ‘The Corporation’ to Paramount Pictures in partnership with Appian Way Productions, the film company founded by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Continue ReadingOmni United appoints LPGA Golfer Jodi Ewart Shadoff as brand ambassador
Omni United has signed LPGA golfer Jodi Ewart Shadoff as brand ambassador for Radar Tires, Omni’s flagship brand. Shadoff is described as an “up and coming” player in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) ranking of women golfers worldwide. A professional golf player since 2010, she qualified for the LPGA Tour in 2011. Shadoff tied for 4th in the 2013 US Women’s Open and for 7th in the prestigious 2013 Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Continue ReadingNexen Tire partners with 3rd US baseball team
Nexen Tire is increasing its sponsorship of Major League Baseball in the US this year by partnering with a third team. The tyre maker has announced sponsorship of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 2016 season, and its continued partnership with the Texas Rangers and LA Angels. Its sponsorship of the LA Dodgers and Detroit Tigers concluded at the end of the 2015 season.
Continue ReadingZenises enters Australia
Zenises has opened a new office in Sydney, Australia. With the initial focus on its Z brand for passenger cars and SUVs, the new regional office will also offer a wide range of products throughout Australia and the surrounding areas of New Zealand and other Pacific markets.
Continue ReadingTriangle Tyre celebrates 40th anniversary
Chinese tyre manufacturer Triangle Tyre celebrated its 40th anniversary on 8 April. According to the company, over the past 40 years, Triangle Tyre has enjoyed “a big improvement in the tyre production” both in terms of quality and quantity.
Continue ReadingShandong Linglong adding compounding unit to Thailand plant
During a visit to China last week, Thailand’s Minister of Industry, Atchaka Sibunruang, and representatives from the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand visited the Zhaoyuan headquarters of Shangdong Linglong Tire and the tyre maker’s exhibition space at the China Qingdao International Tire Fair. A meeting also took place on 8 April between the Authority and Shandong Linglong chairman Wang Feng; this resulted in the signing of a letter of intent that will see the tyre maker increase its investment in Thailand through initiating the third phase of its Linglong International Tire (Thailand) plant project, the installation of a rubber compounding facility at the Rayong province site.
Continue ReadingSailun denies Jinyu is planning a tyre factory in Turkey
Sailun-Jinyu Group has denied reports in Turkish newspaper Hürriyat suggesting the firm is planning on establishing a tyre factory in Turkey by 2020. The Hürriyat report, dated 5 March, said Sailun is planning to set up a joint-venture tyre factory in Turkey with its Turkish distribution partner there, Yeslas.
Continue ReadingTyre brand fidelity lower amongst younger consumers – US study
The results of the latest J.D. Power study into original equipment tyres in the US market shows higher levels of openness towards less-established tyre brands amongst younger consumers than their older counterparts. While established tyre brands still possess the highest consideration rates amongst all generations, Generation Y and Generation X consumers are more likely to consider brands that are smaller or newer to the US market.
Continue ReadingFinnish Prime Minister visits Test World tyre test centre
Millbrook Group, the owner of winter and tyre testing specialists, Test World, hosted a series of high-profile visits by key VIPs in the region, including the Finnish Prime Minister, Juha Sipilä, and the US Ambassador to Finland, Charles C. Adams. The news follows Test Worlds relatively recent signing of a contract with Hankook to build a winter tyre testing centre in Ivalo for Hankook’s exclusive use.
Continue ReadingRubber business included in Sibur division merger
Russian gas processing and petrochemicals company Sibur has announced that it will merge its Synthetic Rubbers Division and Plastics and Organic Synthesis Division into a single business unit. This will be known as the Plastics, Elastomers and Organic Synthesis Division. Pavel Lyakhovich, managing director of Sibur’s former Plastics and Organic Synthesis Products Division and member of the company’s Management Board, takes charge of the newly-merged division.
Continue ReadingWheelRight wins European transport award
WheelRight, which uses an external drive-over device to measure tyre pressures, recently won a European safety award at an exhibition in Holland (InterTraffic). The Safety Innovation Award went to WheelRight for its drive-over tyre monitoring technology. This solution measures tyre pressure and vehicle weight as a vehicle drives over road-embedded sensors. WheelRight therefore measures every vehicle in a fleet from day one, instantly identifying the vehicle by its number plate, and reporting any problems within seconds.
Continue ReadingEU tyre label under scrutiny – authorities begin 24-month project
One of the chief criticisms of the European tyre label since its introduction in November 2012 is the absence of effective third-party control; abuse is inevitable in a system that allows tyre manufacturers to evaluate their own products. The Market Surveillance Action on Tyres 2015 (MSTYR15), a project funded by the European Commission’s Horizon2020 programme and coordinated by the Product Safety Forum of Europe (PROSAFE), aims to bring accountability into tyre labelling.
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