Inter presents 2015/16 away kit – minus the Pirelli name
The most noticeable feature of Italian football club F.C. Internazionale Milano’s newly-unveiled away kit is that the Pirelli name doesn’t appear on the shirt. Its absence brings to mind comments Pirelli CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera made when Inter stood before the Europa League exit in May, however the tyre maker remains closely linked to the new kit – the Pirelli name has made room on the away shirt for Driver, the company’s network of independent tyre dealers.
Continue ReadingTGI completes ‘Mission: Happiness 2’
Following the successful debut of TGI dealer meeting entitled “Mission: Happiness”, in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in 2013, Tire Group International hosted its 2015 equivalent – “Mission: Happiness 2” recently.
Continue ReadingTIA appoints David Martin as secretary
The Tire Industry Association (TIA) board of directors elected David Martin as its new board secretary at the association’s bi-annual meeting held 23 – 25 June 2015. Martin will begin his one-year term as secretary on 2 November 2015. After that year, he will proceed as vice president, then president, then past president; all of these positions are for one-year terms.
Continue ReadingInterstate launches three new winter tyres
Interstate Tire & Rubber Co. has expanded its winter tyre product offering with the addition of over 100 new sizes and the release of three new product lines. According to the company, the total winter tyre range offers now 12 different lines with over 310 unique sizes.
Continue ReadingCheap Chinese tyres put pressure on retreading
With more low-cost Asian-produced imports entering key European markets than ever, many within the retreading and wider truck tyre industry are anxious to address what they see as a growing concern. For them there are several problems with the continuing influx of Chinese tyres, but two points are particularly key: the increasing cost difference and increased quality disparities seen in the market. Both undermine the retread market and even its long-term future. As far as retreaders are concerned, the problem is that good quality and environmentally sound retreads are being priced out of the market by cheap first-life truck tyres bought as “disposable” items at virtually cost-price levels. All this raises questions that impact the whole market: How bad is the situation now? How has it got to this stage? What is the impact on new truck tyres and retreads alike? Tyres & Accessories recently met with representatives of the Retread Manufacturers Association (RMA) as well as leading retread and new tyre manufacturers in order to find out more.
Continue ReadingBridgestone’s Burgos tyre plant achieves ISO 50001 certification
On 23 June, Bridgestone’s tyre factory in Burgos, Spain was granted ISO 50001 certification for energy management. The facility is the first Bridgestone manufacturing plant in Europe to achieve ISO 50001 certification, and the second in the world after the Wilson County facility in the USA. Bridgestone’s European Technical Center near Rome, Italy, is also ISO 50001 certified.
Continue ReadingCITExpo 2015 to bid farewell to Everbright with largest edition projected
Already possessing a convincing claim to being China’s biggest tyre show, the 13th CITExpo on 7-9 September 2015 will be the last at the Shanghai Everbright Convention & Exhibition Centre. Having expanded to include an extra hall in 2014, exhibition organiser, Reliable International Exhibition Services will, in 2016, transfer the show to the modern surroundings of the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center (SWEECC), built in the centre of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo site. The move highlights the strong growth of CITExpo, whose move to a modern, world-class facility caps many years of apparent exhibitor and visitor growth.
Continue ReadingMichelin-licensed SSBR, PBR plant to be built in Indonesia
PT. Synthetic Rubber Indonesia, a joint venture company owned by Groupe Michelin and PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk, has awarded Toyo Engineering Corporation and PT. Inti Karya Persada Tehnik contracts to set up a 120,000 ton per annum synthetic rubber facility in Cilegon on the western tip of Java, Indonesia. The plant is expected to be ready in 2018 and will produce Michelin-licensed Solution Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SSBR) and Polybutadiene Rubber with Neodymium Catalyst (PBR) for use in tyre production.
Continue ReadingGame theory: talk of a Grexit teaches us to expect the unexpected
The Greek people just voted “no” in their recent referendum on whether to accept bail-out terms that would have meant tougher austerity measures for the domestic economy. At the time of going to press, the consensus is that this move will be interpreted as a no to the euro and it has prompted much speculation that Greece will be forced to leave the eurozone, return to the drachma, create a new currency and/or some combination of the above. Of course, any economic change of this scale is bound to have an impact on the way business is done across European boundaries. But as well as the direct practical implications, a number of key features of the saga provoke wider comparisons.
Continue ReadingJK Tyre denies Birla acquisition report
Indian manufacturer JK Tyre denies it is negotiating the acquisition of Birla Tyres with current owner Kesoram Industries. Responding to an article published by Indian financial daily The Economic Times earlier today, the tyre maker told BSE Ltd (the Bombay Stock Exchange) that “there is no transaction between JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. and Kesoram Industries Ltd.”
Continue ReadingRubber Asia to honour ‘outstanding contributors’ at Kochi conference, summit
Rubber Asia has announced it will honour “those who have made outstanding contributions to the rubber industry” at the Asian Latex Conference (ALC) 2015 and India Rubber Summit & Dinner (IRSD) 2015. The two events are organised on consecutive days on 10, 11 (ALC), and 12 (IRSD) September in Kochi, India.
Continue ReadingZC Rubber plans additional truck tyre line at Thai plant
On 29 June ZC Rubber Group hosted the grand opening ceremony of ZC Rubber Thailand, the leading Chinese manufacturers’ first overseas manufacturing subsidiary, located in Rayong, Thailand. At the same time the company’s top executives took the opportunity to announce the foundation of new TBR production line in order to meet ”the quickly increasing demand on medium and heavy truck tyres from Southeast Asia and South Asia. ZC Rubber will keep on the globalization strategy for a better future.”
Continue ReadingSolvay launches highly dispersible silica production in Poland
Solvay has begun production of Highly Dispersible Silica (HDS) at its new plant in Wloclawek, Poland. HDS production has been increases in order to address “strong and growing regional demand for energy saving tyres”, according to the company.
Continue ReadingEU gives ChemChina green light for Pirelli purchase
ChemChina (China National Chemical Corp) has gained European Union antitrust approval for Pirelli takeover. According to a Reuters report, the completed transaction would give the combined company a 10 per cent market share. As a result, ChemChina unit China National Tire & Rubber is now expected to go ahead with plans to set up a joint venture to acquire a 26.2 per cent stake from Italian holding firm Camfin and then make a mandatory takeover bid for the rest of Pirelli.
Continue ReadingEnd of the line for Respa
There’s been no happy ending in the insolvency proceedings related to German retreader Respa. Our sister publication Neue Reifenzeitung reports insolvency administrator Elisabeth Roggenhofer as confirming the permanent closure of the Respa retreading operation in Passau. The 19 employees at the Respa GmbH retreading facility have received their notice of termination.
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