Michelin’s Minguet to address World Rubber Summit
The organisers of the World Rubber Summit 2015 have secured the presence of Michelin senior vice-president and chief procurement officer Luc Minguet as a keynote speaker. According to SingEx Exhibitions and the International Rubber Study Group, Minguet will provide key insights on how Michelin is putting its aims of making transportation cleaner, safer, more accessible and affordable into action. “He will share practical examples of programmes and initiatives which Michelin are developing in their procurement chain that contribute towards attaining the company’s vision of sustainable mobility,” reports SingEx.
Continue ReadingTyres & football: Kumho partners with FC Schalke 04
Kumho Tyre has picked up another football sponsorship agreement to complement its activities with the Spanish La Liga. This new sponsorship deal is with Champions League and German Bundesliga team FC Schalke 04. The contract runs until the end of the 2016/2017 season and contains the option of further collaboration. As sponsorship partner, Kumho will be represented on LED signage at FC Schalke 04’s home ground, Veltins Arena, and receive other advertising opportunities both in the stadium and in team-related publications. The team’s bus will also be equipped with Kumho tyres.
Continue ReadingAutopromotec pre-catalogue available online
The pre-catalogue of Autopromotec 2015, that will take place in Bologna, May 20 -24, is now available online. The exhibition organiser has previously stated that the 2015 edition will feature a remarkable increase in exhibitors, while the industrial vehicle service segment has been added to this business areas covered.
Continue ReadingNEX gains exclusive Riken, Kumho, Taurus and Jinyu tyre distribution deals
NEX, the newly formed Spanish tyre wholesaler, has reported details of its exclusive brand portfolio. The company, which appointed Luis Miguel Muñoz as managing director in October 2014, was formed when Euromaster and Rodi Motor Services merged their distribution operations. According, to the company NEX started its independent distribution and delivery operations in Spain last December.
Continue ReadingAutopromotec adds Industrial Vehicle Service to 2015 show
Autopromotec’s organisers have confirmed that the Industrial Vehicle Service (IVS) initiative, which is devoted to heavy vehicle maintenance and repair, will form part of the the 26th edition of the show that will take place in Bologna, 20 – 24 May 2015. The initiative, which was first launched during Autopromotec 2011, focuses on trucks and features an exclusive guide reserved for all exhibiting companies involved with heavy truck maintenance and repair, along with a specific logo that identifies manufacturers of truck equipment, spare parts and components.
Continue ReadingETRMA reports “positive stability” in members’ 2014 sales
The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association reports that its members’ car, truck and two-wheel tyre sales increased year-on-year in 2014, while agricultural tyre sales were down. Results for the fourth quarter alone were less positive, and the ETRMA comments they “further confirmed the downturn in sales registered in the third quarter of the year.” The exception to this was sales of motorcycle tyres, which remained positive all the way through 2014. The association opines that the lower results towards the end of the year may be linked to lacklustre winter tyre sales due to the mild winters experienced on the continent for the last couple of years.
Continue ReadingYokohama begins OE tyre manufacture in Russia to meet Nissan’s ‘buy local’ preference
Production of original equipment passenger car tyres has begun at Yokohama Rubber’s factory in Russia’s Lipetsk region. The tyre maker reports that LLC Yokohama R.P.Z. began original equipment tyre production in November 2014 in response to a direct request from Nissan Russia. The Nissan operation is said to be curtailing its use of tyres manufactured in other countries, presumably to counter the rouble’s devaluation during the last half-year.
Continue ReadingNew website, additions to Bridgestone’s ‘Dayton’ truck tyre range
Bridgestone has doubled the coverage offered by its Dayton truck tyre range, which it offers in the US and Canadian markets. Eight new Dayton patterns have joined the line-up and, says Bridgestone Commercial, meet the diverse needs of small fleets and owner operators in a multitude of trucking segments. The product launch coincides with the launch of a new daytontrucktires.com website and tagline, ‘Tires for Truckers’.
Continue ReadingMesse Essen, CURC report increase in visitors to Reifen China 2014
Messe Essen and the China United Rubber Corporation (CURC) have completed their review of December’s Reifen China show, saying that the show, in conjunction with RubberTech China, continued its upward trajectory in visitor numbers. Messe Essen says that “around 17,500 visitors” gathered at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre between 3 and 5 December 2014, an increase of over 15 per cent year-on-year.
Continue ReadingYokohama’s Chinese plant market third-phase of tree-planting
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced on 25 December 2014 that Suzhou Yokohama Tire Co., Ltd. (the manufacturers Chinese tyre plant) held a ceremony and festival on 1 November marking the third phase of tree planting at the factory in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. The tree planting is part of the Yokohama Rubber Group’s worldwide Yokohama Forever Forest Project.
Continue ReadingEnvironmental certification for Yokohama tyre plant in China
Late last year, the Yokohama Rubber tyre factory in Hangzhou, China was certified by city authorities as a ‘Hangzhou City Environmental Education Base’. The company views this certification as significant as, out of the some 300,000 companies operating in Hangzhou City, only 30 have been granted this certification – and the Hangzhou Yokohama Tire Co., Ltd facility is only one of four certified manufacturing operations. The certification was granted on 26 November 2014, and is the second environmental recognition the Yokohama facility in Hangzhou has received. In 2013, Hangzhou Yokohama Tire was certified as an Environmental Education Base by the Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, where the company’s facilities are located.
Continue ReadingNorwegian retreader Gummiservice Produksjon joins Marangoni Ringtread network
Marangoni Retreading Systems Deutschland GmbH has named Gummiservice Produksjon A/S from Rade, Norway as the latest member of the Marangoni Ringtread network. According to the company, retreads 40,000 tyres a year and is therefore a significant player in the Norwegian and Swedish markets.
Continue ReadingLayoffs at US Yokohama Tire plant
The indefinite layoff of 31 workers at Yokohama Tire’s Salem passenger car and light truck tyre factory in the US has been announced. In a statement, Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Virginia, LLC, president Tetsuro ‘Tex’ Murakami, explains that the cuts are being made to “more effectively streamline” the facility’s current production schedule and inventory capacity.
Continue ReadingPCL appoints PC Products as Thailand distributor
PCL has named PC Products International Co Ltd as its new distributor in Thailand. PC Products, is primarily a manufacturer of wheel balancing weights, but is now also PCLs official local partner in Thailand servicing the automotive and tyreshop markets.
Continue ReadingParents see themselves as good driving role models – even when they’re not
The following doesn’t apply to you, as your positive appraisal of your own driving skills absolutely matches the reality – but you may be interested to know that while other parents think they are good role models on the road, they may in fact have a negative influence on their children’s future driving habits. This titbit of information was gleaned by Goodyear in its study of over 6,800 parents of novice drivers (aged 16 to 25) from 19 countries. The survey’s results form part of the tyre maker’s ‘Driving Safety First: Improving road safety for novice drivers’ white paper.
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