Continental furthers Asian football activities with Chinese sponsorship deal
Football is Continental’s chosen brand promotion method in many parts of the world, and its involvement in the game has been extended by its entry into a four-year collaboration with the Chinese Football Association. This deal with the CFA was announced at the start of Continental’s AFC Asian Cup 2015 Australia Trophy Tour on 26 September. Continental states that this new agreement, along with its AFC Asian Cup 2015 sponsorship, represents a specific focus on the Asia Pacific region.
Continue ReadingYokohama Tire relocating US headquarters
Let’s hope that Yokohama Tire Corporation held on to those packing cartons, as it will soon embark on its second growth-prompted move of the year. Yokohama Rubber’s North American sales and marketing operation will move its corporate headquarters from Fullerton, California to nearby Santa Ana to accommodate business growth. The move is expected to take place in November.
Continue ReadingMichelin opens second Tigar Tyres plant, says more entry-level investment possible
The second Tigar Tyres plant in Pirot, Serbia is now open. An official inauguration was held at the facility on 9 October, and this culminated in Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Jean-Dominique Senard, CEO of parent company the Michelin Group, signing the first tyre to roll off the production line. The inauguration marked the completion of the first part of two-phase project. Investment has so far reached €215 million, and the 56,000 square metre facility will be capable of producing between 8 million and 12 million tyres in its phase one incarnation. Some 500 people will be employed at the new plant, increasing the Tigar workforce to around 2,600 to 2,700.
Continue ReadingTyre RFID ‘tags’ to be rolled out in the UAE
Here in Europe and in other major markets such as Japan, Korea and the US tyre labelling has been the subject of intense discussion for some time. However, if the local news reports are anything to go by, the UAE appears to be taking the concept to the next level with the introduction of smart RFID “tags” which feature both an RFID chip and visual label including a QR code.
Continue ReadingWestern Europe launch – development of Starco’s solid forklift tyre ranges continues
Although at three years of age Starco’s solid industrial tyre production plant in Sri Lanka is still a relative infant, initial targets set for the facility have already been reached and the company is now looking ahead to the next milestones. This sort of success doesn’t occur by accident, and the good experiences Starco has enjoyed so far in Sri Lanka are the result of planning that began long before the plant was even set up. Tyres & Accessories recently met a key figure Starco assigned to implement the solid tyre project, and learned a little more about the factory and the products being made there.
Continue ReadingNew Starco Sri Lanka solid tyre factory opens
Starco has opened a new solid tyre manufacturing facility in Sri Lanka. The new facility, which has a capacity of 100,000 tyres per annum, replaces the original Starco facility in the country three years after starting production, and Starco states that the success of the venture has led to the need for a larger, more modern and better equipped factory. Starco continues that much attention has been paid to employee health and safety and welfare A Sri Lankan ceremony, in which the new workplace and its employees and management were blessed according to the local Buddhist tradition, was held in September to mark the opening.
Continue ReadingDunlop Aircraft Tyres announces North Carolina as preferred site for US plant
British aviation tyre manufacturer, Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has identified a site in Mocksville, North Carolina as the preferred base for its first retreading facility in the United States. The world’s only specialist aircraft tyre manufacturer and retreader announced its decision to establish the facility in order to boost its competitiveness across the Americas.
Continue ReadingNew retread facility has Latin America’s largest capacity
A new retread factory that is reported to have the largest capacity in Latin America has opened in Campina Grande do Sul, Paraná, Brazil. Operated by retread tyre manufacturer Ivo Recap, the facility is part of the Vipal authorised network and has a production capacity of 20,000 retreaded tyres per month. Production will include retreaded tyres for cargo transport, agricultural, off-the-road, and industrial applications.
Continue ReadingMichelin to expand Canadian factory?
Michelin North America and the municipality of the County of Kings, Nova Scotia, have agreed the sale of about 50 acres of land in Waterville to the tyre manufacturer for a reported sum of nearly $1.9 million.
Continue ReadingMaterial handling system will increase production and quality
Chinese tyre manufacturer Qingdao Sentury Tire has commissioned Finnish robotics company Cimcorp to deliver a new material handling solution for passenger car green tyre production. Plans are that the system will be fully operational next year, and the stated aims are to increase plant productivity and improve product quality.
Continue ReadingFengli Tyre goes green
It is reported that China-based Guangzhou Fengli Tyre and Rubber has started work on a project at its plant in Conghua, Guangdon Province, to install annual capacity for 10 million eco-friendly, high-performance tyres.
Continue ReadingHankook stocks hit in factory fire
Hankook Tire’s Daejeon South Korea factory has suffered a fire, the company confirmed on 1 October. The fire is not expected to disrupt production since the damage is mostly to its warehouse. However a fifth of the warehouse has reportedly been lost along with some 180,000 tyres. According to local news reports, the warehouse held products destined for both domestic and overseas markets.
Continue ReadingAustralian expert warns of false economy
A new habit in cost cutting measures by major transport companies in Australia is likely to come back to haunt them, according to independent industry expert, Brad Bearman, who says the revamping of tyre purchasing and management dynamics to save costs is highly likely to emerge further down the track as a higher expense. “In general, a sizeable percentage of the larger transport companies are dropping links with the better-known tyre companies such as Michelin, Bridgestone and Beaurepaires for their supply and servicing,” said Mr Bearman. “Instead, they are purchasing tyres directly from non-traditional Asia-based producers and appointing inexperienced in-house tyre fitters in the false belief they will get better results. This is good in principle, but the real problems will emerge a little further down the track,” added Mr Bearman, developer of the world’s only software based Bears Tyre Tracker.
Continue ReadingResearch highlights Chinese counterfeiting risk
Ipsos Business Consulting, a leader in fact-based business consulting, has published new research highlighting the risks posed by counterfeiters in Chinas fast-growing automotive parts market. Chinas automotive components sector is set to achieve annual growth of 20 per cent for the next five years driven by demand for new cars and a growing secondary market. The aftermarket segment will become the main outlet for automotive parts as the average age of vehicles on the road continues to rise and the current total car population has already surpassed 100 million. The counterfeit auto parts market, already the worlds largest with a current value of about US$40bn, will only increase as the overall market grows.
Continue ReadingPanAridus ships guayule-derived rubber to Cooper
US-based bioscience company PanAridus recently announced granting of its ninth US Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant variety patent and the first tyre quality, bale-sized shipment of its guayule-derived biorubber. The announcement was made by company CEO Mike Fraley at the recent International Tyre Exhibition and Conference in Akron.
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