Bandvulc to Keep Yuill & Dodds Fleet on the Move
Scottish haulage specialist Yuill & Dodds Ltd has appointed Bandvulc Tyre Contracts to manage its hundred-plus strong fleet of vehicles. Bandvulc will provide support for a diverse vehicle range including long distance articulated units and off-road eight wheel vehicles, and the operation will be supported by Bandvulc Tyre Contract’s 24/7/365 Tyre Support Unit, which offers a network of over 500 service providers. Coverage and response times across the UK will be optimised by Bandvulc Tyre Contracts’ independence and ability to select from a number of service provider options, the company comments. The agreement also sees Bandvulc’s drive and trailer axle tyres fitted as policy fitments across the fleet.
Continue ReadingCooper Tire Test Driver Wins Westfield Series
Cooper Tire’s development test driver, Chris Davison has won the 2009 Westfield Sportscar Series. Davison’s day job involves driving quickly and consistently so that Cooper can evaluate the development of new tyres, giving him a significant amount of practice that was clearly put to excellent use. The title was decided between Sutton-born Davison and title contender Simon Pryke, from Leicester.
Continue ReadingPassenger Car Registrations Up in September
European passenger car registrations in September received a boost from markets with government sponsored scrappage schemes in place, particular those countries where the schemes are winding up. The whole European market rose 6.6 per cent and the Western European by 9.6 per cent during the month compared with September 2008, the largest leap since 1999. In absolute figures, however, September 2009 registrations stayed below the levels reached since 2002.
Continue ReadingGoodyear to Sell Luxembourg Steel Cord Plant
Goodyear has openly stated its desire to sell the company’s Luxembourg steel cord factory. As it disclosed to the “Luxemburger Wort” newspaper, talks with “four potential buyers” are underway, including with Belgium’s Bekaert, global top supplier of steel cord. The newspaper adds that the wire plant’s sale could be interpreted to be part of “Goodyear’s new management policy, one it wants in future to focus as far as possible concentrate upon the core business of tyre production, a change in strategy that Goodyear’s employees were recently informed about through an internal notice.” A company spokesperson told the newspaper that no contracts have been made and no offer as yet given. A buyer has also not yet been selected.
Continue ReadingAufine Presents an Extended Truck Tyre Range
Ever since the Aufine Group owned factory in Dongying, Shandong Province entered operation in 1986, it has specialised in truck tyres. Nevertheless, the company has considered broadening its range. As general manager David Sun explained during the CITExpo exhibition, Aufine – whose name was chosen due to its phonic similarity to the words “all fine” – has recently mulled over the idea of a passenger car tyre factory. According to Sun, Aufine calculates an RMB 700 million investment (£63.6 million) is required to establish a planned factory capable of producing five million passenger car tyres per year. These plans, admittedly, have been laid on ice indefinitely due to the global recession. If and when the Aufine Group finally presses ahead is a decision heavily dependent upon the future development of global markets, not least the US market. Should the decision be made to press ahead with the new factory, the company’s aim is to produce “high quality tyres in China,” David Sun emphasises.
Continue ReadingMichelin OE on New Renaultsport 250 Cup
The new Megane Renaultsport 250 Cup, due out in January 2010, will come fitted with 235/40 ZR 18 Michelin Pilot Sport 2 high-performance tyres as standard. The new car will be available with the standard Sport chassis with the Cup chassis option for even more track-focussed performance. In addition to Michelin tyres, the Cup chassis will also feature different springs and dampers, a thicker anti-roll bar and a limited slip differential to help push track performance to the highest levels. According to the company, the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 is Michelin’s high-performance road tyre and is inspired by the Company’s past experience in Formula 1, it is also fitted as standard to the Bugatti Veyron. The tyre features a Variable Contact Patch that increases the area of tread in contact with the road as cornering force increases and an asymmetric tread pattern which has a rubber-to-groove ratio close to that of an F1 tyre. Michelin’s Pilot Sport 2 is available in various sizes to suit most high-performance cars and the Megane Renaultsport 250 will be available to order from November, with customer deliveries starting in January 2010.
Continue ReadingETRMA Welcomes Tyre Labelling Agreement
The European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA) has welcomed the European Parliament’s agreement on tyre labelling, issued 1 October. According to a statement issued by the organisation, ETRMA and its 12 leading tyre corporate members “fully support and welcome the objective of the mandatory tyre performance information requirement.”
Continue ReadingMartin West Appointed Infinity Tyres (Europe) General Manager
Infinity Tyres (Europe) Limited has announced the appointments of two new senior executives. Martin Lumb joins as sales manager, East Europe, while former Lassa and Goodyear manager Martin West, has been appointed as general manager, West Europe. Prior to his appointment, Martin Lumb was Regional Manager (Mediterranean) for Goodyear, responsible for the development of key markets, such as Libya, Egypt and Lebanon. Originally employed as a graduate geologist in Cyprus and a financial consultant in Egypt, Martin has been in the tyre industry for over 18 years. Lumb will be based in Austria and have commercial and sales responsibility for the existing and developing markets of Eastern Europe. Martin West was previously director, European marketing and business development of Lassa Tyres in Europe. Prior to this he worked for Goodyear in the UK, where he held a number of roles in both the manufacturing organisation and the retail unit, HiQ. West’s last role at Goodyear (UK) was general manager, retail development.
Continue ReadingCooper Reflects on Successful Market Debut in China
In general, the largest names in the tyre industry are not present at the China International Tire Expo. This year, however, one of the leading global tyre manufacturers brought its extensive range to CITExpo in Shanghai: Cooper Tire & Rubber. Since the establishment of two joint ventures in China the US based tyre company has also become a leading player in this particular market. As Cooper vice president and general manager for Asia Allen Tsaur emphasised when talking with Tyres & Accessories at CITExpo, the company wants in future to even more heavily focus upon the local Chinese market.
Continue ReadingAtturo Offers US Consumers Tariff Free Asian Value
The less atlas adroit amongst us, when hearing the name “Republic of China”, may think of Beijing, Shanghai or centres of tyre manufacture such as Qingdao. At this point we’d like to draw your attention to a small island moored alongside the world’s most populous nation. The aforementioned Republic of China is better known as Taiwan, and US consumers – and their wallets – will soon appreciate the distinction between the two similarly named countries. Following its international debut at September’s CITExpo exhibition, the Atturo tyre range is heading stateside and will be shown off in North America for the first time at SEMA 2009. And since the line-up is manufactured in Taiwan, it is exempt from the new US tariffs on Chinese made tyres.
Continue ReadingHankook R&D Head Receives University Honour
Polymer science expert Dr. Hwi Joong Kim’s work for Hankook Tire has attracted the attention and admiration of his former university – On October 2 the University of Akron M.D. and Ph.D. graduate received the 2009 Outstanding Alumnus award from the seat of learning.
Continue ReadingSafety Features Key to TPMS Acceptance – Survey
Tyre pressure monitoring systems will be fitted standard on all new cars from 2012, and according to a study supported by Northern Ireland based remote tyre pressure monitoring systems manufacturer Schrader Electronics, the majority of UK motorists support the use of systems similar to those the company produces. Results indicate the level of public support for TPMS hinges upon how quickly and readily a system notifies drivers of tyre pressure irregularities.
Continue ReadingMomentive Releases Room Temperature Cure Elastomers
Global silicone producer Momentive Performance Materials has announced the launch of a new range of elastomer products that can be cured through exposure to ultraviolet light. Unlike traditional silicone elastomers (HCR), which are typically vulcanised with a peroxide catalyst cured by heat exposure, this UV-sensitive, platinum catalysed curing system allows curing to take place at room temperature. This will, says Momentive, lead to energy savings and increased extrusion speed while maintaining the silicone elastomers’ physical properties.
Continue ReadingUS Tariffs “Groundless”, says China
China’s Commerce Ministry has labelled US measures against Chinese imports, such as the tariffs on consumer tyres, as “groundless”. On October 15 ministry spokesman Yao Jian told journalists "the US launched a large number of trade remedy measures this year. Quite a few such measures were groundless and wrong."
Continue ReadingEnvironment Agency Approves Cemex Tyre Mixture Fuel
The Environment Agency has given Cemex the green light to burn fossil fuel substitute Climafuel on a permanent basis in its Rugby cement works. Trials using a combination of Climafuel, which is made from household waste, and shredded waste tyres satisfied the agency that the material can be used without harmful effects on the environment or human health.
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