Yokohama Announces Senior Management Changes
On February 13 Yokohama Rubber made public the management changes agreed upon by the company’s board of directors. These corporate officer and board member changes take effect as of April 1, 2008. Tooru Kobayashi, currently director and corporate officer in charge of the Off-the-Road Tire & Aircraft Tire Division, Tire Logistics Division and general manager of Tire Planning Division, has been promoted to the position of director and managing corporate officer and president of the Multiple Business Group.
Continue ReadingOTR Tyre Duties “Level the Playing Field” – USW
The United Steelworkers has reacted positively to the US Department of Commerce’s preliminary decision to impose antidumping duties on OTR tyre imports from China. In a statement released by the union group, USW International president Leo Gerard said that the “the decision will help level the playing field for US workers by requiring Chinese tyre imports to be priced fairly.” At present four individual manufacturers have been investigated by US authorities, resulting in the introduction of duties ranging between 11 and 52 per cent. Other companies penalised with individual rates are subject to a margin reflecting the weighted average of individual rates or 25 per cent – whichever is higher. Those companies ineligible for individual rates must pay a duty of 210 per cent.
Continue ReadingCarlisle Net Sales Increase in 2007
Carlisle Companies Incorporated reported net sales of US$675.5 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2007, an 11 per cent improvement over its fourth quarter 2006 net sales of $608.7 million. For the full year ended December 31, 2007, net sales were $2.88 billion, a 12 per cent increase over net sales of $2.56 billion in 2006. Organic growth of 7 per cent was driven by increased sales volumes across all reporting segments. “2007 was another successful year for Carlisle with fourth quarter and full year sales growth in all of our segments,” commented company chairman, president and CEO David Roberts. “Our attention is now turned to the opportunities ahead. We have established a five year average sales growth target of 10 per cent and have set our sights on achieving a 15 per cent operating income margin by 2012. We plan to reach these goals through a combination of operating excellence and strategic growth.”
Continue ReadingMichelin Gets TWNA Achievement Award
Michelin North Americas “Durable Technologies” was won the Technical Achievement Award presented by the Truck Writers of North America. The award was announced last week at the annual Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) meetings. The award recognises a product or service that exhibits technical innovation, has a wide applicability to the trucking industry, offers significant benefits to users and is widely available. The selection committee included Paul Abelson (Road King & Land Line); Tom Berg (Heavy Duty Trucking); Eric Berard (Berard Communications); John Baxter (Randall-Reilly Publishing), Tom Gelinas (Fleet Equipment, sister publication of Tire Review); and James Menzies (Truck News and Truck West).
Continue ReadingNokian Annual Results Show Increased Sales & Profits
Nokian Tyres reports that its net sales increased 22.6 per cent during 2007 to 1.025 billion euros. During this period the company recorded an operating profit of 234 million euros, a 52.8 per cent rise on that of the previous year. During the year earnings per share also increased 55.7 per cent from 0.88 euros to 1.37 euros, and profit for the period was 168.9 million euros, up 57.4 per cent from 107.3 million euros a year earlier.
Continue ReadingPoor Conditions Fail to Hamper Pirelli WRC Tyres
Winner of the opening World Rally Championship round for 2008, Jari-Matti Latvala, has voiced high regard for the Pirelli Sottozero tyres he competed on. The Finnish driver, who at the age of 22 became the youngest winner of a WRC event, said he was “pleasantly surprised by the performance and grip from the studded Pirelli tyres, which turned out to be really effective even in the marginal conditions that we found on some of the stages. This is down to the impressive work from all the Pirelli technicians.” The Swedish Rally was held in less than optimal conditions, with mud and gravel frequently coming through the thin covering layer of snow and ice. This deteriorating road surface led organisers to cancel to of the special stages. Nevertheless, Latvala’s Ford Focus WRC, and its Sottozero tyres, performed beyond expectations – especially as the tyres were not designed for the conditions actually encountered.
Continue ReadingYokohama Reports 88% Increase in Net Earnings
Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has reported an 88.1 per cent increase in net income. According to official financial results, the company generated a total of 25.7 billion yen (£123.5 million) net income in the first three quarters of its current financial year, ended 31 December. Increases of 80.2 per cent in operating income, to 30.8 billion yen (£148 million), and 11.4 per cent in net sales, to 409.7 billion yen (£2 billion) underlined growth in post-tax earnings. Operating income nearly doubled in Yokohamas Tire Group, climbing 98.8 per cent, to 25.6 billion yen (roughly £123.5 million), on sales growth of 13.1 per cent, to 312.5 billion yen (£1.5 billion). Improved profitability at Yokohama’s subsidiaries in the US and in Asian nations outside Japan is said to have “amplified” unit sales gains.
Continue ReadingAEP Promotes Tyremech Tyre Handling Machinery
Gwent-based, Aylward Engineering and Pneumatics is promoting its Tyremech tyre inspection bay as a way of complying with the latest EU manual handling legislation. Used to reduce operator effort during various manual inspection and retreading operations, the Tyremech TM206 80kg capacity tyre inspection bay has been developed to ergonomically hold a tyre casing whilst providing maximum access during retreading procedures.
Continue ReadingRMA Sees Truck Tyre Safety Regulations Coming
The US Rubber Manufacturers Association expects the NHTSA to outline its new tyre safety regulations covering medium/heavy truck tyres later this year, according to Dan Zielinski, vice president of communications, who made a presentation during last week’s TIA Commercial Tire, Retread & Recycling Conference. The conference was held in conjunction with ATA’s TMC Show in Orlando. Zielinski said NHTSA intends to update FMVSS 119, but retreaded truck tyres are not expected to be part of that update. Retreads, instead, may be dealt with separately in the future. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingTwo New Potenzas from BFNAT
Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire introduced two new Bridgestone brand tyres last week at the Chicago Auto Show. The new asymmetrical tread Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport, which BFNAT said is “an evolution of the Potenza RE750,” provides improved response, control, cornering, straight stability, linearity and grip than the RE750, the company said. The tyre will be available March 1, but sizing details were not made available. Also launched was the Bridgestone Potenza G019 Grid, an all-new all-season performance line with a directional tread pattern. The tread area, said BFNAT, is wider than normal for handling, cornering and grip in all weather conditions. The H- and V-rated line will be available this spring in 27 popular 15- to 18-inch sizes in the 65 - 40 series, and a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingIndian Tyre Manufacturers Seek Rubber Duty Reduction
A number of Indian tyre manufacturers have called for import duty on rubber to be reduced in the forthcoming national budget in order to rectify an anomaly that sees this raw material attracting a higher duty than tyres imported from overseas. According to a statement released by the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association, (ATMA) many of the country’s 43 domestic manufacturers are seeking a change from the current 20 per cent duty down to 7.5 per cent, as it is believed this reduced rate will deter the dumping of tyres from China and other countries.
Continue ReadingElastomer Costs Equal Share Woes for Zeon Corp
Shares in Japanese synthetic rubber manufacturer Zeon Corp have experienced the largest fall in more than a decade after the company slashed its profit forecast; this decision was taken ahead of expected profits at its elastomer business falling below those previously anticipated. The stock dropped 82 yen (£0.39), or 15 per cent, to 461 yen (£2.21) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the largest single decrease the company has experienced since December 22, 1997.
Continue ReadingCar Boutique Relaunches Tyre and Wheel Website
In the US, Car Boutique inc. has relaunched its website. The relaunch brings vast improvements in both navigation and product offering, making it easier for performance car enthusiasts to find the right wheel and tyre package for their vehicle. Car Boutique has enjoyed 25 years in business under the same family ownership in South Florida serving both retail and wholesale customers across the US. Car Boutique is a top-level distributor of many nationally recognized brands such as Axis, Cor, Drag, Dub, Enkei, Foose, Forgeline, Giovanna, HRE, KMC, Maya MHT, R1 Racing, Sevas, Tork, Volk and Vossen and many others. According to the company, Car Boutique carries all popular brands of tyres with different performance and pricing options including Falken, Nexen, Nitto, Pirelli and Toyo. The wheel and tire sections are updated weekly to ensure that we offer our customers the latest styles and best fitments for their vehicle.
Continue ReadingCeat Still Confident of Attracting Partners
Much was said during the course of 2007 about Ceat’s plans for new greenfield facilities, particularly the company’s unsuccessful attempts to secure a joint venture partner for a truck and bus radial plant. The new year sees this pattern continue, and on February 8 India’s Hindu Business Line reported that the company is seeking “international players” as equity partners in two new greenfield projects. Vice-president for Sales & Marketing, Arnab Banerjee, told the paper that Ceat is in talks with several such companies, and as part of the deal the Indian manufacturer would hold a majority share in any venture. “We should be able to finalise the partners soon. The production should start within a couple of years,” he said.
Continue ReadingTarmac Rally Champion Chooses BFGoodrich
Following his fourth successive Irish Tarmac Rally Championship win Eugene Donnelly is set to continue his partnership with BFGoodrich in 2008. Donnelly and co-driver of five years, Paul Keilly, will be competing in a Subaru S12 run by SB Motorsports, a new team formed and staffed by rally specialists. “We had our first test in the car towards the end of January,” said Donnelly. “We ran on muddy tarmac surfaces to get the set up tuned for the Galway Rally and the test went very well indeed. Unfortunately we had a couple of mechanical gremlins on the rally itself, the loss of hydraulic pressure in the gear-shift system finally forced us out. However the car handled superbly and the latest BFGoodrich tyres really worked well in the cold, wet conditions. Our great relationship with BFGoodrich means we have a lot of confidence in their products and can push the car from the outset. The new team certainly gelled very well and I’m very confident that we have the best package to defend our title.”
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