Natural Rubber Prices Ease
(Akron/Tire Review) Rubber planters in Asia are tapping trees faster than ever, pushing down prices and helping a recovery in shares of tyre manufacturers Bridgestone Corp., Groupe Michelin and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Rubber prices in Tokyo, the worlds biggest futures market for the material, have fallen 20 per cent since reaching a record on 12 June. Supply has risen after companies such as PT Astra Agro Lestari planted more rubber trees in Indonesia and Malaysia to keep up with Chinese consumption. Now, China is taking steps, such as last weeks interest rate increase, to slow its economy.
Continue ReadingCompanies Continue to Commit to Brityrex
Stand bookings for the next Brityrex International exhibition, to be held at the G-MEX Exhibition Centre, Manchester from 1-3 May 2007, are coming in at a steady pace, according to the organisers ECI International. Sometimes the pace is more than steady, such as the day in August when three separate companies confirmed their attendance at the show. The three were Snap-on Equipment, Tyreco and Rema Tip Top UK and Tyres & Accessories asked them their reasons for booking space at the show.
Continue ReadingTrackday Tyre Tips from Service & Sport
Trackday driving is a fast-growing activity for drivers who want to see exactly what their cars are capable of, but often the car will not go where its pointed - and nine times out of ten the tyres are the biggest influence. Jerry Freeman of Service & Sport, official tyre partner of Easytrack, Europes biggest trackday event organiser, says that theres a handful of key rules that can turn a trackday nightmare into a driving dream. A former Pirelli motorsport specialist with thousands of racing support miles under his belt, Freeman says 99 per cent of the problems are invisible to the layman.
Continue ReadingFelipe Massa Takes First Grand Prix Win In Turkey
Brazilian Felipe Massa withstood the heat of the Turkish Grand Prix, capitalising on his first F1 pole position by taking the chequered flag. However, Massa’s Bridgestone-equipped Ferrari was upstaged by fierce fighting for second place between defending champion, Renault’s Fernando Alonso (Michelin), and Michael Schumacher in the closing stages of the race. Despite driving a consistent race, Honda’s Jenson Button finished fourth. The result puts Alonso 12 points clear at the top of the drivers’ championship.
Continue ReadingMiddle East Tyre Dealer Uses TireWare POS System
(Akron/Tire Review) Red Cap Total Car Care, reportedly the largest tyre dealer and service centre dealer in the Middle East, has implemented a point-of-sale (POS) solution from TireWare Inc. across its chain of retail stores. Red Cap, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, is a division of the Tamimi Group.
Continue ReadingCompanies Continue to Commit to Brityrex
Stand bookings for the next Brityrex International exhibition, to be held at the G-MEX Exhibition Centre, Manchester from 1-3 May 2007, are coming in at a steady pace, according to the organisers ECI International. Sometimes the pace is more than steady, such as the day in August when three separate companies confirmed their attendance at the show. The three were Snap-on Equipment, Tyreco and Rema Tip Top UK and Tyres & Accessories asked them their reasons for booking space at the show. Exhibitions, said Brian OSullivan, General Manager of Snap-on Equipment Ltd., are a regular part of the companys marketing strategy, with Snap-on usually exhibiting at at least two or three shows a year. The company offers a range of wheel service equipment under the Hofmann and John Bean brands; no fewer than 10 Hofmann wheel balancers, eight Hofmann tyre changers and eight John Bean computerised alignment systems. Snap-on Equipment enjoyed great success at the last Brityrex International and OSullivan is looking forward to 2007, saying: We will be using the show to showcase our extensive alignment, balancing and tyre changing ranges, along with the launch of a number of new products, the details of which are confidential at the moment. Tools and consumables on show In contrast to the Snap-ons line up of capital equipment, Rema Tip Top UK will be using Brityrex to promote its extensive ranges of tools and consumables. The company will be sharing its stand with Taiwanese company K-Tools, the manufacturer of Kuani brand air tools, for which Rema Tip Top has the exclusive UK tyre industry distribution rights. Divisional Manager, Tyre Repair Materials, Cliff Jones revealed that Rema Tip Top will also be showing a couple of new products, including Xact Balance, from the USA. This is a thermoplastic adhesive weight, with steel particles inside but further details will be released nearer the show. New product number two is a repair kit for run-flat tyres which, given the current level of debate surrounding these products, should attract a great deal of interest from the tyre trade. So why had Rema Tip Top decided to use Brityrex International as the launch pad for these products? We chose Brityrex because it is a tyre-related – indeed, a tyre-specific show Jones answered, adding that the fact that the event was being supported by the NTDA was a major factor in the companys decision to participate. The fact that Brityrex International is a dedicated tyre exhibition also played a large part in the decision of UK tyre wholesaler Tyreco to take a stand at the show. In Tyrecos case, the emphasis is not so much on exhibiting products as a business opportunity for both buying and selling. As Director and General Manager Eddy Fogarty put it: We will be at the show to do business, rather than just show tyres. Why pick Brityrex? The main reason behind our decision to participate was the obvious success of the last Brityrex at Harrogate, explained Fogarty, adding: We regard Brityrex as a professionally-run show for the tyre sector. And what about the move to G-MEX? Manchester is a terrific location and we are looking forward to a successful event, he replied. Speaking for ECI International, Managing Director Paul Farrant said that he was delighted that so many companies had decided to commit themselves to Brityrex International at this comparatively early stage, believing it to be a vindication of ECIs decision to revive the show. Brityrex International is an important part of ECIs continuing and growing involvement in tyre industry exhibitions – an international involvement that currently spans three continents, with the Tyrexpo Asia, Tyrexpo Africa and Brityrex International events: When we re-introduced Brityrex last year, we said that we believed that there was a need and a demand for a UK-based exhibition, dedicated to the tyre industry, said Farrant. He went on: The positive reactions that we have had to the 2007 event so far show that our faith was justified and we are very pleased with progress to date.
Continue ReadingSuzhou Yokohama Tire Breaks Ground in China
Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., broke ground for the construction of its new Suzhou Yokohama Tire Co., Ltd., factory on 11 August. The new “affiliate” facility will produce and sell steel radial tyres for truck and buses in China.
Continue ReadingCooper Launches New Oliver Retreads
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. announced that its subsidiary Oliver Rubber Co. has introduced five new treads for fleets – the XS-D, DPW, ULP-Drive, ULP-Rib and Winter Trac II. The new XS-D tread is designed for excess demands of off-road, heavy-load haulers, according to Cooper, and it features a new compound called Xxtra-Tuff. Designed for severe off-road service applications, the tread provides traction, strength and durability, Cooper said.
Continue ReadingABB to Run Maintenance at Cooper’s Georgia Plant
ABB, a leading power and automation technology group, said on 23 August, it has signed an agreement with Cooper Tire & Rubber Company to manage maintenance operations at its Albany, Georgia plant. “This service agreement is one of various strategic initiatives within Cooper Tire to improve manufacturing efficiency, product and customer mix, and market share,” said Scott Jamieson, vice president of manufacturing for Cooper Tire. “By entrusting plant maintenance operations to an established partner such as ABB, we can better focus on our core competence of manufacturing and marketing high-quality tyres at competitive costs.”
Continue ReadingKumho to Raise Prices
(Akron/Tire Review) Kumho Tire USA Inc. announced that it will increase prices on 1 October. Passenger, light truck and commercial truck tyre prices will increase up to 5 per cent, depending on tyre model. Continuing price increases for raw materials and rising transportation costs were the reasons for the increase, according to David Hudrlik, vice president and director of sales.
Continue ReadingTime for Tee
Golf enthusiasts at Bridgestone UK say they will have one eye on the lush fairways of Ohio this week when leading global stars contest the World Golf Championships. A strong field at the Bridgestone Invitational event, which tees off at the Firestone Country Club in Akron on Thursday (24 August), includes Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia, Geoff Ogilvy, Luke Donald and Paul Casey. As well as striving to emulate last year’s winner Tiger Woods, many of the American and European participants will also be looking to score valuable ranking points for a starting place in next month’s Ryder Cup.
Continue ReadingKwik-Fit Appoints New Business Development and Marketing Director
Kwik-Fit has named Chris Bosworth as business development and marketing director. Reporting to CEO Ian Fraser, in this newly created role Chris Bosworth will be responsible for all Kwik-Fit’s brand development strategy as well as all external and internal communications, including its high profile TV advertising campaigns. Prior to joining Kwik-Fit Bosworth was customer delivery planning director at Orange UK. Reporting directly to the COO, he was responsible for a £600 million subscriber acquisition and retention budget as well as channel strategy and web-channel development.
Continue ReadingTRMG Seeks Input on RP Update
(Akron/Tire Review) The Tread Rubber & Tire Repair Material Manufacturers Group is in the process of revising and updating its Industry Recommended Practices for Tire Retreading and Tire Repairing, and is actively soliciting input and comments from interested parties. TRMG said it has not openly sought outside input in the past. Those interested in reviewing and offering comment on the retreading/repair recommended practices document can receive a copy by e-mailing TRMG chairman Norm Ball at norm.ball@us.michelin.com.
Continue ReadingFriend Tire, ITDG Merge Buying Groups
(Akron/Tire Review) Tire distributor Friend Tire Co. and Independent Tire Dealers Group have combined their existing marketing/buying groups for independent dealers into one programme. “The Independent Tire Dealers Group program is a perfect fit with our own Nationwide Tire Dealers Program,” said Don Isbell, president of Friend Tire. “Combined, the two offers the independent tire dealer everything they need to operate a successful business. We will begin immediately to explore the opportunities presented by this new configuration.”
Continue ReadingGoodyear Invests £5.7 million in Indian Retail Network
Goodyear India Ltd. is to invest 500 million rupees (£5.7 million) in strengthening its Indian retail operation in order to capitalise on the country’s rapidly expanding automotive market. Goodyear India will set up 50 shop-in-shop branded stores by the end of 2006 and at least 250 more by end-2008, according to the local news reports.
Continue Reading