Goodyear Appoints Pecorelli VP/General Manager
Goodyear Engineered Products has appointed Jim Pecorelli as vice president and general manager of its North America region. Pecorelli had been director of global manufacturing since 2003. Prior to that, he held general manager positions for Goodyear’s industrial power transmission product, hose and conveyor belt businesses over an eight-year span. Pecorelli joined Goodyear in 1982. “Jim’s expertise and leadership skills strengthen the link between our sales and marketing, manufacturing and supply chain operations to support continued sales growth,” said president Tim Toppen. ”Externally, he knows our customers and understands the markets and channels. Internally, he has led our commercial and manufacturing teams.”
Continue ReadingPro-Cut to Launch First On-Truck Brake Disc Lathe
Pro-cut International (with a UK base in Cheltenham), will launch the truck market’s first On-Truck Brake Disc lathe at this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show. The TD502 is a new addition to the existing Pro-Cut on-car brake disc lathe range and is a unique product being introduced into the UK market. Pro-Cut sales director Guy Carter said: “The need for this type of brake lathe has been identified after extensive research. The London Bus Company has already implemented this new lathe and are seeing excellent returns in time and money, whilst having the added advantage of reduced vehicle downtime, critical to any bus, truck or coach business.”
Continue ReadingSmithers Names New VP, COO
Jay H Lutz has been named vice president and chief operating officer of Smithers Scientific Services Inc., responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s independent testing, research and consulting activities. He replaces Raymond B Farmer, who has left the company. Mr Lutz brings to Smithers 30 years of experience in operations management, R&D and engineering. He has held management positions with Kelsey Hayes and Allied Signal and most recently was director of research and development at Raybestos Products Co. in Crawfordsville, Ind. Prior to that, he served as vice president of operations and general manager within a unit of Kett Engineering in Brighton, Michigan.
Continue ReadingDayton Upgrades D110 General-Use Range
Bridgestone has upgraded its Dayton range, introducing the T-rated D110 general-use tyre. It replaces the D100, which is being phased out across Europe from January 2006. Designed and manufactured with Bridgestone technology, Dayton is aimed at value-conscious buyers. According to the company, the Dayton D100, launched in 2000, has performed well, but the new product gave Bridgestone engineers the opportunity to retain D100’s wet and dry performance, while extending wear life, a key feature in this segment.
Continue ReadingProfit Opportunity? – Update
So far 50 per cent of those who answered Tyres & Accessories’ question of the month say they are simply too busy to sell wheels. This month’s question asks readers about their preferences when it comes to selling alloy wheels. Do you sell them or are you busy enough moving tyres to worry about the extra expense and hassle of selling wheels? The next 30 per cent of respondents said they order-in wheels as and when. Only 20 per cent say they actively try to sell wheels. The majority may have said they do not have time for wheels, but the strongest comments came from those who order-in wheels. “I do not believe that there is one tyre dealer nowadays that has no time to sell alloy wheels. Albeit selling alloy wheels through a regular tyre shop would not provide millionaire success,” one reader told T&A. Keep your answers and comments coming (please include your name and contact details) clicking here.. The complete results and report will be published in the April magazine’s wheel report.
Continue ReadingPensler Apparently Out of the Running on Bryan Plant
(Akron/Tire Review) Pensler Capital Corp. is out of the running to buy Continental Tire North America’s (CTNA) OTR tyre plant in Bryan, Ohio, sources told Tire Review. Titan International now appears to be the front-runner to obtain the giant tyre facility. Pensler, said sources, held a number of negotiating sessions with the United Steelworkers and USW Local 890 to facilitate the purchase, but the union rejected each offer made. Pensler, which owns Denman Tire Corp, came into the bidding in January and had signed a letter of intent to buy the plant on 16 January.
Continue ReadingUK Housing Estate to Be Built From Tyres
In Stanmer, near Brighton an “ultra green” housing estate is being built using 15,000 old car tyres. Developers, Biotecture, claim the homes will be so energy efficient they will have no utility bills. The company submitted a planning application at the end of February to build the estate on a site overlooking the Brighton marina. The move comes after the firm built two “Earthship”, as the houses are known, prototypes in Fife in Scotland and Stanmer in Sussex to demonstrate the potential of the idea.
Continue ReadingBanner Batteries Power Stand at ATS Show
Following the success of Banner’s new Interactive Training Presentation at Mechanex Coventry, the company will again be offering visitors to their ATS stand the opportunity to “fun and informative” 15 minute sessions covering new technological advances and warranty testing. Members of the audience will be issued with a “Clikapad” and during the presentation will be asked to respond in “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? - Ask The Audience” style by pressing a button on their pad. Everyone taking part is assured of a prize.
Continue ReadingMaha Doubles it Projects Team
Maha UK is in the process of doubling its project team. Extensions to their existing offices are under way to cope with the work load and the increase in staff. The project and planning team lead by Neil Ebbs has many years experience in this field and offers workshop planning for small extensions of up to 30+ bays including all the services and infrastructure that may be required.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Launches Studless Tyre For ‘Europe’s Worst Winters’
Bridgestone has launched the Blizzak Nordic studless winter tyre range. According to the company the line has been specifically developed to meet the toughest performance demands of Northern Europe’s winter climate. This new-generation design replaces the existing WS-50 series, and Bridgestone says brings with it enhanced capabilities under most adverse weather conditions.
Continue ReadingDrive to Succeed
The National Tyres ‘Branch Manager of the Year 2005’ award has been won by Michael Gough of the Farnborough branch – along with a brand new Mini Cooper. Michael (53) came in top place for branch manager of the year, achieving record sales and receiving excellent feedback for customer service in the branch. Tony Neill, managing director presented Michael with his award.
Continue ReadingNew High Performance Viking Pattern
The Viking tyre range has been extended to include the new Protech II pattern, replacing the current Protech 500. Exclusively available from Viking International, the Protech II’s advanced asymmetric pattern is the perfect combination for wet and dry conditions. The outer pattern consists of stiff shoulder blocks and two circumferential ribs to ensure lateral stability and precise steering, as well as optimised grip for excellent braking to give all round excellent dry performance. The inner pattern with its combination of numerous block edges and sipes provides superb grip and handling in wet weather conditions.
Continue ReadingECE 108 and 109 Could be Mandatory From September
From 13 September 2006 complying with ECE regulations 108 and 109 could be a compulsory condition of selling retreads in the EU member states. The EU’s Brussels-based Competitive council adopted the decision on the 13 March. Now that this major decision has been taken it is likely that the regulation will be written into the statute books. Industry observers are receiving the announcement as a positive end to what has been a long procedure. The regulation has been compulsory in the UK since 1 January 2004 and has been available for use on a voluntary basis since June 1998.
Continue ReadingTRIB to Challenge Truck Drivers at Mid-America Show
(Akron/Tire Review) TRIB will hold its “Pump ‘Em, Don’t Thump ‘Em” contest at its booth at the upcoming Mid-America Trucking Show, set for next week in Louisville, Kentucky. The Mid-America Trucking Show is the trucking industry’s largest national event, and draws manufacturers, marketers and thousands of drivers each year. The Pump ‘Em, Don’t Thump ‘Em contest, co-sponsored by ArvinMeritor, will be held Friday, 24 March at 10:30 am in Booth 6973 in the West Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center.
Continue ReadingWorkers OK New Deal at Accuride Plant
(Akron/Tire Review) Union workers at Accuride’s steel wheel plant in London, Ontario, overwhelmingly approved a new contract with the manufacturer. The three-year deal between Accuride and the 550 Canadian Auto Workers (CAW)-represented workers was reached 11 March and includes a base rate wage increase of 2 per cent. The Accuride plant produces steel passenger and commercial truck wheels
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