Tyres with a Life Saving Bounce
A Japanese man and his companion may well owe their lives to the elastic qualities of their vehicle’s tyres after the two motorists were involved in a spectacular and easily avoidable accident. The driver of the vehicle apparently failed to take a hairpin turn on the fourth floor of a multi-storey car park while descending from an upper level and crashed through the parking station’s safety barrier, sending the car plummeting more than 30 feet to the road below.
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Asymmetric Tread, Asymmetric Casing: The technology inside the Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 tyre
Goodyear has launched a new tyre designed to replace the much vaunted Eagle F1 GSD3, which scored top marks in almost every test going - including Auto Express, Autocar, Max Power, Evo and Which? But while the old tyre’s symmetrical tread design was key to the product’s success, Goodyear is expecting the new product to succeed exactly because it isn’t. In addition to an asymmetrical tread design, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric features an asymmetric casing construction designed to reinforce one side and squeeze more grip from the tyre. Goodyear representatives told Tyres & Accessories they were gearing up for more award success following the introduction of the ‘Active Cornergrip Technology’ into the design of its latest tyre.
Continue ReadingAvon Nominated for Motorsport Award
Avon Tyres is amongst the nominees named for the International Historic Motorsport Show 2007. The Melksham based tyremaker will compete for the Motorsport Company of the Year award, which will be announced at a black tie dinner function held on Saturday March 24. Avon Tyres Motorsport has produced racing tyres for more than 25 years, and currently supplies tyres to more than 150 championships around the world.
Continue ReadingAtlas Copco Acquires ABAC’s Compressor Company
Atlas Copco has received conditional approval from the anti-trust authorities to acquire the Industrial Division of the ABAC Group. It had a turnover in 2006 of approximately 190 million euros and some 650 employees. The estimated operating profit margin in 2006 was around 10 per cent. The acquisition is scheduled to close on 2 April.
Continue ReadingGreater Commercial Vehicle Focus – Bridgestone India
Bridgestone India intends to increase its production capacity by 1,000 tyres a day to a daily capacity of 11,00 tyres at its plant in the central state of Madhya Pradesh and is gearing up to cater for the commercial vehicle market to a greater extent.
Continue ReadingEnTire, Siemens Enter Agreement
EnTire Solutions, LLC has entered into an agreement with Siemens VDO Service & Special Solutions, who will market and sell EnTire Solution tyre pressure monitoring (TPM) aftermarket sensors and service kits to service wholesalers and dealerships in the US as a part of the Siemens VDO offering. Two EnTire Solution aftermarket TPM sensors and valve service kits to support current original equipment business will be sold through Siemens VDO.
Continue ReadingApril Launch for Automatic Tread Sensor
UK based company Truckfile is planning to launch what it claims to be the first ever device capable of automatically measuring tyre tread depth. Truckfile intends to launch this new product, known as Tyrecheck, at April’s CV show.
Continue ReadingTrelleborg acquires Gummiteknik GTM AB
Through its Trelleborg Engineered Systems business area, Trelleborg has signed an agreement to acquire Swedish company Gummiteknik GTM AB, with approximately 30 employees and annual sales of about £2.6 million. Gummiteknik is privately owned and is based in Bålsta, on the outskirts of Stockholm.
Continue ReadingNew Indian Plant for Michelin
As the 51/49 per cent joint venture between Michelin and Apollo Tyres has failed to materialise, the French tyremaker now plans to establish its own truck and bus radial manufacturing facility in the Indian city of Pune.
Continue ReadingBosch to Acquire Beissbarth and Sicam
The Bosch Group has unveiled plans to further consolidate its foothold in the workshop equipment market through the acquisition of Munich-based Beissbarth GmbH, and Italy’s Sicam s.r.l., companies that both belong to parent company Beissbarth Automotive Group GmbH. An agreement between Bosch and Beissbarth Automotive was signed on February 14.
Continue ReadingKYB Shocks OE On New Auris
The already-close relationship between KYB and Toyota has been further strengthened with the news that KYB is to supply front and rear shock absorbers for the new Auris. This new hatchback is larger than the Corolla, which it replaces, and was designed at Toyotas European Design Development centre and is one of the first new generation Toyotas to be manufactured in Europe.
Continue ReadingMaxxis Signs Exclusive UK Distribution Deal With Group Tyre
Maxxis is setting its sights higher for 2007 having signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Group Tyre (UK) Ltd – the UK’s leading independent tyre wholesaling operation – to grow its PCR business in the UK. In addition to the distribution agreement with Group Tyre (UK) Ltd, Maxxis plans to build a network of ‘centres of excellence’ utilising Group Tyre’s experience to target national, regional and local retailers. Maxxis will assist Group Tyre (UK) Ltd to recruit retailers as Maxxis Centres by providing a package of signage, advertising, POS, literature and merchandise.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Highway Hero Finalists Named
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear has named three finalists for its 24th annual North America Highway Hero Award. Elizabeth Pavlista of Miami, Ariz.; Edward Regener of Perres, Calif.; Richard Miner of Phoenix; and Marlon Marum of Burnsville, Minn.; were named finalists. The award will be presented at the upcoming Mid-America Truck Show in Louisville.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Reports $20 billion Sales, $358 million Net Loss in 2006
Goodyear’s net sales for 2006 were a record $20.3 billion, up 3 per cent despite a 5 per cent decline in tyre unit volume. However strike costs of $367 million meant the company recorded net losses of $330 million, compared to net income of $228 million in 2005. The company estimates that the strike reduced 2006 sales by $363 million, tyre volume by 2.8 million units and net income by $367 million. Tyre unit volume was 51.2 million units in the fourth quarter, compared to 55.7 million units in the 2005 period.
Continue ReadingTitan Names New Sales and Marketing Head
(Akron/Tire Review) Cara Junkins was promoted to director of sales and marketing for Titan International. Junkins was previously tyre technology manager for Titan, and came to the company from Continental Tire North America where she held a number of research and engineering posts. Junkins will be based in Quincy, Ill., at the Titan Wheel Corp. facility and will focus oin OE accounts.
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