Straight Set to Apollo
Indian tyremaker Apollo Tyres has reaffirmed its commitment to the development of professional tennis in its homeland by signing up a doubles team to compete in the 2007 ATP and Grand Slam Tours. The two players are top Indian player Mahesh Bhupathi and the Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek.
Continue ReadingMichelin Shows Off eTire II
Five years after the debut of its original eTire Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Michelin has begun to show off its eTire II second-generation sensor equipment. This new eTire system incorporates technology devised by UK company Transense Technologies, who granted Honeywell a licence to develop their TPMS design on behalf of the French tyre maker.
Continue ReadingMichelin Announces Price Rise
Michelin has stated that it will increase the price of its European market motorcycle tyres. Increases will range between 2 and 4 per cent, depending on the segment and country, and will come into effect during the first half of 2007.
Continue ReadingATS Euromaster Launches National Run-Flat Fitting and Repair Service
ATS Euromaster is to equip each of its 507 centres across the UK with new technology to enable it to service and carry out minor repairs to the latest generation of run-flat technology tyres. The announcement contrasts with official advice given by the BRMA (now BTMA) and TIC a little over a year ago. Neither body recommended the practice. A technical representative of one leading manufacturer even went as far as saying it is “not prudent” to repair these products.
Continue ReadingCooper Tire Subsidiary Introduces New Application Tread
Cooper Tire and subsidiary Oliver Rubber Company have introduced their latest speciality application tread – the APWs. The new APWs tread is designed for 70 per cent on-road and 30 per-cent off-road applications. It uses a compound known as Tri-Cor, and features a large and reportedly ‘aggressive’ tread pattern that features three circumferential self-cleaning grooves, which are designed to help make the product durable even when subject to high mileages.
Continue ReadingBEN’s Autosport Stand Features Le Mans Winners
The NEC in Birmingham will be brimming with nostalgia and the spell of Le Mans on 13 & 14 January as one of the most significant displays of Le Mans cars ever assembled will be reunited with their legendary drivers, at Autosport International. The Le Mans feature, in association with BEN and Motor Sport magazine, will reunite the famous drivers with their famous cars, tracing the history of this near-mythical race from its very beginnings in 1923.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Promotes Three in Consumer Tyre Organisation
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear’s North American tyre operations have made a number of personnel changes. The moves, said Goodyear, were made with “an emphasis on promoting our primary consumer tyre brands and further evolving our market-driven focus.”
Continue ReadingGoodyear Receives Credit Thumbs Up
Moody’s Investors Service has revised its rating for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. from negative to stable following the signing of the new three-year USW contract. This move comes days after Standard & Poors upgraded Goodyear to a B+ rating. In a statement, a representative of the investment service said Moodys would expect the company over time to achieve significant efficiencies from the new contract and other restructuring actions.” Given Goodyear’s stable outlook it is unlikely that their rating will be lowered again during the next 12 to 18 months.
Continue ReadingKwik-Fit Fleet Warns of Run-Flat Costs / Kwik-Fit mobile grew 31% in 2006
Kwik-Fit Fleet, the fleet division of Britain and Europe’s largest independent fast-fit supplier, expects to see an increasing number of car and light commercial vehicle fleets use its network for service, maintenance MoT and repair work. Meanwhile, the fast-fit giant has warned fleet operators to brace themselves for an increase in tyre costs as more vehicle manufacturers choose to fit run-flat tyres to cars.
Continue ReadingThe Cost of Cutting Costs
The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company have disclosed that the three-month USW strike cost them more than US$30 million a week. Leading company executives said that Goodyear will continue to feel the strike’s financial impact through to the middle of the year, but the company has nevertheless achieved its goal of cutting costs. Goodyear hopes to save US$610 million over a three-year period through the contract agreement that ended the strike.
Continue ReadingGiti Tire to Sell Bonds
Giti Tire, the largest manufacturer of tyres in China, reportedly intends to raise US$200 million from its first bond sale, being held to raise revenue for capital expenditure and possible acquisitions.
Continue Reading2007 to be a Good Year for Transense Technologies
Writing in the Guardian Newspaper, financial analyst, Katie Allen, suggested that TMPS company Transense could have another successful year in 2007. The group, which develops tyre pressure monitoring technology, improved by only 15.75p to 91.75p over last year but it is said to enter the year “with a strong order book.” It has recently struck deals with the American automotive company Lear Corporation and with Michelin in the US, meaning that the worlds biggest tyre company will be using Transenses pressure monitoring systems for its lorry tyres. “Now that it is commercialising years of technology development the company could take off in 2007,” said Allen.
Continue ReadingParis, Milan, London,…..Detroit?
Detroit is not a city normally associated with high fashion, but this week designers have flocked to the city to show off their latest accessories. Cameras have greedily snapped glamorous models strutting their stuff for the first time, and no expense has been spared in making this year’s new fashions look as desirable as possible.
Continue ReadingContinental to Recruit Fresh Blood
Continental AG has outlined plans to broaden their pool of fresh talent by hiring 1,300 university graduates and young professionals this year. According to the Company’s human resources director and executive board member Thomas Sattelberger, Continental is seeking those with engineering and science degrees as well as economics and business administration graduates.
Continue ReadingBreaking Records With Avon Tyres
Avon Tyres have the potential to become part of a new world record as British Autograss champion Phil Cooper prepares to smash his own existing indoor world speed record at the Autosport International show on January 13/14. In December, Cooper, who holds the distinction of being Overall Series Points Champion in all classes of the 2006 British Autograss Series, set a record of 82.05mph on a 210-metre track at the NEC in Birmingham, the same venue as he will make his current attempt.
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