Too Many E-Numbers?
In the coming months a whole raft of EU legislation affecting different aspects of the tyre business is set to come in place. First the Hazardous Waste regulation came into force on 16 April. Now the end of life vehicle directive (2000/53/EC) banning the use of lead balancing weights is upon us. Next up is the Waste Incineration Directive (due to be implemented from 28 December), which is sure to have a knock-on effect on the way tyres are disposed of and at what cost. The last regulation in the current run is the second part of the EU tyre landfill ban (1999/31/EC), which prevents chipped tyres from being disposed of at landfill sites in July 2006 - not to mention the working time directive. Do you think there is too much red tape or do the regulations make life difficult in the tyre business? To answer and add your own views to the new ‘question of the month’ click here.
Continue ReadingMichelin: F1 Tyres Wrong Spec, Not Faulty
Having completed an internal investigation into why its tyres were not suitable for the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis, Michelin has found that its tyres were the wrong specification, rather than faulty. “The tyres were not intrinsically flawed, but were insufficiently suited to the extreme racing conditions encountered through Turn 13 of the Indianapolis circuit this year”, an official statement read.
Continue ReadingSnap On To Solus
The Snap-on Solus is the latest addition to the equipment manufacturer’s series of hand-held diagnostic tools. Designed to provide the technician with faster performance and more diagnostic data the product has a much larger display than previous models, taking the technology used in Scanner to a higher level.
Continue ReadingToyo Reorganises European Sales Network
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co Ltd is to reorganise its European sales structure by establishing two companies – Toyo Tyre (UK) Ltd in the UK and Toyo Tire Benelux BV in the Netherlands. The new companies will be subsidiaries of Toyo Tire Europe GmbH (TTE) which itself has only been in operation since January 2005.
Continue ReadingBRMA Director Treks for Charity
The Director of British Rubber Manufacturers’ Association, John Dorken, will be undertaking a sponsored trek in support of the children of Chechnya in August. John is the Treasurer and Secretary of Medical Aid and Relief for the Children of Chechnya (MARCCH). MARCCH is a registered charity set up in 2001 to help the young victims of the long running conflict in Chechnya. Money is needed to meet the refurbishment and running costs of the orphanage as well as expanding activities into medical assistance. In 2002 John and his daughter, Marina undertook a similar trek in the Himalayas, walking above the Tibetan monasteries in Sikkim to the base of the world’s third highest mountain, Kanchenjunga, and for their efforts received close to £9000. This year John will be warming up on the most famous trek in the Andes – the Inca trail - and then embarking on further trek around the highest mountain in South East Peru – Ausangate – described as ‘high, tough and cold’, taking him up to 5165 metres (nearly 17000 feet). Last time it was pretty challenging and this time will be no easier – and he will be three years further from the prime of youth! For details of how to contribute go to the website www.marcch.org or telephone: 020 8883 8899.
Continue ReadingHazardous Waste Awareness Levels Low
Only one in five motor vehicle service and repair garages are aware of the hazardous waste regulations due to come into place in coming weeks, according to new figures revealed today by the Environment Agency. The findings, which are the result of a survey of more than 1000 small and medium sized businesses in England and Wales found that only 17 per cent of garages interviewed knew about the new regulations which will take effect from 16 July 2005.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Sells Resins Business
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co has agreed to sell its Wingtack adhesives resins business to Sartomer Company Inc, a unit of the French energy firm Total SA, for a reported $65 million. The sale includes a production facility in Beaumont, Texas, adjacent to Goodyear’s synthetic rubber plant there. Goodyear said it will continue to supply raw materials to the adhesives resins plant. The adhesives resins business, with 115 employees, produces Wingtack brand hydrocarbon resins, which are used in pressure-sensitive and hot melt applications.
Continue ReadingKumho Plans R&D/HQ Centre in Tianjin
(Akron/Tire Review) Kumho Tire Co said it is investing some $20 million to establish a research and development centre in Tianjin, China, a facility that will evolve into the company’s Tianjin Kumho Tire Co Ltd headquarters. The research and development facility will employ some 300 scientists and engineers, said Kumho. Tianjin Kumho Tire Co’s new $185 million radial passenger tyre plant is set to begin production in July 2006 with an initial capacity of 5.25 million tyres per year. Plans have already been made for a $130 million expansion there that will bring capacity to 10.4 million units per year. The tyre plant will service Chinese automakers.
Continue ReadingSEAT Chooses Beissbarth
Beissbarth’s wheel aligner technology has been chosen by SEAT to see it through a busy international race season. The SEAT Sport UK team has selected the ML8R Microline Easy Wheel Aligner to ensure the chassis set-up is optimised for each race. Speaking for the SEAT team, Grant Clearwater said: Its important for SEAT Sport UK to be able to rely on the equipment that we use to deliver accurate information every time, this is one of the many reasons why we haven chosen Beissbarth.
Continue ReadingAA Calls For Government Tread Depth Review
The AA Motoring Trust and County Surveyors’ Society (CSS) has called for the government to lead a review of the 1.6 millimetre tread depth limit. The call comes in response to “research evidence from real crashes,” says the report. At the same time the report called for greater investment from local authorities in road surface renewal.
Continue ReadingScientists Warn of Tiger Mosquito Threat
A combination of warmer weather and imported used tyres has led scientists to issue a warning about a possible threat from the Asian Tiger mosquito. The mosquito, which as its name suggests is native to Asia, usually lays its eggs in small pools of water, such as banana leaves or coconut shells. However, any small pool will do and eggs have been found in the water in tyres being imported into France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. In fact, in France, all imported tyres are sprayed with insecticide as a matter of course. As little as a quarter of an inch of water is sufficient for the Tiger to lay its eggs.
Continue ReadingAvon is the Choice of Winners
The winner and the two runners up of this year’s European Custom Bike Building Championships all used Avon tyres. A total of 64 top class builders from Europe and beyond entered 71 bikes in the AMD ProShow, held at the Phoenixhalle in Mainz, Germany. The winner was Thomas Hebermann of Habermann-Performance in Germany with his S&S shovelhead-engined chopper named ‘Caligo’. The machine was fitted with an Avon Venom AM42 300/35R18 88V rear and 100/90-19 57V Supervenom front.
Continue ReadingToyo to Spin Off Nitto Tire
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd is to “spin off” the Nitto brand division of Toyo Tire (USA) Corp, incorporating it as a separate company. The new business will be called Nitto Tire North America Incorporated, from 1 July 2005.
Continue ReadingKwik-Fit Goes to PAI for £800 million
CVC Capital Partners has sold Kwik-Fit to French private equity firm PAI for £800 million. The news follows months of speculation including suggestions that a Bridgestone/Mitsubishi joint venture was pulling out in front when it came to bidding for the UK’s largest fast-fit chain. Bloomberg reports that PAI plans to open more fast fit retail outlets as a result of the acquisition.
Continue ReadingUnder Inflated Tyres Cost UK Motorists £1 Billion
Avon Tyres believes motorists are wasting more than £1 billion a year and increasing the risk of accidents by not checking tyre pressures. According to the manufacuturer’s calculations, up to 90 per cent of vehicles on Britain’s roads do not have the correct pressure in their tyres. This, in turn, is believed to have a knock effect that stings consumers to the tune of an extra £230 million on new tyres every year. Researchers said that at any one time, 90 per cent of vehicles had at least one tyre under-inflated by 10 per cent of the recommended pressure. This equates to a 15 per cent reduction in the life expectancy of the tyre or an extra £5.12 per year cost to the driver - or £230 million if extended to all UK drivers.
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