2002 Explorer “Will Not Have Firestone Tyres As Standard”
A report on BlueOvalNews, the alternative website for Ford users, says that Ford has reversed its earlier decision to make Firestone tyres standard on the new 2002 Ford Explorer and Goodyear and Michelin will be fitted as OE.
Continue ReadingGreater Share Of Australian Cable Co. For Pirelli
Pirelli Group, already 51% shareholders in Pirelli Cables Australia Ltd is making a take-over bid, offering 52.7 European cents per share. Pirelli claims that the offer represents a 66% share premium to the average share price in the past month, 46% against the last three months. Liquidity, according to Pirelli is low, with only two shareholders owning 70% of the stock.
Continue ReadingJoint Venture Between Autobytel And Continental
Tyre manufacturer Continental intends to engage itself more in the e-business arena – especially on the B2C (Business to Consumer) level. The company has therefore decided to begin cooperation concerning tyre distribution with autobytel.com, an independent US-American internet-platform which offers a complete car service to its customers covering the complete life cycle of the car. Working together with tyre retailers, a complete service package will be offered to customers. All retailers interested in this project will be given the opportunity to participate, even if they do not possess the necessary infrastructure at the moment. The two companies explained during a press conference in Frankfurt what they are going to do. Continental is initially investing about 15 million Euro, most of it for the creation of a tyre portal. At present the whole project exists only on paper but Continental wants to arrange the basics of this project by the end of February 2001, and the operative start is planned for autumn 2001. During the press conference, Conti CEO Kessel underlined his interests in working closely together with the professional tyre trade.
Continue ReadingYokohama Restructures To Face The Future
A year ago, there were rumours that Yokohama was seeking an alliance with Michelin. TYRES & ACCESSORIES recently visited the company and, in addition to factory and R&D facility visits, interviewed the President of Yokohama Rubber Company, Mr. Yasuo Tominaga. Mr. Tominaga spoke of the companys wide-ranging restructuring plan and whether a company the size of Yokohama can survive alone in a global market dominated by the big three manufacturers.
Continue Reading“No U-Turn On Job Cuts”, says Edouard Michelin
Edouard Michelin has confirmed that Michelin will go ahead with plans to reduce its European workforce by 10%, referring to the initiative as not just a cost-cutting plan or headcount reduction. It is a productivity plan that has an upside of speeding up growth. In the same interview, Edouard Michelin said that tyre industry consolidation was not at an end. Michelin, he said, will eventually have to make some kind of link, alliance, or even acquisition in Asia. He also suggested that medium-sized tyre companies will either merge or join the club of the large companies.
Continue ReadingFire At Michelin Warehouse
A fire started at a Michelin raw materials warehouse which is dedicated to Michelins largest plant at Clermont-Ferrand, where 5,000 people are employed.
Continue ReadingOE Contracts For Bridgestone
Nissan has chosen Bridgestone Potenza RE040 tyres for the limited edition (200 for sale in the UK only) R34 version of its Skyline GTR. The Skyline was the first production car to lap the 14-mile Nurburgring circuit in under eight minutes. Bridgestone has also been chosen as exclusive OE for the six-litre Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Coupe and Vantage Volante cars. The tyre in question is the Bridgestone S-02.
Continue ReadingSpeedline Truck
The division Speedline Truck supplies the major truck manufacturers in Europe and North America. In future the range will include flow-formed wheels - for trucks Speedline uses this technology exclusively, which has the effects of reduced weight and improved mechanical properties.
Continue ReadingMichelin Factory For India
Following a recent feasibility study, Michelin has announced that Bangalore is the most likely site for a new manufacturing plant, as various producers have factories in this region. Other cities being considered are Pune and Baroda.
Continue ReadingJaguar Team Up With Michelin For The 2001 F1 Season
Jaguar has announced a long term partnership with Michelin in which, from next season, all F1 cars in the Jaguar/Ford racing stable will be fitted with Michelin tyres.
Continue ReadingContinental Profit Figures Continue To Improve
Continentals profit figures have improved for the sixth time running. Group turnover was 9.13 billion Euros (including Continental Teves business for the first time). EBIT rose to 511 million Euros.
Continue ReadingIntegration At Goodyear Austria
The Austrian Dunlop and Goodyear companies have been integrated into the new Goodyear Dunlop Tires Austria company, which is under 100 p.c. ownership of Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe B.V. located in Brussels.
Continue ReadingNew Managing Director For Kwik-Fit GB
Bryan Liddle has been appointed MD of Kwik-Fit GB. A former professional footballer, Bryan has worked with several large plcs and he joins Kwik-Fit from Associated Heating Distributors, where he was MD.
Continue ReadingThe DaimlerChrysler PT Cruiser Choose Goodyear
DaimlerChrysler has announced it will be fitting Goodyear Eagle tyres on its new PT Cruiser. The PT Cruiser, which combines the retro styling of the late 1930s sedan with the versatility of a 2001 minivan, will be shod exclusively with Eagle LS tyres in North America and Eagle NCT5s in Europe.195/65 15s will be fitted on the front and 205/55 16s on the rear. Tyres with European specification will be produced at Fulda and Phillipsburg.
Continue ReadingGood Start For Continental In The First Quarter
Continental increased its turnover in the first quarter of this year by around 10.7 p.c. compared with the first three months of the previous year to 2.426 billion Euro. The EBIT comes to 135 million Euro, 65 million Euro coming from the tyre business. ContiTech contributed 46 million Euro and the balance comes from the Teves business. Despite the increased turnover in the tyre business from 1.1 billion Euro up to 1.228 billion Euro, tyres contributed 14 million Euro less to the EBIT, which is a consequence of the ongoing decline in prices.
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