More Orders For Tyre Pressure Control Systems
Beru AG (Ludwigsburg/Germany) has announced growing demand for its tyre pressure control system. As well as the BMW 3, 5 and 7 series, Mercedes S- and AMG E-class and SLK and Audi A8, the tyre safety device is now also available as an option for Mercedes CL Coupe and Audi allroad Quattro, and from autumn for the BMW X5.
Continue ReadingWith three new tyres,
With three new tyres, named 4x4Contact, 4x4SportContact and 4x4WinterContact, the German tyre manufacturer wants to establish its leading brand in the segment of sports utility vehicles (SUV). And this segment seems to be quite interesting: According to a Continental market analysis the number of 4x4 vehicles in Europe is expected to double by the year 2005 compared to 1995 and leading to a growing market for 4x4 tyres. Some reasons are that new fashionable/stylish compact SUVs which are faster, fuel efficient and easier to drive or larger SUVs offering a high load carrying space and/or seating capacity are stimulating the demand. As a result SUVs are increasingly becoming an alternative to standard cars. Therefore the focus of the three 4x4 tyres is for on-road use, but for the future Continental plans to launch all-terrain and off road tyres, too. Meanwhile the 4x4Contact is the tyre for compact and medium range SUV, whereas the 4x4SportContact has a more sporty image. Fast and high powered cars are the target for this tyre. The 4x4WinterContact – as the name suggests – is the specialist for the colder time of the year. European production of the tyres was launched recently and later this year they will also be manufactured in USA.
Continue ReadingKim Gran New Nokian President And CEO
Kim Gran (45) has been elected President and CEO of Nokian tyres, effective 1st September 2000. Gran has been Vice President since 1994 and has been responsible for car and van tyres.
Continue ReadingScrap Tyre Disposal
The subject of scrap tyres is one which continues to exercise the minds of all sectors of the tyre industry and, with a ban on landfilling of tyres imminent, alternative methods of disposal are being urgently sought. The UK Government has produced a number of reports on the subject and these are looked into as part of our feature on scrap tyre disposal. Also included are details of possible disposal methods and machinery as well as latest news on the subject, for example the temporary closure and planned refurbishment of the SITA tyres-to-energy power station in the Midlands. Those disposing of tyres are under increasing pressure; not only to find new outlets to take scrap, but also from steep rises in overheads such as fuel. The problem of scrap tyres affects the industry from top to bottom and most observers expect the Government to introduce some method of producer responsibility if the industry does not come up with its own solution in the near future.
Continue ReadingUnder New Management – Continental’s Customer Service
Josef Folger succeeds Dr. Ralf Krüger, who has retired, in being responsible for customer service at Continental Tyres (Hanover), effective 1 July.
Continue ReadingShares In Bridgestone Fall Again
The bad news for Bridgestone continues, as shares in the company on the Tokyo stock exchange declined by another four percent. This means that the value of Bridgestone shares has been halved since the Firestone recall began.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Invests In Tyre Inflation Systems
Goodyear Tire & Rubber has taken a minority interest in the Cycloid Company, of Pennsylvania. Cycloid markets ACS (Air Compressor System) which uses a compressor mounted at the centre of the wheel to maintain air pressure in truck tyres. The companies are looking to develop similar systems for cars, vans and light trucks.
Continue ReadingNew Drive Traction Radial From Goodyear
In the US, Goodyear has introduced the second in its Wingfoot line of tyres, designed for the cost-conscious customer. The Wingfoot DTR is a drive traction radial initially available in size 295/75 R22.5. Three more sizes – 11R22.5, 11R24.5 and 285/75 R24.5 – will be introduced this autumn. The DTR replaces the G124.
Continue ReadingInterview With Edouard Michelin
There is hardly any international group, that has managed such drastic changes within such a short time, as Michelin. Not least, thanks to the world-wide success of radial tyres, François Michelin (74) was able to make the French tyre manufacturer a global player. His single-mindedness, with which he backed the product and its technical superiority, has resulted in a product- or manufacturer-driven group. It doesn’t matter therefore, if this group is No 1 or only 2 in today’s ranking of the world’s biggest tyre companies, considering that ranking can change quickly. Handing the leadership of the group over to his son Edouard (37), a process started years ago and now finished, has meant more for the company than just a change from old to young, from one generation to another. In keeping best with the group’s company philosophy and its assets, Edouard Michelin has been successful in creating and establishing his company as a market-driven business. At the end of September, Edouard Michelin made himself available to TYRES & ACCESSORIES for a detailed interview in Paris. The article featured in our November issue can be downloaded in full length as PDF file (size: 209 kbyte, Adobe Acrobat Reader required).
Continue ReadingSalt Lake City Case For Goodyear
A case has been brought against Goodyear and M&T Inc, the owner of a local Big O Tire store. The widows of three men killed in a rollover claim that the Kelly Springfield Metric Radial suffered a tread separation, resulting in the deaths of their husbands. It is not clear whether the action has been pending, or whether this case has been brought subsequent to the Bridgestone/Firestone recall.
Continue ReadingEngineered Products Consolidation At Goodyear Plant
Goodyear is to consolidate and streamline fabric production for its engineered products (conveyor belts, hoses, air springs) at its plant at Cartersville, Georgia. Automotive and truck tyre fabric production was discontinued at the plant last year.
Continue ReadingDevelopment For Eurofleet
Eurofleet Tyres & Services, daughter of Bandag and the German retail cooperative Team-Group, which was first introduced in June at REIFEN 2000 in Essen, reports a positive development. It has more than 1,300 service partners which cover not only the Western European territory, but also Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia.
Continue ReadingSpirit of Goodyear
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company will call the newest Blimp Spirit of Goodyear in order to honour its 100,000 employees world-wide. The replacement of the former Blimp became necessary because the Spirit of Akron crashed at the end of October.
Continue ReadingA New Name for Hofmann
The German Hofmann Werkstatt-Technik GmbH from Pfungstadt has been renamed. Now it is called Snap-on Deutschland Holding GmbH, Business Unit Hofmann Werkstatt-Technik. The address has remained the same.
Continue ReadingPhoenix Long-Term Ambitious
Phoenix, supplier to the vehicle industry, itself a tyre manufacturer many years ago and still specialising, though not exclusively, in rubber parts for the automobile industry, is not reaching its turnover and profit targets as quickly as planned. Air springs, an area in which Continental is also involved, however, promises to develop into a jewel for the group from 2001 and gives ground for hope of steep rises in turnover and earnings in the long term.
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