Taking the Strain
Current health and safety guidance means tyre businesses are well advised to investigate what options are available to them. And, in terms of the safety benefits, there aren’t many options better than automatic lifting equipment. Following the NTDA’s attempts to raise the profile of this issue through the introduction of a manual handling guide, Tyres & Accessories investigates the issues and explores what equipment is available. In addition to tyre lifting equipment, this feature will cover all the lifting equipment that tyre dealers need.
Continue ReadingMichelin Long-Term Tyre Deal With Transrent
Transrent, the UK commercial road transport and financial services group, has Michelin a five year supply deal worth an estimated £15 million. The deal will see Michelin equip Transrent’s fleet with new and replacement tyres and is thought to be the longest commitment given by a trailer rental company to a tyre manufacturer.
Continue ReadingEarthmover/OTR Tyres
Following a global shortage of OTR tyres, mine operators and other consumers of the largest of tyres are tearing their hair out at the prospect of having wait for the opportunity to get their punctured vehicles moving again. Distributors and manufacturers however are seizing the opportunity to answer these needs with products and services. T&A will bring you the latest news from the OTR/Earthmover tyre segment.
Continue ReadingTitan Reaches Agreement With Union
Titan International, Inc. has reached an agreement with the United Steelworkers in a civil RICO case that began in September 2000. The case was dismissed on Wednesday, 1 February in Springfield, Illinois. “This disagreement started with the strike on May 1, 1998, and it has been a real fight,” said Maurice M Taylor, Titan chairman and CEO. “There’s no question that both parties were putting a lot of passion and money into this lawsuit. Titan believed it would have been successful, just as we were successful in the shareholder derivative suit brought against Titan by law firm Milberg Weiss, Bershad, Hynes, and LeRach LLP, but during negotiations with Goodyear on their North American farm tyre business, which took over 22 months, it became clear that Titan and the USW have a common goal—American jobs that pay fair wages and benefits. Titan agrees with that, but Titan believes it runs the factories, and if you pay for eight hours of work, you should get eight hours of work,” said Taylor.
Continue ReadingBandag Net Earnings Halve
Bandag Inc’s fourth quarter 2005 net earnings slid to less than half of their 2004 level despite strong net sales of $252.3 million (£142 million), up seven per cent. Consolidated net earnings totalled $12.1 million, compared with $30.8 million in 2004. According to the company, net sales were positively impacted by foreign currency translation to the tune of approximately $3.5 million. Announcing its full-year 2005 results, Bandag reported consolidated net sales of $914.6 against $864.3 million in 2004. Consolidated net earnings for 2005 were $49.5 million compared to $66.9 million in 2004.
Continue ReadingSome Freedom for Shredded Tyres in Landfill Engineering
Defra has allowed some shredded tyres to be used for “certain landfill engineering purposes” after the landfilling of tyres is officially banned in July. The news follows research conducted by the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP). Initial interpretation of the Landfill Directive declared that from July this year only whole tyres would be permitted for this purpose and the use of shredded tyres was therefore precluded. However, according to the NISP this move would have had serious environmental consequences; because NISP had already identified replacement aggregate as a re-use option for up to a quarter of this year’s UK tyre waste.
Continue ReadingGoing, going, gone – Blackcircles launches Online Auction Site
Online tyre business, blackcircles.com, has launched a ‘virtual auction’ website. Designed as a way of bringing cut-price quality products to the masses, the company is aiming to use its reputable image to shine a light on the sometimes questionable world of Internet tyre auctioning. Whether or not the site is aiming to or, can realistically compete with, global giants like eBay is another question.
Continue ReadingChinese Boom Depletes Global OTR Markets
Recently the global mining industry has had to face a new obstacle. And it has nothing to do with a lack of demand for the raw materials that this business harvests from the earth. Far from it. In the wake of economic expansion in Asia and America, global demand for raw materials has increased rapidly. Order books are full. Despite this, without an integral component, some mining companies have been brought to a standstill. Like cars, earthmovers and other off-the-road (OTR) vehicles cannot go anywhere without tyres. The chronic shortage of the right kind of rubber for these, often enormous, vehicles means wheel loaders, earth movers and other quarry, mine and dump orientated machines are increasingly rolled out to customers shod only with wooden bandages designed to protect the rims. Frustrated at the pace of delivery, some mine and quarry operators have even sourced new tyres from the tyre trade themselves, new tyres that are intended to fit newly bought vehicles. Although now, even the tyre trade is finding it difficult to offer anything in this respect.
Continue ReadingThe Next Millennium
Viking International is set to launch a new “competitively priced” ultra high performance tyre range – the Millennium. According to the company, the new exclusive tyre comes as the result of massive investment and is designed to deliver “the ultimate in reliability and predictability at the extremes of performance handling.” Viking reports that it has completely re-engineered its Millennium UHP range and that the line is now available in 36 sizes, fitting 15 to 18 inch diameter wheels. An 18 inch option is set to follow later in 2006. The new European-produced Millennium, uses a unique silica compound and is W – Y rated for speeds of up to 186 mph. Millennium’s new UHP directional tread pattern represents the very cutting edge in design technology, according to the company. It is currently available in 35, 40 and 45 series to fit wheels from 17 – 18 inches. The directional pattern is available in both W and Y speed ratings. Unusually for a UHP tyre the Millennium claims to be a class leader when it comes to wear rates. Viking representatives report that this is down to low rolling resistance and point out that an integrated rim protector helps safeguard alloy wheels. Furthermore, the Millennium’s asymmetrical tread pattern is said to deliver superb all weather handling. Featuring new “tri zone” technology, the Millennium also claims “superior” ride comfort and reduced noise with excellent high-speed water dispersal; superb corning stability and steering response. Available from 40 series to 65 series to fit wheels from 15 – 17 inches, this variation is available in V and W speed ratings. Mike Curry, managing director at Viking International, said: “The new Millennium range offers an exceptional quality alternative to the more expensive, premium-branded high performance products, with the added advantage of providing significantly better profit potential for the retailer. We will be supporting the launch with a high profile trade marketing campaign running throughout 2006 and we have developed a full range of support including point of sale; signage; merchandise; clothing and consumer / trade incentives.” He added: “The Millennium range is only available through Viking International and with the rapid growth in the performance market, we are expecting a very high level of demand for this exciting new range.”
Continue ReadingBridgestone and Scottish Coal – Tyre Management is the Key
The seemingly ever-increasing demand for plant and equipment from China in particular has had dramatic effects on the earthmover tyre market. In an attempt to meet demand, Bridgestone’s factories are operating at maximum capacity and the company has revised its production capacity forecasts. It had planned to increase earthmover tyre production by 80 per cent between 2004 and 2008, but this schedule is being accelerated. The effects of the tyre shortage are neatly encapsulated in what is happening to the UK coal mining industry. The opencast mining industry in the UK is Western Europe’s largest and accounts for around 18,500 tyres a year. Bridgestone has been the market leader in this sector for over 10 years.
Continue ReadingDoes Form Still Follow Function, or Tyre Testers?
During the course of Continental’s annual pre-Christmas event, which has now taken place for more than 10 years, the German manufacturer asked international tyre specialists from several reputed magazines to ponder the following question: “Do driver assist systems require new winter tyre testing procedures?” To summarise the stimulated discussions that took place in Ivalo, Finland, it seems development engineers at Hanover are obliged to try and serve the two masters at the same time. On the one hand, all tyre manufacturers are interested in achieving good test results for their products. On the other hand, tyre features have to be optimised according to road realities. And this is exactly where Continental has detected a discrepancy: because of the introduction of new driver assist systems some test set-ups seem to be out-of-date and could therefore generate misleading results. Driver assist systems like ABS, ESC and TCS are now common standard fitments, even on compact cars. They provide increased safety and intervene to correct driving errors. During tyre testing, however, ESC and TCS are switched off in order to test the tyres without the effects of those systems. But such test methods have now reached their limits – particularly when you consider that ESC cannot be switched off in some vehicles without interfering with the electronics. Transferability of the test results therefore also debatable because – depending on the vehicle manufacturer’s philosophy – driver assist systems have different performance parameters and so respond in different ways to different tyres grip characteristics. According to Dr Burkhard Wies from Continental, driver assist systems should also be switched on during tyre testing in the future. This would keep tyre tests in line with latest technological advances for both tyres and vehicles.
Continue ReadingBFGoodrich Top Four in WRC Debut
BFGoodrich marked its WRC debut at the 74th Monte Carlo Rally by monopolising the podium with three different partners – Ford, Citroen and Peugeot – and even clinching fourth place too. Two-time World Champion Marcus Grönholm and co-driver Timo Rautiainen collected their first Monte Carlo win in a Ford Focus RS WRC06, finishing clear of triple Monte winner Sébastien Loeb driving a Citroën, with fellow-Finn Toni Gardemeister and Austrian Manfred Stohl coming in third and fourth respectively in their Peugeots. Tyre choice is even more important in the Monte Carlo Rally, the longest-established rally of them all, as it is the only event where drivers have to compete on two surfaces, asphalt and ice/snow sections.
Continue ReadingRuia Group Acquires Dunlop India and Falcon Tyres
The privately owned Ruia Group has bought Dunlop India Ltd, Falcon Tyres Ltd and India Tyres from the Dubai-based Jumbo Group for a reported 2 billion rupees (£25 million). “An agreement has been reached between Pawan Kumar Ruia and the (Chhabria) Jumbo Group to hand over both Dunlop India and Falcon Tyres,” said H Sandu, a group spokesman, confirming the development took place at a meeting in Mumbai. According to India’s United News Agency, Ruia said the figure required for revival of the company was around 1.5 billion rupees, although the National Productivity Council projected the package would be around 2.1 billion rupees. He said the liability of Dunlop stood at around 6 billion rupees and negotiations with the staff and the bank will begin shortly. The Sahagunj and Ambattur factories will be opened shortly and the redevelopment will reportedly take around two years. After visiting the factory with his family members and a group of executives, Ruia told the Business Standard that the condition of the Sahagunj plant was much better than expected. “I think, we could start production soon at the plant,” he said. However, Ruia qualified his optimism by saying he wanted to restart production in phases. Most of the production lines, which include rubber pipe and hose production equipment, are reportedly “old”, but the factory also “has a modern conveyor belt line,” the Business Standard reported. At the last count, the Sahagunj unit had 2,700 employees. Production at the Ambattur factory is expected to restart in six months time. Apart from the Ruias, Metro Tyres, MRF, Hero Honda, the Caparo Group of Lord Swraj Paul and the Sarda Group were all also in the in the running to purchase the assets. Dunlop says it aims to become a leader in the tyre industry, even if it means getting into alliances with global tyre giants keen on India, said Pawan Ruia at the first media meeting after taking over Dunlop. According to the Business Standard, the Sumitomo name was mentioned as one such company.
Continue ReadingCooper Promotes Three to Marketing Posts
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. promoted Douglas Brown, Michael Inbody and Amy Niese to positions as marketing managers. Most recently, Brown was a regional credit manager; Inbody was an advertising manager; and Niese was marketing programme analyst.
Continue ReadingCGS Promotes Semperit Brand
At the end of 2005 CGS Tyres launched its new SuperVolumeTyre (SVT) - an innovation designed to serve demanding machinery, according to the company. But it didn’t stop there. At the same time CGS launched the Semperit agricultural brand, effectively re-branding its Uniroyal line, while also releasing its 2006/2007 databook. CGS also introduced its new Semperit agricultural tyre brand in November, during the Agritechnica exhibition in Hanover. The move amounts to the re-branding of its Uniroyal products under the Semperit moniker. According to CGS, this brand is characterised in particular by an excellent price/performance ratio. Unlike the Continental brand, Semperit will be marketed exclusively through selected distributors in Western Europe. For farmers and contractors in the British Isles this means RH Claydon in Great Britain and Phillip White Tyres and Donnegal Tyres in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Accompanying the launch, CGS has created modern new advertising concepts, which are said to allude to the Semperit passenger car range. CGS will offer Semperit cross-ply and radial tyres. By offering a “large dimension range,” the company says the brand represents an alternative to other competitors in the quality segment. The Cultor-S (standard radial tyres) and Cultor-70 (70 per cent radial wide base tyres) were also presented at Agritechnica. Speaking with CGS’ UK commercial managing director, Andrew Mabin, reveals that the company is in the process of negotiating OE fitments with a number of well-known machinery manufacturers, which could be finalised in the early part of 2006. As far as the GB distributor, RH Claydon is concerned the introduction of the Semperit brand is good news. “Semperit is a good name, its an exciting brand to bring back into the market,” commented RH Claydon’s Dick Anderson. When asked how he thought customers would respond to the brand name change, he added: “We had excellent sales with Uniroyal and we expect the same with the Semperit.” Tyres & Accessories learnt that there may be one or two minor alterations to the product range, but generally the transition is expected to be smooth with most of the changes taking place with cross-ply fitments. According to Andrew Mabin six Semperit sizes are already available with another scheduled for a January 2006 release. For its part RH Claydon intends to promote the brand through the production of new Semperit brochure and show exposure, starting with January’s LAMMA show in Newark. In order to explain the reasoning behind CGS’ decision to re-brand its Uniroyal products, the recent history of the company has to be examined. CGS Tyres develops, produces and markets its own brand Mitas agricultural tyres, as well as the licensed Continental, Barum, Semperit and Euzkadi brands. The company licences these brands on a “long term basis”, as it did with Uniroyal until recently. When CGS bought Continental AG’s agricultural division in November 2004, the licensed brands came with it. However, now the time has come for the company to launch the Semperit brand. CGS says it will offer “excellent price/performance ratio” products under the Semperit name. The broader CGS Tyres business unit makes a wide range of products - from the lawnmower to combine harvester tyres. CGS Tyres is active in 11 international locations and contributes to approximately 40 per cent of the total turnover of the larger CGS-Group. These sales are said to make CGS Tyres the second-largest manufacturer of agricultural tyres in Europe, Behind Michelin. CGS agricultural products are manufactured at its Czech factories in Otrokovice, Zlin and Prague. The Otrokovice plant specialises in the production of radial drive wheel tyres. Radial tyre production there represents 80 per cent of total output. With the addition of two further production plants, CGS Tyres expects to be able to expand capacity to approximately 500,000 units in the coming years.
Continue Reading