Michelin Celebrates 20 Million Tyres
Michelin reached the 20 million tyre mark at its Waterville plant in Nova Scotia, on Friday. To mark the occasion the manufacturer donated $1,000 each to 20 local charities chosen by the 1,100 employees, reports Canada east.
Continue ReadingPeterhansel Retains Dakar Title
Mitsubishi driver, Stephane Peterhansel, has won the Dakar rally for the second consecutive year. The Frenchman finished in an overall time of 52 hours, 31 minutes and 39 seconds - 27 minutes and 14 seconds ahead of compatriot Luc Alphand. Third place was taken by Vokswagen’s Jutta Kleinschmidt, with Giniel de Villiers of Nissan and Volkwagen’s Bruno Saby taking fourth and fifth places. At the finish, Stephane Peterhansel told BBC news it was a huge relief just to have finally finished. “We were very stressed this morning and everything went well so its really a big, big relief,” he said. This year BF Goodrich supplied all of the main manufacturers’ and some private teams. The teams tackled the notoriously difficult desert terrain with the company’s Baja T/A Rock tyres in 235/85 R16.
Continue ReadingMichelin Announces New Accreditation Programme
Michelin has announced the creation of a new UK/Ireland car tyre dealer accreditation programme. The scheme is designed to help consumers find good tyre distributors where they can expect excellent service. The new programme will be wholly funded by Michelin and managed by an independent company. In order to achieve accreditation individual tyre outlets will be asked to meet minimum requirements in the services and facilities they provide, the cleanliness of the centre and the quality of the staff and operational procedures. This will be audited annually by anonymous professional shoppers and by an on-site technical inspection.
Continue ReadingMichelin Resumes Shanghai Tyre Production
Michelin has resumed production at its joint venture in Shanghai after halting operations to “clear its stock of unsold tyres,” reports news source Bloomberg. The announcement follows several reports last week that stated the tyre factory would suspend production for months to come following a slowdown in sales in the Chinese market.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Rolls Out Self Sealing Tyres
Goodyear is launching a line of ‘self sealing’ truck tyres into the American market. The tyres will feature a gel-like rubber compound designed to instantly seal tread punctures, reports the Beacon Journal. The manufacturer claims its new technology can extend the life of a truck tyre by six times its average span. The product is aimed at trucks operating in harsh conditions, where the tyres currently last for an average of three weeks.
Continue ReadingGiant Airbus A380 Starts on Michelin Tyres
When the first Airbus A380 rolls out of the production hangar tomorrow, the giant plane will be fitted with Michelin tyres. Each of the innovative tyres is designed to operate at a lift-off speed of 378 km/h carrying 33 tonnes. The new tyre’s special lightweight construction reduces the A380’s total weight by 360 kilograms, compared with conventional tyres. Michelin and Airbus have been cooperating for nearly nine years. During this association the tyre manufacturer has achieved outstanding power ratings from the tyre it has produced for Airbus due to its so-called NZG or (“Near Zero Growth”) technology. The tyres use of highly resistant materials reduces the number of plies necessary and therefore the product’s total weight. In addition to this, the tyre does not expand at maximum pressure and keeps an almost even bearing surface. This “Near Zero Growth“ effect means substantially less frictional heat is generated during taxiing.
Continue ReadingMichelin Supports Worldwide Road Safety Campaign
Michelin has become involved with a project that aims to reduce the number of road deaths in developing countries. The scheme, implemented by the Global Road Safety Partnership will see the tyre manufacturer working together with Shell, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Renault and Toyota to focus on the issue of road safety. According to the World Health Organisation’s statistics, if present trends continue, road accidents will have increased by 65 per cent in 15 years time.
Continue ReadingDefective Tyres Rise on Leicestershire Roads
Further results from the TIC’s 2004 tyre safety campaign show a four per cent increase, to 17 per cent, in the number of defective tyres in use on the roads of Leicestershire. In 2003 Leicestershire recorded that 13 per cent of vehicles checked had at least one tyre at or below the 1.6mm legal requirement. The national average is 12 per cent. Leicestershire Constabularys road safety officer, PC John Budulis said: “I am very disappointed that so many people put not only their own lives at risk, but many other peoples by driving about on defective tyres. It only takes a few seconds to check the condition of your tyres, but very few people take the time to do so. Leicestershire Police are committed to making our roads safer and will continue to enforce the tyre legislation.”
Continue ReadingBridgestone Nurture Talent
With just weeks to go until the beginning of this year’s F1 season Bridgestone has announced a pan-European search for talented young journalists. The official tyre partner to Ferrari, Jordan Grand Prix and Minardi F1 has pledged to “nurture the next generation of motorsport talent,” and so Bridgestone e-reporter is offering a chance of a lifetime to students hoping to pursue a career in journalism. An independent jury will select seven finalists to attend a European Grand Prix to report on the GP2 series, meeting the drivers behind the championship. The articles will be published on the Bridgestone Europe and GP2 websites. The winner will then win a once in a lifetime trip to Tokyo, Japan, visiting Bridgestones global headquarters and reporting on a major company event.
Continue ReadingBeissbarth Scoops Company of the Year
Beissbarth UK has been awarded the Institute of Transport Managements (ITM) ‘UK Company of the Year 2004/5’ accreditation. This is the second award to be received by the company within the space of six months. After winning the industrys equipment provider award of 2004 ‘Best Garage Equipment Provider.’
Continue ReadingContinental confident on 2005 outlook
Continental’s president and CEO (North America), Martin de Louw, is “optimistic on 2005’s outlook” reports Deutsche bank. Analysts predict that earnings will benefit from a partial payback from the Mayfield plant closure and the conclusion of restructuring charges attached to it. The consolidation of Phoenix and a positive impact from selling price increase/raw material price increase of maybe 50 million euros is also expected to benefit the company. “Overall while 2004 was a good year for Tires Co, 2005 could be even better,” say analysts.
Continue ReadingCooper Analysis Positive
According to Deutsche Bank, Cooper Tire’s (CTB) management “sounded pretty optimistic on CTBs growth prospects for 2005,” at a recent analyst conference. Company representatives remain positive about industry pricing, reports the German news source, with Cooper rolling out new price increases of up to four per cent in March. New contracts that have recently been secured should also encourage 2.5 per cent growth, say analysts.
Continue ReadingWestern European Passenger Car Registrations Rise
Western European passenger car registrations totalled 14,516,879 units in 2004 representing a growth of 2.1 per cent. ACEA figures show that 1,043,669 units were recorded in December, a 7.7 per cent increase compared to 2003 figures. Four of the five main markets posted increases for December, however the UK showed a decrease of (-0.5) per cent with 2,567,269 units registered in ’04 compared to 2,579,050 in ’03. Germany led those countries posting an increase, with a 21.5 per cent rise ahead of France, Italy and Spain. Belgium, Finland, Greece, Ireland and Portugal also posted decreases.
Continue ReadingCommunications at Continental Automotive Systems
The Continental Automotive Systems division (CAS) of Continental AG has announced that Dagmar Weiner will assume responsibility for the division’s communications starting 17 January 2005. She will oversee the internal and external communications of CAS, which specialises in vehicle safety, comfort and power transmission. The division also includes the electronics specialist Continental Temic and Continental Teves. Ms Weiner will report to the Continental executive board member Dr Karl-Thomas Neumann and to the director of corporate communications of Continental, Dr Heimo Prokop. I am very much looking forward to the task of communicating the Continental Automotive Systems division as a part of Continental AG, which leads in state-of-the-art technology for automotive safety worldwide, commented Ms Weiner on her new position with the company.
Continue ReadingBridgestone’s 4×4 Pilot Scheme
Bridgestone has implemented a new marketing strategy for its Dueller 683, 4x4 on road luxury tyre. According to news source Strategiy the manufacturer will be hosting a free, test pilot scheme for residents of several Middle Eastern countries including the UAE, KSA, Kuwait Qatar and Bahrain, in a bid to show customers how “quality tyres can assist driving.”
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