Board Appointment For Goodyear
Philip A. Laskawy, (60) who retired as chairman and chief executive officer of Ernst & Young LLP on June 30, has been elected to the board of directors of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Mr. Laskawy successfully led Ernst & Youngs re-engineering effort that resulted in higher levels of customer service, greater diversity and outstanding revenue growth, said Goodyear chairman and CEO Samir G. Gibara. His experience and focus on change management will be a valuable addition to our Board as Goodyear seeks to get even closer to its customers.
Continue ReadingDeath Of Former Fulda Sales Director Mühlisch
Former Sales Director and member of the board of Fulda Reifen, Günter Mühlisch, who retired in the summer of 1995, died on Monday 23rd of July, aged 69.
Continue ReadingWinter Tyres From Continental For Porsche
Tyre manufacturer Continental is producing a special edition of its WinterContact TS 790 V tyre exclusively for Porsche. The tyre – already mounted on the rim – will be distributed in Germany by Porsche dealers only.
Continue ReadingInsurers Aim To Collect From Firestone/Ford
Allstate and State Farm, two of Americas largest insurers are aiming to recover the costs of claims paid out to victims of traffic accidents involving Ford Explorers and Firestone tyres. An insurance industry spokesman said Firestone and Ford have attempted to avoid the courts and settled claims quietly with the plaintiffs, I would expect the same strategy with the insurance companies.
Continue ReadingTyres and On Site Support From Michelin
Michelin has committed 24 hour support and tyres towards keeping the recovery efforts in New York moving. Specifically an On-Site Service truck in the disaster area 24 hours a day, seven days per week to service emergency vehicles; 250,000 US Dollars (270,338 Euro) worth of Michelin tyres and an on-site technical expert to assist in mobility issues. Additionally, Michelin Group has contributed 1M US Dollars (1,081,775 Euro) to the American Red Cross Disaster Fund. A Michelin Relief Fund has been opened to all 128,000 Michelin employees who may wish to make further donations.
Continue ReadingCART Series To Use Bridgestone Potenza Tyres
From 2002, cars in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) competition will be racing on Bridgestone Potenza radials instead of Firestone tyres. The company says that the Bridgestone brand has had limited exposure to racing fans in the US up till now but, with CART evolving into an international program, it is appropriate to capitalise on Bridgestones reputation as an international race brand.
Continue ReadingBrazilian Joint Venture For Watts
Watts Industrial Tyres (WIT), the UK market leader for industrial tyres, has signed a joint venture agreement with its Brazilian distributor to manufacture and distribute Watts brand solid tyres in Brazil. The company is Souza Pinto Industria e Comercio de Artefatos de Borracha Ltda. and production begins this month at a new factory near Sao Paolo.
Continue ReadingETRA-Conference In Leipzig
A year ago, the conference of the European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA) was held in Schwerin, dealing with the present situation and future perspectives of scrap tyre disposal in Germany. Many questions and problems that were left unanswered in 1999 were also discussed at the following conference in Leipzig, which took place at the beginning of last December. Also this time there were few new answers to be found concerning the well-known problems in this area. Why is it so difficult to solve these problems connected with the recycling business? Some answers: the participants in this market are very diverse – and so are the individual aims. In addition, the market situation for recycled scrap tyres is still not the best, and new ideas for sensible and economical applications are few and far between at the moment. Even if they exist, they may still be blocked in many cases, e.g. the use of rubber in road surfaces. On the other hand there is a requirement for European quality standards for products which are already distributed. Furthermore, the knowledge of some companies in this sector is quite limited: it is either the tyre-, disposal- or the marketing-know how that is missing. In many cases the financial backing for new projects is insufficient. Not to mention a number of scandals concerning illegal landfills, which has negatively influenced public opinion about this business sector. Finally the serious market participants, as well as their association ETRA, have run up against a wall of disinterest on the part of the state and the tyre manufacturers.
Continue ReadingTyre Size 305/40 R 23V From Toyo
Following Pirelli and Dunlop, also Toyo presents two 22 inch tyres: Proxes S/T is available in 305/45 and 325/40 with speed index V. As well as these extreme sizes Toyo has developed an even bigger size: 305/40 R 23 115V for typical pick-ups and sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
Continue ReadingPartnership Between Point-S And Bridgestone
The German cooperation organisation Point-S and Bridgestone-Firestone are working more, and closer, together than in the past. Point-S is evidently reducing volumes with Pirelli and Michelin, which are the biggest suppliers to the fast-growing Viborg group.
Continue ReadingDelphi Finish Year On A Positive Note
Delphi, the global automotive systems supplier reports a positive year, despite disappointing fourth quarter results due to the sharp drop in fourth quarter vehicle volumes and resultant decline in revenues. Although annual sales are down, net income has increased by $11 million to $1.1 billion. This concludes a good first year for Delphi as an independent,publicly owned company
Continue ReadingAlloy Wheel Report, Part One: Aftermarket Under Pressure
Following an old tradition, we take a close look at the alloy wheel business in the March and April issues of NEUE REIFENZEITUNG. The only thing that has changed is the order in which we intend to do this. Usually the first part of the analysis is concerned with the original equipment sector, which is followed by the replacement sector. This year we will look at it the other way round and begin with the aftermarket business in Germany. While the German aftermarket for alloy wheels has been flat for some years – although at a high level – the OE-suppliers have registered a significant growth in their figures. Competitors of the aftermarket sector observe negative trends, pessimistic voices are dominating the discussion. The growth of some happens at the expense of other companies who are not able to face the intensified competition. In the end there will be tremendous competition, fought with price as the weapon; a process which already started some time ago. In the first part of the alloy wheel report, these topics will be discussed, as will be the chances that still exist in this market. In addition, actual trends and developments of the sector will be described.
Continue ReadingGovernment Appoints Rubber Industry Researcher
The Department of Trade and Industry has appointed Chem Systems Ltd. to conduct a three month survey into the rubber industry in the UK. This will include the tyre industry and focussing on end-user needs should provide recommendations upon which trade bodies and the government can plan future policy to develop the industry.
Continue ReadingShorter Working Week Accepted By Michelin Workers
It is reported that workers at Michelin in France have accepted the managements proposal to reduce the working week from 39 hours to 35. This move will make Michelin eligible for state aid, believed to be worth around 30 million Euro. The majority of white collar workers voted in favour, but there was a slim majority against the proposal among blue-collar workers. Overall, 60 per cent of workers voted to accept.
Continue ReadingSmart Tyre Delayed
Nokian has taken the decision to hold back on the launch of its smart tyre to 2002. The intelligent tyre which sends tyre information to the driver via a telephone link was due to be rolled out in late 2001. The system designed in partnership with Singapore-based electronics manufacturer, Flextronics, will now be delayed by a full year before it is released commercially.
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