What’s different about desegmentation in the agricultural tyre sector?
The influence of non-premium brand tyre manufacturers and of non-European produced tyres has markedly increased in the wider European agricultural tyre market. Something else that the data suggests is that a degree of desegmentation has occurred because all this has been set against a series of financial crises in Europe and its respective national markets. Not only are there opportunities for those entering the right niche at the right time, it would seem that there are opportunities for those entering the market at a different position to the historically dominant players.
Continue ReadingTransaid takes tyre training to Tanzania
During November and December Michelin Training Instructor Carl Williams visited Tanzania with Transaid to teach much-needed tyre safety skills. In this exclusive diary feature, he shares his experience with Tyres & Accessories. The motivation behind transport industry charity Transaid’s involvement in African and Tanzania in particular is clear. Road deaths are the third biggest premature killer in sub-Saharan Africa. And this led to Carl Williams’ decision to volunteer within Michelin to visit Tanzania, located on the east coast of the continent, to help improve road safety. As one of the project’s supporters, Michelin agreed to send Williams on two-week secondment during November and December, teaching local driver trainers and road safety enforcers about correct tyre management and how to improve tyre safety in Tanzania’s largest city, Dar es Salaam.
Continue ReadingAgricultural specialist RH Claydon heads for 60th anniversary milestone
Now in its 60th year of trading, independent wholesaler R H Claydon aims to offer an extensive product portfolio designed to meet the needs of discerning tyre distributors, service providers and end users in the UK and Ireland markets. According to business development and purchasing director John Parker, the agricultural or (off-highway) market is where RH Claydon does best and therefore is the area that the industry judges to be the company’s “core sphere of expertise.”
Continue ReadingFirestone app reaches 10,000 downloads
Firestone’s agricultural Tyre Pressure Calculator app for iPhone has reportedly stormed to 10,000 downloads, confirming demand from farmers for this information to reduce soil compaction and maximise successful germination.
Continue ReadingDon’t forget your tyres this Christmas – TyreSafe
Christmas, traditionally one of the busiest times of the year on the roads, is just over a week away, and TyreSafe has issued drivers a timely reminder about the importance of checking their tyres. It notes that the conditions that come with the hoped-for white Christmas are not the only driving conditions that car owners will need to treat with caution – damp roads can be just as hazardous, particularly if tyres are left unchecked.
Continue ReadingHome for Christmas – Titan axes 60 jobs at Freeport plant
In his guidance for next year, Titan International’s Maurice Taylor bragged that 2012 delivered “record revenue, net income, gross margins, operation margins – just everything.” He also boasted about his golf handicap. Perhaps news of the company’s vitality and Taylor’s prowess on the green will provide some comfort to the 60 or so workers reported to have been laid off at Titan Tire’s Freeport, Illinois factory in the US. According to local newspaper the Journal Standard, the Titan International subsidiary confirmed on 17 December that employee lay-offs had occurred; while the Journal Standard says Titan officials were “unavailable for comment”, it writes that David Young, executive director of the Northwest Illinois Development Alliance, attributes the job cuts to a seasonal reduction in demand.
Continue ReadingBirla shuts factory until year’s end
The Indo-Asia News Service reports that sluggish market conditions have prompted India’s Birla Tyres to temporarily stop operations at its Orissa state factory. The plant will remain closed until 31 December, an anonymous senior plant official told IANS. He added that Birla has stocks of almost 100,000 tyres that it is unable to sell. The company has reportedly stopped production for at least one week in every month since May due to low demand.
Continue ReadingJoint venture seeks new tyre applications for urethanes
Use in tyres, particularly in harsh environments such as underground mines, is just one of a number of areas the product of a new partnership will be applied to. Specialty chemicals company Chemtura Corporation and machinery firm Caterpillar Inc. have announced their entry into a joint venture agreement to explore “novel applications” for Chemtura’s Duracast hot-cast urethane pre-polymer technology for construction and mining equipment.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Americas’ motorsport head retires
After 38 years with the company, the executive director of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations’ motorsports activities will retire next year. At present no successor has been named.
Continue ReadingJob losses, lay-offs at Nokian’s Finnish plant
The statutory negotiations Nokian Tyres commenced in early November wound up on 17 December and the tyre maker has announced the cuts it will implement at its plant in Nokia, Finland. Antti-Jussi Tähtinen, vice-president of marketing and communications for Nokian, reports the planned improvements in productivity and production adjustments will be mainly achieved via temporary lay-offs. In addition, 28 production workers and officials will be laid off permanently.
Continue ReadingFerrari F1 Show Car on display at Australian motor museum
Bridgestone Australia has provided its Ferrari F2004 Formula One show car to the country’s National Motor Museum on a long-term loan. The car, an exact replica of the racer that won 15 out of 18 races in the 2004 Formula One season and scored 12 pole positions at the hands of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, was officially unveiled at the Adelaide-based museum on 12 December.
Continue ReadingTyre swap ends in embarrassing shooting
A US man has aptly demonstrated why tyres, firearms and alcohol don’t make the most congenial bedfellows. Oregon-based publication the Statesman Journal reports the story of Brandon Butler, who late on the evening of 14 December inspected a set of tyres being sold by an acquaintance, Anthony Catullo. According to the Statesman Journal, rather than offering cash for the tyres, Butler suggested a barter arrangement.
Continue ReadingTalk in pounds, not PSI appreciated – Goodyear reports positive FOS feedback
Recently Goodyear launched its FleetOnlineSolutions Mobile Technical Evaluation (FOS Mte) for OTR tyre into the Europe, Middle East and Africa region business area. The internet-based tyre management programme allows fleet inspection reports to be filed online at the time of each visit, quickly giving the customer information on the performance of each tyre in the fleet. It also provides relevant information in actual cost terms for greater transparency.
Continue ReadingTyre longevity commitment lands ATS Euromaster major deal
ATS Euromaster has secured what it calls a “significant new tyre agreement” with Derbyshire-based Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS). The agreement covers the supply and service of tyres for 100 per cent of the company’s 2,300-strong fleet of light commercials and heavy trucks. The contract is worth hundreds of thousands of pounds annually and Peter Findlay, general manager for Fleet Operations at CVS, says it will continue for “as long as ATS Euromaster performs as well as they have shown us they can.”
Continue ReadingNokian voices support for Swedish winter tyre rule
Sweden’s government has decided that from the start of 2013, trucks operating within the country must have tyres with at least 5 mm pattern depth and winter tyres on their drive axles between 1 December and 31 March, whenever winter conditions occur. This new requirement has been applauded by Nokian Tyres, which says it “can be expected to substantially increase road safety during the winter season.”
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