Bridgestone Europe’s Annunziato takes on senior role within parent company
Bridgestone Europe’s Franco Annunziato holds the distinction of going boldly where no European has gone before; the Italian national, who is chief quality officer and senior vice president of Technology at Bridgestone Europe, has taken on the additional role of vice president and senior officer at Bridgestone Corporation. In announcing his appointment, effective March 29, Bridgestone points out that Annunziato is the first ever European to be appointed to such a senior position within the Japanese corporation.
Continue ReadingKinergy Eco ‘a new era’ in tyres for Hankook
A new passenger car tyre range released by Hankook Tire in Europe is one the manufacturer says heralds a “new era in the tyre segment.” The range is called Kinergy Eco and takes its name from kinetic energy, or energy of motion – a clear nod to the tyre’s focus on reducing rolling resistance. Hankook states the Kinergy Eco “combines state-of-the-art Hankook tyre technology in the areas of safety, handling, and comfort with the environmental consciousness that is becoming an increasingly important criterion for today’s vehicles.”
Continue ReadingProctor & Gamble's Geissler elected to Goodyear Board of Directors
Goodyear has announced the election of Werner Geissler, vice chairman of global operations for The Procter & Gamble Company, to the company’s Board of Directors as an independent director. “Werner brings to our Board of Directors more than three decades of valuable experience in brand and business leadership,” said Richard J. Kramer, chairman and chief executive officer. “His consumer marketing expertise, along with his international insights, will be an asset as we continue to carry out our global strategy in 2011 and beyond.”
Continue ReadingLow Barca temperatures led to different F1 tyre characteristics: Hembery
Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery has noted the different characteristics of the company’s Formula One PZero tyres in unusually cold Barcelona testing last weekend, admitting that “ambient temperatures were not what we hoped to see”. Tests started in temperatures as low as only 6 degrees centigrade, and Hembery made the point that Grands Prix will be run in temperatures “of at least 15 degrees”. Nevertheless, Hembery was pleased with the attention being paid to the tyres, as Pirelli makes its debut in Formula One’s modern era.
Continue ReadingEurotire says “Romanian OTR plant is complete”
New York based mining tyre company Eurotire - not to be confused with European distributor Eurotyre - has announced the completion of its OTR manufacturing plant at Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania, which was first announced in 2007. The company says US$300m was invested, with “nearly 1,000,000 sq ft of high-tech manufacturing and product development space” available at the facility. Information on the capacity of the plant, the product lines manufactured there and the markets products from the plant will be shipped to has not yet been passed to tyrepress.com.
Continue ReadingKumho tyres shod winner of GMF Motor Factors Wydean Forest Rally
Four of the top ten finishers at the GMF Motor Factors Wydean Forest Rally on 12 February were shod with Kumho R800 gravel rally tyres, the Korean manufacturer reports. They included the Peugeot Cosworth of Andy Burton and Robin Kellard, which took the top podium spot, and the Mitsubishi Evo IX of David Wright and Michael Wilkinson that was fourth overall and first in class B13.
Continue ReadingMichelin presenting Ultraflex tyres at SIMA 2011
Serge Lafon, Michelin’s executive director of Agricultural Tyres World says that the company’s SIMA 2011 line-up provides “tangible proof of Michelin’s strategic commitment to enhancing the productivity of farmers and farming companies and boosting their bottom line.” The stand is presenting the CerexBib for harvesters, the SprayBib for row-crop sprayers and the AxioBib in a new size – IF900/60R42 – the market’s only 2.15-metre flotation tyre with “Improved Flexion”. Michelin says its tyres deliver “enhanced soil protection, considerably lower fuel consumption and greater longevity”, helping farms to be more profitable.
Continue ReadingMaxxis launches dealer POS initiative
Maxxis International is boosting support for its retailer network through a new initiative designed to help them showcase key products within the Maxxis range. Qualifying retailers – all Maxxis Centres of Excellence plus nominated businesses that exceed their sales targets – will be provided with a new illuminated ‘Grafikpod’ display unit, which will enable them to put different market segments under the spotlight.
Continue ReadingVan tyre defects on the rise, says VOSA report
The results of the latest VOSA effectiveness report have come to TyreSafe’s attention and the tyre safety organisation is not impressed with the attention van drivers are paying to their tyres. The report, TyreSafe comments, shows that ‘condition of tyres’ remains the most frequent prohibition defect at spot checks on light goods vehicles across the country, and the incidence rate is increasing; in 2007/08 and 2008/09 it sat at 20 per cent but rose to just under 26 per cent in 2009/10.
Continue ReadingNew Apollo factories: First Eastern Europe, then Indonesia
In the last year or so conflicting reports on Apollo Tyres’ plans to set up a factory in Eastern Europe have circulated; in March 2010 it was said plans for a new plant there had been dropped in favour of a focus on expanding the former Vredestein facility in the Netherlands, while later in the year talk from Apollo management turned again to international investments. Recent news from Chennai, India based newspaper the Economic Times indicates a new factory in Eastern Europe is indeed still on the cards.
Continue ReadingPirelli increasing US tyre prices
Prices for Pirelli consumer products in the United States are to rise over the coming months. On March 1, 2011, the price of moto tyres will increase three per cent, while a five per cent increase for car and light truck tyres will be implemented on April 1. The tyre maker says increasing raw material costs, particularly natural rubber, are the reason behind this price hike.
Continue ReadingSchrader introduces TPMS Expert centres to the UK
Describing TPMS as “a new market for tyre dealers in Europe”, leading valve sensor and system manufacturer Schrader has announced the introduction of TPMS Expert centres into the UK. As the apparent world leader in this specialist area (the company holds a reported 50 per cent market share) Schrader is already very much active in the aftermarket supply of these components. Nevertheless, this latest move sees the company move to extend and enhance its position in the market and sees Schrader offer “complete support to tyre specialists from technical training to products, tools, accessories and promotion of this new service.” In addition TPMS Expert Centre signage will enable customer recognition for the provision of this new expertise.
Continue ReadingGiti Tire Corporation 2010 earnings down 64 per cent
Giti Tire Corporation (a Giti Group Shanghai listed company) recorded a 64 per cent year-on-year drop in 2010 net profit attributable to shareholders to 54 million yuan. This was despite a 36 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue to 3.61 billion yuan, according to a company filing.
Continue ReadingGuizhou Tyre’s 670 million yuan rights issue
Guizhou Tyre reportedly planed to raise 670 million yuan (£62.924 million; 74.624 million euros; US$102 million) through a rights issue of three shares for every 10 shares held at 6.86 yuan per share. According to Shanghai Securities News, which cited a company filing, the subscription period was 11 - 17 January 2011. The company has not yet released any details of the results of the issue.
Continue ReadingComputer driving simulator uses Pirelli tyre data
Software developer Turn 10’s Forza Motorsport series has yielded many plaudits for its hyper-realistic driving simulation – in tyrepress.com’s opinion the Xbox-exclusive betters even the impressive feats of the PlayStation-exclusive Gran Turismo series. But for the game’s fourth iteration, Turn 10 appears to have upped the ante, with what it terms the “most up-to-date simulation of how modern tyres grip or slip in a variety of racing conditions”. Tyre manufacturer Pirelli has reportedly provided tyre data to add to the almost photorealistic replications of cars and motorsport tracks from around the world. The game will be released this Autumn.
Continue Reading