New head of Conti CV tyre PR announced
Continental’s Commercial Vehicle Tires division has a new head of global public relations. Dr. Christiane Pfeiffer, formerly in charge of international marketing communications for truck and bus tyres at Continental, has replaced Udo Brandes in this role. Brandes, aged 64, intends to retire in May after six years at Continental and until this time will work for the Commercial Vehicle Tires division in an advisory role.
Continue ReadingYokohama donates to Japan earthquake relief efforts
Yokohama Rubber has announced it will donate 50,000,000 yen (almost £380,000) to assist with relief efforts following the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan on March 11, 2011. In a press statement announcing this donation the company also said: “Yokohama Rubber Group would like to express their sympathy to the families who lost loved ones in the earthquake and tsunami, and truly hope that the area devastated by the earthquake will be reconstructed as soon as possible.”
Continue ReadingBEN appoints new head of marketing
Automotive industry charity BEN has appointed Ray Diggins as its new head of marketing. Diggins has spent 30 years in the industry, with the last 20 as group marketing manager for two of the UK's largest motor groups. BEN says this appointment is “central to BEN's awareness-raising strategy” – Diggins’ primary focus will be on increasing the charity's visibility throughout the automotive and related industries and heightening understanding of the scope and scale of its work. He joined the team on 8 March and will be based at the charity's headquarters in Sunninghill, Ascot.
Continue ReadingNew Bridgestone CI a “diversification” of the brand
As was reported at the beginning of March on tyrepress.com (see related news link below), Bridgestone celebrated its 80th year with a new corporate identity – altering its logo and tagline, and “refining” its corporate philosophy. Communications manager at Bridgestone UK, Andy Dingley says the evolution undergone in Bridgestone’s corporate lifespan created the need “to reflect those social changes” in its branding.
Continue ReadingNissan selects Toyo Proxes A20 as OE on 2011 Murano CrossCabriolet
Toyo Tire USA has announced that its Proxes A20 tyre will be fitted as original equipment on Nissan’s new 2011 Murano CrossCabriolet, which is available for sale this week. The Proxes A20 is an all-season tyre designed to reduce noise, while maintaining ride comfort in wet and dry. It also boasts reduced rolling resistance, according to the manufacturer.
Continue ReadingFalken reports Shirakawa tyre plant suspension after tsunami
Falken has released a statement from its finance and admin director T. Ikeuchi, reporting that its Shirakawa factory has “stopped daily manufacturing operations due to the immediate black out, and because the factory building and equipments installed have been found partly damaged. Ikeuchi also stated that the company is “investigating the extent of the damages”, intending to recommence production as soon as possible. In addition, Ikeuchi said that all “Sumitomo Rubber Industries group employees and their families have been confirmed uninjured”.
Continue ReadingHalfords promises to tell it like it is
Halfords Autocentres has pledged to make customers' lives easier by championing the use of 'plain English' in its garages, following a poll of 2,000 motorists carried out for Halfords which revealed a high level of confusion around mechanical jargon and the need for simple and un-patronising language when dealing with motorists. Over nine out of ten car owners (91 per cent) say they are left bewildered by terminology used by mechanics and almost half of motorists (48 per cent) admit paying for a service or repair without understanding what it was for.
Continue ReadingStapleton’s Confirms NETE Purchase
Stapleton’s Tyre Services has officially confirmed that on 28 February 2011 it acquired all the shares of North Eastern Tyre & Exhaust Limited (NETE). However, an official statement issued by the company reported that NETE will continue to trade as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stapleton’s Tyre Services. Stapleton’s representatives said the company intends to complement NETE’s “professional approach to the market and their excellent customer service in order to ensure the future success of both companies.” No further details of the price or the terms have yet been released.
Continue ReadingWTO rules against parallel US duties on Chinese OTR tyres
The United Steelworkers has described a decision made by the Appeals body of the World Trade Organization as “a slap in the face to US workers and industries that are harmed by China's predatory trade practices.” The decision reverses the findings of a WTO panel report from last year on anti-dumping and countervailing duty proceedings for off-road tyres and a number of other products from China; specifically, the WTO states the US Department of Commerce acted erroneously by simultaneous levying both anti-dumping and countervailing duties on these products.
Continue ReadingHalf of Chinese tyre makers recording YTD losses
News of falling rubber prices should be welcomed by Chinese tyre makers; the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post reports that 50 per cent of tyre manufacturers in China have recorded losses in the year to date as a result of continued high natural rubber prices. Most manufacturers have responded to recent high raw material costs with price increases – the China Rubber Industry Association notes that since the Chinese New Year holiday period a number of tyre makers, including Michelin, Bridgestone, and Double Coin Holdings, have raised prices by between five and eight per cent. The association adds that those who have not yet increased prices are planning to do so either in March or April.
Continue ReadingAeolus Tyre reports 50.8% drop in 2010 net profits
Aeolus Tyre posted a 50.77 per cent year-on-year drop in 2010 net profit to 153 million yuan, business news wires have reported citing a company filings. Earnings per share are said to have fallen 50.79 per cent to 0.41 yuan per share. The good news was that sales revenue rose 44.45 per cent year-on-year to 8.12 billion yuan, however this also means margins must have narrowed significantly.
Continue ReadingThai Government to prop up rubber prices
According to news published on the The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries’ website, Thailand’s government intends to intervene in its domestic rubber market and support prices following their recent fall. The country’s deputy prime minister, Suthep Thaugsuban, is quoted as saying “we will meet exporters very soon. We need to do something to support rubber prices; they should not fall below 100 baht (£2.01) per kilogramme.” Prices for USS3 rubber fell to 95 baht per kilogramme on March 14, down from 132 baht on March 11. Since mid-February prices for USS3 rubber have plummeted almost 50 per cent.
Continue ReadingJapan earthquake exacerbates rubber price decline
Rubber prices have been in decline of late and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan have added to this downward trend. The trading of rubber futures on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange was suspended following a 30 yen per kilogramme drop in the April-delivery contract (to 378.4 yen) while the August delivery rubber contract declined 4.5 per cent or 17.9 yen to 383.5 yen. This decline was tracked by China's benchmark rubber futures on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, which on March 14 fell by six per cent, the daily limit, to RMB 33,480 per tonne.
Continue ReadingToyo issues post-earthquake statement
Expressing it’s the company’s deepest condolences to the victims of the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Toyo Tires group has released further details about the how the tragedy has affected its business and what it is doing to ensure the safety of workers. Despite the fact that Toyo runs a plant in Sendai near the epicentre of the magnitude 8.9 earthquake, the company reports that neither this nor its other manufacturing plants in Japan have been affected by the tsunami, and there has not been any significant earthquake damage to plant building or facilities.
Continue ReadingHankook continues ‘success story’ with Ventus Prime2
Drawing inspiration from sources that include the “teeth of predatory cats,” the next generation Hankook Ventus premium comfort tyre has pounced onto the European market. The all-new Ventus Prime2 follows on from its similarly-named predecessor, a tyre that achieved European sales of more than ten million units during the seven years it was available. Hankook describes the new tyre, intended for “frequent drivers with a high safety awareness and maximum demands, as an evolution of a format “Ventus Prime drivers have known for many years and grown to love.” The lion’s share of the range will be produced in the company’s Rácalmás, Hungary factory.
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