MRF to Produce Fighter Aircraft Tyres?
This year Indian manufacturer MRF established a niche in the military aviation tyre segment through an arrangement to supply original equipment tyres to Hindustan Aeronautical’s Chetak range of helicopters. The first batch of three to four hundred tyres has already been produce and another order is expected to be ready by January 2010. Furthermore, it appears likely that the tyre maker will extend its military supply presence even further in the near future.
Continue ReadingMercedes Joins TyreSafe
Mercedes-Benz has become the latest vehicle manufacturer group to join TyreSafe. The company will run a series of tyre safety initiatives across its retailer network and fleet customers, highlighting the important role that tyres play in road safety, which will include a cold weather tyre programme for this winter. As well as supporting and participating in TyreSafe’s national campaigns, Mercedes-Benz will give input into the organisation, helping it develop further and reduce the number of accidents and fatalities caused by defective tyres.
Continue ReadingF1 Should Go Back to Competing Suppliers – Last Chance to Vote
Its seems virtually no-one likes the idea of having continuing with a control tyre in Formula One. As voting for this month’s tyrepress.com Question of the month draws to a close, an overwhelming majority of respondents said “competing tyre manufacturers make for more interesting race.” At the time of writing 93.1 per cent of voters chose this option. Therefore a mere 6.9 per cent support the concept of the world’s most prestigious motor racing series continuing with just one tyre supplier when Bridgestone bows out of this role at the end of the 2010 season.
Continue ReadingConti Invests to Expand Production Processes in Romania
Continental has announced plans to expand the production process at its Timişoara passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyre facility in Romania. The expansion will centre upon the construction of a new unit for processing the master batch and, adds Conti, will enable the company to have a completely integrated production unit that permits the local processing of raw materials, a feature that will consolidate the company’s tyre business in Romania and increase the plant’s cost competitiveness. The project will involve a “two digit million” amount, Continental adds, and will in the mid-term lead to the creation of around 200 new jobs.
Continue ReadingGajah Tunggal Looking to Fill US Market Void Left by Tariffs
Indonesian tyre maker PT Gajah Tunngal is hoping to take advantage of US tariffs against Chinese made consumer tyres. The Jakarta Globe reports company director Catherine Widjaja as saying “we are looking to see if we can fill the void left after the US hiked import tariffs on Chinese tyres.”
Continue ReadingCollmann Joins TRIB
TRIB, the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau, reports the addition of German retreading machinery manufacturer Collmann GmbH & Co to its ranks. The Lübeck based company, which began manufacturing buffers and other retread related machinery more than 70 years ago, is today recognised as a world leader in retread and other tyre related machinery.
Continue ReadingDunlop Qualifier II Wins Visordown Tyre Test
Dunlop reports that the latest addition to its motorcycle range, the Qualifier II, has won Visordown’s annual winter tyre test. The popular magazine, formerly known as TWO, tested a range of premium tyres in wet and dry conditions to find the best tyre for use during cold, wet winters.
Continue ReadingReports: Continental Refinancing ‘Will Be Done By Christmas’
Continental AG is aiming to complete the refinancing negotiations of its syndicated loan before Christmas, Reuters quoted sources “familiar with the matter” as saying. Further reports suggest Continental is opting to pay a higher interest rate in exchange for postponing a 3.5 billion euro payment due in August next year. Instead the automotive supplier is expected to use a 1 billion euro capital increase and extend the remaining 2.5 billion in loan payments, “temporarily eliminating any need to raise cash via the disposal of its Rubber Group activities” according to Reuters.
Continue ReadingMichelin Man Hits The Road With Boughey Distribution
The world-famous Michelin Man is hitching a ride on the back of 12 trailers in the Boughey Distribution fleet, to highlight the innovative X One MaxiTrailer tyres which have been fitted as original equipment on every one of the 160 new trailers which have joined the fleet since late 2007. The distinctive size of the 455/45 R 22.5 X One MaxiTrailer tyres gives the trailers a low profile look providing a low centre of gravity which has shown to improve stability. Paul Brimelow, Group Fleet Engineer at Wardle-based Boughey Distribution, explains. “Since the trailers entered service we have clocked up nearly 20 million kilometres on X One Maxi Trailer tyres and other than occasional punctures and sidewall damage due to impact, we have suffered no tyre failures at all, which has resulted in an exceptional level of tyre reliability for our fleet.
Continue ReadingSignal Extraprise Opens New Europe Office
Last month tyre and aftermarket systems supplier Signal Extraprise opened a European office with the UK and Irish markets the primary focus. Since 1992 Signal Extraprise has developed information systems that support tyre outlets and auto service centres across North America. In 2006, Signal reportedly set out to create a revolutionary product, targeting all tyre and vehicle-servicing enterprises in the automotive aftermarket. That work culminated in 2009 with the launch of eXceed an offering designed to help service providers to remake their businesses based on the very different marketplace they face now. Instead of, for example, focusing on the mechanics of ordering, quoting, work orders and the like (which are all still important and included), Signal built a technology to help the dealers transform their stores into engines of growth and profitability.
Continue ReadingBandag Now ‘Fully Integrated’ into Bridgestone
Speaking at last week’s Bridgestone Truck Point roadshow, Bridgestone UK retread sales manager Les Lawrence and Bandag UK sales manager Ross Medlyn explained the latest developments in the continuing process of integrating Bandag into Bridgestone. While everyone agrees that the process of integration remains an ongoing project, Ross Medlyn specifically described the two operations’ current status as “fully integrated.” What this means is that Bridgestone and Bandag products are already being sold side-by-side, with the two ranges evolving to reflect the influence of the merger. It is also representative of what is and will happen in other European markets.
Continue ReadingDelforge Takes Over as Goodyear Dunlop EMEA Communications Director
Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe has reported the recent appointment of a new communications director for its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. According to EMEA region president Arthur De Bok, Belgian Tom Delforge began in the role on September 1, replacing Chris Aked, who has retired.
Continue ReadingUS Tariffs Put Pressure on Prices
Tyre manufacturers in the US are likely to follow Goodyear in raising prices to offset tariffs on Chinese made tyres and rising raw material costs. This is the opinion disseminated by Associated Press, which reports KeyBanc analyst Saul Ludwig’s view that prices will be up some five to ten per cent by January. Goodyear, which will increase consumer replacement market prices by six per cent in December, imports around two per cent of its tyres from China. Its price increase, thus, could offset the extra costs.
Continue ReadingConti Releases Winter Guide for Europe Bound Drivers
UK and Irish truck and coach operators driving on Continental roads this winter can benefit from a new guide Continental Tyres has released. The guide outlining the various tyre requirements they can expect to encounter in Europe has been updated for the 2009/2010 winter season and can be downloaded free from Conti’s UK website.
Continue ReadingBEN Charity Skydive Reaches Great Heights
When former BEN chief executive Geoffrey Atkinson OBE and his wife Tina leapt out of an aircraft at a height of 15,000 feet on October 17, they were aiming to raise £15,000 for the automotive and related industries’ charity. As it turns out, they should have commenced their skydive a thousand feet higher – as to date the pair have raised an impressive £16,000 for BEN.
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