Cooper Tire Ceases American Kenda Distribution
Cooper Tire & Rubber has ended its marketing and distribution agreement with Kenda Rubber Industrial Co., Ltd. (Kenda USA Corporation) effective 1 May 2009. This means that from May, Kenda will resume responsibility for the sales and marketing, distribution and customer service of the Kenda brand in the United States and Canada. Cooper has been the exclusive marketer of Kenda radial passenger and light truck tyres in US and Canada since November 2004. According to the companies, both parties will continue as partners in the radial passenger and light truck tyre plant in China, “and technical and other related matters.” The decision to end our marketing and distribution relationship was a mutual decision between Cooper and Kenda, said Phil Caris, vice president of sales and marketing at Cooper. And while the results of the joint venture were positive, it was agreed that a new approach would be beneficial in pursuing each companys brand strategy. We have been very happy with our relationship with Kenda. As we begin to look into the future, we felt this strategy put both companies in a better position in this tough economic environment.
Continue ReadingOliver Rubber Introduces Envelope Spreader For 16-58” Retreads
Michelin North American subsidiary Oliver Rubber recently introduced a new envelope spreader for use in the retreading process, which helps mechanically facilitate enveloping prior to curing. With a push of the foot pedal, Olivers 1137 Envelope Expander uses preset adjustments to mechanically stretch the envelope to the optimum diameter, thus minimising envelope stretch and in turn increasing envelope life. The new Oliver spreader was developed and manufactured by the companys Salisbury Machinery Division in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Lays off 67 as US Off Road Tyre Demand Drops
The ripple effect from the downturn in North America’s construction industry is being felt by Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO). In response to a decline in demand for construction equipment, BATO is decreasing production of its small and medium off road tyres, and as of March 1 will lay off 67 hourly workers at its Bloomington, Illinois facility. According to Bridgestone, production must be reduced in order to better align this inventory with demand. “The dramatic downturn in the economy continues to plague every industry, including ours,” said Shawn Rasey, president, Off the Road Tire, U.S. & Canada, Commercial Tire Sales division, BATO.
Continue ReadingI’ll Have Four ViaductRock Tyres Please….
According to the much used childhood retort, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. This, however, doesn’t apply to companies whose vocabulary includes words suspiciously similar to well-known trademarks…. On February 17 Bridgestone Corporation gave notice that its complaint of trademark infringement against two Chinese tyre manufacturers has been upheld. Bridgestone claimed that the companies in question, Shandong Santai Rubber Co., Ltd and Hangzhou Bridgesteel Rubber Co., Ltd, attempted to infringe on the goodwill established by certain Bridgestone intellectual property through the use of their respective brand names, Rockstone and Bridgesteel.
Continue ReadingSetzer to Head Conti Car Tyre Temporarily
Continental has announced that, as of 1 March 2009, Nikolai Setzer will take up the temporary management of the manufacturer’s Car Tyre Division. He will continue to head up the Replacement Business Car and Light Truck Tyre Division Europe and Africa positions he presently occupies, though there will be no change in structure between the sectors. He will report to Dr Hans-Joachim Nikolin, the board representative of the Commercial Vehicle Tyre Division and – provisionally – the Car Tyre Division.
Continue ReadingLoeb Claims 49th Career Win on Pirelli’s New Sottozero
He’s one away from the ‘big five-oh’…Rally Norway, the sole all-snow round of the World Rally Championship, was the scene of five-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb’s 49th career win – it also marked the first competition victory for Pirelli’s brand new generation of Sottozero studded winter tyre. Loeb’s Citroën kept the Pirelli-equipped Ford Focus RS WRC of Mikko Hirvonen at bay throughout the event, finishing the three-day rally after what Pirelli has called a ‘close battle’ with the Finnish driver. In past years, spiked winter tyres for world championship winter rallies used to be of a special narrow size, designed to bite through soft snow to the harder surfaces underneath. This year, as part of the Pirelli supported FIA cost-cutting drive, Pirellis tungsten-tipped Sottozero winter tyres – each of which contains 384 studs – have been designed to fit on standard 15-inch gravel wheel rims.
Continue ReadingSinton Tyres Stocking the Latest Cooper 4×4 Range
In spite of the economic downturn, Sinton Tyres reports that its customers are happy to continue investing in their SUVs and off road vehicles – and the Cooper All Terrain (Discoverer ATR) and mud pattern (Discoverer STT) thus remain as popular as ever, with the Discoverer ST remaining a firm favourite with those enthusiasts who want a 40 per cent on-road/60 per cent off road tyre. The latest products to find a stall in the Cooper stable are the Zeon XSTA, which replaces the Sports HP in the Discoverer range, and the Zeon LTZ, which comes in American truck sizes but is also suitable for some UK conversions. Both are suitable for the aftermarket.
Continue ReadingCJ Bird Reports ‘Going the Extra Mile’ with Michelin
Welsh haulage firm CJ Bird Transport regularly clocks up 500,000 km on its Michelin drive axle tyres and 600,000 km on its Michelin trailer tyres thanks to an active programme of tyre husbandry carried out by independent tyre dealer Celtic Tyres. The Llantrisant-based company specifies Michelin as original equipment wherever possible, and the tyres’ longevity means many of the trucks it purchases never need to be fitted with a new replacement tyre during their life on the fleet.
Continue ReadingTyreSafe Promotes Bike Tyre Awareness
In the run-up to April’s Bike Tyre Safety Month, TyreSafe is calling on tyre retailers to help raise awareness of the importance of tyres in bike safety. Statistic from VOSA reveal that in 2007/08, defective or illegal tyres was recorded as the fourth most common MoT failure defect. Worryingly, the number of MoT failures attributed to defective tyres has grown year on year for the past three years, increasing from 2.8 per cent of motorcycles tested in 2005/06 to 4.8 per cent in 2007/08. Meanwhile, motorcycle fatality rates remain high, with Department for Transport figures showing that in 2007, 588 motorcyclists died in road traffic accidents, accounting for 20 percent of all fatalities on the road.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Won’t Colour MotoGP Compounds
Though its different compounds in Formula One were coloured last season to generate interest among spectators, Bridgestone told motorsport news sources that it has no plans to incorporate a similar scheme into its tyres for the new MotoGP season, of which it is the sole tyre supplier. While the move to slicks in F1 in 2009 will make it as hard for the company to continue its colouration as it would to colour motorcycle tyres, it has been suggested that the company will colour the sidewall of its softer compound tyre green, where last year’s F1 tyre had a white stripe in the softer compound’s tread pattern. The same cannot be said for its plans in MotoGP: “Presently there is no plan to differentiate tyres in MotoGP as is done in Formula One,” a Bridgestone spokesman told crash.net.
Continue ReadingSPD May Support Schaeffler State Aid
Germanys Social Democratic party (SPD) is reportedly “open in principle” Continental AG major shareholder Schaeffler Group with state aid, SPD chairman Franz Muentefering told reporters in Berlin. “Situations can arise in which you need to help many, many families in order to prevent a catastrophe…Then you need to do it,” Muentefering added. The politician didn’t give any details of how government discussions on how the government’s discussions with Schaeffler could work out.
Continue ReadingIndia’s Birla Temporarily Shut Orissa Plant Again
Indian news sources are reporting that Birla Tyres – part of the BK Birla Group’s company Kesoram Industries – has closed its plant in Orissa temporarily for the second half of February. The current slide in the market has been blamed for necessitating the measure. The closure follows similar action in the back end of January 2009, as reported on Tyrepress.com. More than 4,000 people work at the plant, which has a capacity of 1.5 million units per year. It produces tyres, tubes and flaps.
Continue ReadingSTL Gets Global Award Nod
Standards Testing Laboratories was nominated for a Tire Technology International Award for Innovation and Excellence in the Tire Industry Supplier of the Year category. The awards are sponsored by Tire Technology International magazine, and will be presented on 18 February in Hamburg, Germany. Were honoured to be considered for the Tire Industry Supplier of the Year award as we focus on company growth that allows us to serve tyre and wheel customers throughout the world, said Cheryl Schnuth, STL vice president of marketing. Our expert team of engineers, scientists and technicians devotes each day to conducting high-quality, unbiased testing that delivers accurate, reliable data. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingCapitalize Placed in Charge of Pirelli UK Motorcycle Segment PR
Pirelli has handed London based agency Capitalize responsibility for promoting its motorcycling activities in the UK. Initial projects for the agency will include a PR campaign for Pirelli and Metzeler’s racing activities, to publicise the company’s growing product range through specialist and trade motorcycling media as well as to a wider audience through motorsport, national and consumer lifestyle outlets. Pirelli’s racing portfolio ranges from sole control tyre for the World Superbike Championship and British Superbike Championship to its presence at landmark road racing events including the Isle of Man TT, North West 200 and Macau GP as well as widespread club racing events. The company has also claimed victories in the 2008 MX1 and MX2 Motocross Championships, bringing its tally to a respectable 51 World Championship crowns.
Continue ReadingConti Canada Sponsors BMW Program
Continental Tire Canada said it is continuing sponsorship of the BMW Winter Driver Training programme. The programme includes the BMW Winter Driver Training, recently held at the International Club Academy Racing (ICAR) in Mirabel, Quebec, which teaches participants key maneouvres such as emergency braking and avoidance, front and rear wheel skid control, 180-degree turns, and drifting. “We are very proud to support BMW in its new programme”, said Maiti Leinss, Continental Canada’s marketing coordinator. “We see this programme as a great initiative for more safety on Canadian roads by promoting the importance of a good winter tyre and a trained driver.” (Tire Review/Akron)
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