Bridgestone Extends Liberia Cargo Program
Bridgestone Americas’ Firestone Natural Rubber Co. announced that it would extend its cargo donation program through 2009. “Week after week we receive new applications from charitable organizations wanting to help the people of Liberia,” said Dan Adomitis, president of the unit. “Their generosity combined with Liberia’s need for humanitarian aid has convinced us here at Firestone that this program will continue to have a great impact over the coming year.” In the program, which started in 2006, Bridgestone Americas provides space on its ships for relief goods and other donated cargo from U.S.-based charitable organizations to help Liberians. Fifteen 20-foot containers of medicine, food, generators, building materials and other supplies have been shipped so far this year, with several more scheduled for late 2008. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingAffinia Complete China Buy
Affinia has completed the acquisition of 85 per cent of Chinese brake component maker HBM Investment Ltd., owner of Longkou Haimeng Machining Co. Located in Shandong, China, Longkou Haimeng produces brake drums and rotors, and has a strong OE and aftermarket presence in Asia and Europe. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingKwik-Fit Fleet Counters Winter Dangers with Safety Checks
Road casualties peak in the winter months, and a causal factor in many instances is that at least one of the vehicles involved is not maintained to the best possible level. For this reason Kwik-Fit Fleet is once again offering free safety checks. Company car and van drivers can call in at any of Kwik-Fit’s 670 High Street centres for the free five-point safety check, which covers:
Continue ReadingYokohama Income Declines in H1 2008
Yokohama Rubber has announced experiencing a 53.7 per cent decline in operating income for the six months to September 30, 2008 in comparison to the same period of the previous year, to 5.6 billion yen (£37.7 million), despite a 1.3 per cent increase in net sales, to 256.6 billion yen (1.7 billion). Net income for this first half of the current financial year declined 95.7 per cent, to 554 million yen (£3.7 million). For the three months ending September 30, 2008, net sales were 133.5 billion yen (£898.8 million), an increase of 1.8 per cent. Operating income decreased 81 per cent to 1.5 billion yen (£10.1 million) and net income dropped from 29.5 million yen (£198,600) in 2007 to a loss of 7.03 million yen (-£47,000) in the recently concluded quarter of this year.
Continue ReadingTIA Readies Commercial Event, Retread Contest Back
Fresh off the 2008 SEMA Show, TIA has turned its focus on the the 2009 Commercial Tire, Retread & Recycling Conference (CTRRC), which will be held at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando on Feb. 9-11. The CTRRC will again be held in conjunction with the American Trucking Associations Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) annual meeting. As part of the CTRRC, TIA is bringing back the Retread Appearance Contest, which will be held at the TIA Retread Pavilion. In a twist from previous years, this years Retread Appearance Contest will be voted on by the TMC fleet attendees. Details on the Retread Appearance Contest are available at TIA’s Web site at www.tireindustry.org. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingBrisa Celebrates Anniversary of Bridgestone-Sabanci Partnership
On the evening of November 7 Turkish tyre manufacturer Brisa commemorated its 20th anniversary. The company was established through a partnership between Sabanci Holding and Bridgestone in 1988, and senior management from both firms were in attendance at the Four Season Hotel in Istanbul to mark the occasion with a gala dinner. The Sabanci Holding and Brisa management team, along with Bridgestone Corporation executives hosted a wide range of guest, including representatives from the business world, Brisa’s business partners, company employees and members of the press. Ms Güler Sabanci, chairman of Sabanci Holding, Mr. Shoshi Arakawa, Bridgestone president and CEO and Mr. Bülent Savaş, president of Brisa, shared the history of their partnership and the various successes the 20 years together have yielded.
Continue ReadingColumbian to Close US Carbon Black Plant
Due to softer demand for carbon black in North America, Columbian Chemicals announced on November 12 that it will close its production facilities in Marshall, West Virginia, on or around January 31, 2009. Approximately 55 jobs will be lost as a result of the closure.
Continue ReadingQuebec Introduces Compulsory Winter Tyre Law
Contrary to the infamous South Park song, it seems that everything’s gone right since Canada came along; at least for winter tyres. The province of Quebec makes it compulsory for drivers to fit the seasonal rubber to vehicles by 15 December, a deadline decided upon last winter. The law was introduced when data gathered by a provincial road safety task force suggested that 38 per cent of winter accidents involved vehicles relying on all-season rubber. Only ten per cent of (or around 500,000) vehicles in Quebec at the time were found to be running on all-season tyres, rather than specialised winter products. Meanwhile, winter radials have proved to be “hot commodities” in 2008, according to Canada East and other North American news sources. However, there has been at least one negative reaction to the new law: fifty winter tyres were stolen from a Trois-Rivieres dealership, halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. Increased demand and shortages are being reported across Canada, as head of the Automobile Protection Agency, George Iny, told national journalists: “There are already shortages, spot shortages of certain sizes for SUVs. Were convinced by the time the Dec. 15 deadline rolls around there will be certain tires out of stock. This used to happen before. Itll just be exacerbated by the additional demand this year.”
Continue ReadingPirelli National Rally Changes Name
The Pirelli National Rally, based in Carlisle alongside the manufacturer’s major British plant, will be run under a new name in 2009 after it was announced that it will be integrated into the ANCRO Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship. Founding members of ANCRO, the Cumberland Sporting Car Club have decided to rename the event the Pirelli Tour of Cumbria. This was how the rally was known when it was originally part of the ANCRO series. In addition to the Gravel Rally Championship, the Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship and the Dunlop/Gambia British Historic Rally Championship will be represented with stages at the Pirelli Tour of Cumbria.
Continue ReadingKYB’s New Website
KYB’s new site has become interactive and uses video segments to increase interest and usefulness to consumers, service providers and parts distributors.
Continue ReadingOld Tyres to Tread in Timberland Shoes
When they’ve finished doing service on your car, that set of old tyres removed by the local garage or fast fit can now potentially return and see further life on your feet. Footwear manufacturer Timberland has teamed up with Green Rubber to launch two new collections featuring outsoles made using recycled rubber from discarded tyres. These outsoles will contain a 50/50 blend of Green Rubber compound and virgin rubber compound, the blend of the two materials necessary in order to maintain the durability and performance characteristics Timberland footwear is known for.
Continue ReadingCooper Tire Factories Certified by ISO
A number of US based facilities operated by Cooper Tire & Rubber have been granted ISO certification. All four of the company’s factories there have earned ISO 9001:2000 quality management system certification, and in addition the plants in Albany (Georgia) and Tupelo (Mississippi) have fulfilled the requirements for IS0 14001 environmental management system certification. “Attaining these formal certifications illustrates Cooper’s ongoing commitment to quality and our dedication to continuous improvement,” said chairman, president and CEO Roy V. Armes. “Cooper people have long worked at levels meeting or exceeding these standards, but it’s encouraging to have impartial third-party auditors recognise that fact.”
Continue ReadingA-V ‘Negotiating’ With Suppliers
When the Sibur/Amtel-Vredestein (A-V) merger ground to a halt at the end of September, A-V’s lack of working capital meant it was forced to suspend production at its Kirov and Voronezh Russian manufacturing facilities. According to the most recent update, released just under a month later on 24 October, production has been suspended ever since. However, the latest reports are suggesting the company is exploring a number of creative solutions to A-V’s increasingly costly production stalemate. Meanwhile production has continued at normal levels at the un-affected Dutch part of the company, Vredestein Banden BV. In an effort to kick start production at its Kirov and Voronezh production plants (which produce nearly 9 million tyres a year) Amtel-Vredestein is negotiating a raw material for finished product barter agreement. These plans are said to be in addition to the obvious way of reducing the high levels of debt under which the Russian part of the group continues to operate -selling the companys assets, divisions or the group as a whole.
Continue ReadingCost Less & Last Longer – Why Yorks Uses Conti Tyres
Continental reports that high mileage and reliable performance are two key factors behind the decision by Northamptonshire based Yorks Coaches, part of the Bowen Travel Group, to opt for its tyres. Particularly impressive, adds Conti, has been the performance of the Continental HDR drive axle tyre. One set is still in service after three years – during which time it has covered in excess of 200,000 kilometres.
Continue ReadingFPB Calls for New VAT Relief Scheme
The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is putting forward an alternative to the Conservative Party’s proposal to give struggling small firms a six-month VAT ‘holiday’, which could backfire if debts spiral out of control. The FPB believes that more businesses in the UK should be eligible to join the Cash Accounting Scheme (CAS) and defer paying VAT until they are paid themselves. The FPB is concerned that too few small firms are aware of the CAS, which allows them to pay VAT on actual payments, rather than unpaid invoices. This helps to protect their cash flow – particularly if payments owed to them are late. Currently only those with a turnover of less than £1.35 million can join the scheme. The FPB believes this level should to be raised to £2 million in order to allow more struggling businesses to be eligible.
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