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 ReadingRetread America Opens Oliver Rubber Retread Plant
A new Oliver Rubber retreading facility has opened in the US town of Florence, Kentucky. Equipment and supplies from the wholly owned Michelin North America subsidiary will be used by Retread America, a supplier of retreads to the intermodal and commercial tyre industries, to produce Oliver brand retreads. Oliver Rubber is a proven industry supplier of quality retreads, and we are confident in the companys ability to provide excellent retreading products to our customers, said Rodney Goderwis, president of Retread America. We selected Oliver Rubber because they offer one of the broadest product lines in the industry, which will enable us to offer premium retreads at value prices for all segments.
Continue ReadingMichelin Earthmover TPMS Available Worldwide
Michelin has announced that the company’s MEMS (Michelin Earthmover Management System) product is now available all around the world. The French manufacturer says that MEMS is the only electronic system for monitoring earthmover tyre temperature and pressure to be marketed worldwide. The global rollout follows an extensive series of field trials that began in 1996 and the system’s launch in North and South America in 2006.
Continue ReadingBurgess: MotoGP Control Tyre Rule a “Big Mistake”
The deliberations surrounding MotoGP’s decision to switch to a Bridgestone control tyre in 2009 have continued to grow, with prominent voices speaking up for both sides of the argument. Valentino Rossi’s crew chief, Jerry Burgess, told the Italian magazine, Motosprint, that there was no need for the introduction of a new rule and that teams should be able to make up their own minds. However Tony Carter, the MotoGP presenter on Eurosport, writes in his online article on 11 November, “As a race fan, all I want to see is rider against rider, machine against machine. I like the idea of a proper scrap where lesser factors like which type of a particular niche rubber compound by any of three or four manufacturers dont come into it.” The issue is currently the subject of Tyrepress.com’s Question of the Month, provoking similar levels of debate among tyre industry readers.
Continue ReadingDirector Doug Snaps Up Photography Prize
Doug Wyatt, director of Airway Tyres, was recently crowned East of England runner up in the prestigious nationwide ‘Postcards from the Park’ photography competition, run by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Big Lottery Fund and GreenSpace. The competition encouraged people to capture what they love about their local park.
Continue ReadingToyo Establishes Russian Sales Office
Toyo Tire & Rubber has announced the joint establishment, along with Mitsubishi Corporation, of a Russian tyre sales subsidiary. The new subsidiary, known as Toyo Tire Rus LLC, was formed on October 23. According to the Japanese manufacturer, Toyo Rus LLC was established primarily for expanding the brand presence of Toyo tyres and improving the brand’s position in this growing and increasingly motorised BRIC market.
Continue ReadingGEG Diagnostics Join Forces With Autoboss
The diagnostic division of nationwide garage equipment suppliers GEG - GEG Diagnostics - has recently been awarded exclusive distribution rights for Autoboss products in the UK and Ireland. Autoboss is a part of the SPX group; the largest manufacturer of OEM diagnostic tools in the world. They supply to major car manufacturers including Vauxhall, Jaguar, Honda and Nissan.
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 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 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 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.
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 ReadingNational Tyres a Finalist in £35 Million Entrepreneur Challenge
National Tyres has been named as a finalist in the North West England and North Wales region of the Bank of Scotland Corporate £35 Million Entrepreneur Challenge. National will now compete with four other entrepreneurs to secure a £5 million funding package, free of interest and charges for three years. The next stage will see business partners Alan Revie, John Caldwell and John Taylor present their business case to a judging panel featuring two well-known and incredibly successful entrepreneurs. Matthew Riley, the national 2007 Entrepreneur Challenge winner from Daisy Communications, and senior representatives from Bank of Scotland Corporate and Deloitte. The panel will question National Tyres and the other finalists on their future business plans, as well as looking for someone with the entrepreneurial flair, spirit and vision that sets them apart from the rest and makes them an outstanding choice to receive the once in a lifetime funding package that could change the face of the business.
Continue ReadingYokohama to Build JV Rubber Processing Factory in Thailand
On November 12 Yokohama Rubber announced its intention to cooperate with Teck Fu Joint Venture Co., Ltd. to build a joint-venture natural rubber processing factory in southern Thailand’s Surat Thani Province. Teck Fu is a subsidiary company of Teck Bee Hang Co., Ltd., a natural rubber processing company in Thailand. Yokohama Rubber’s decision to operate its own factory stems from its aim for an assured stable supply and quality of natural rubber, the company says.
Continue ReadingWatchdog Bans Continental Advert
The UK Advertising Standards Authority has banned a Continental tyre advertisement, concluding that it could not substantiate its claims that “nothing stops better than a Continental tyre.” Following a complaint by competitors Goodyear and Michelin, the ASA analysed the braking results of all 2007 tyre tests of summer tyres and found that Continental’s competitors had performed better in 28 instances. As a result the ad - which in technical speak breached substantiation, truthfulness and other comparisons clauses - must not appear again in its current form. An internal document shows Goodyear made its case by submitting the results of all 2007 UK independent tyre tests (which were all won overall by Goodyear HydraGrip or Eagle F1 Asymmetric) to the ASA. Tim Bailey, Continental Tyre Group Ltd’s advertising and sponsorship manager explained that the company commissioned TUV research that demonstrated the braking ability of its tyres: “We commissioned a special report by the TUV in Germany to test our tyres and those of our competitors in 2007 and this demonstrated that Continental tyres in the pattern and size tested are superior in braking performance in both wet and dry conditions. The claim that ‘nothing stops better than a Continental tyre’ is truthful based on this evidence.
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