Pirelli to Continue Supplying Tyres for Superbike Championship
Following recent negotiations, FGSport, the planners behind the FIM Superbike World Championship, has signed an agreement with Pirelli to provide the tyres for the competition, as well as the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup and the UEM Supersport 600 European Championship, until 2012. Pirelli is the current supplier for all of these events, and the new contract will extend the run beyond the end of the season, where the current deal would have ended. According to FGSport, the deal is reflective of the excellence shown by the Italian manufacturer over the past three years, in which no tyre has caused any incidents or recorded any breakages showing optimal reliability. Additionally, Pirelli’s ability to offer strong service and support made competitive bids difficult.
Continue ReadingBritain Turns its Back on Big Cars
Rocketing fuel prices, emissions-based car tax and climate change are taking their toll on drivers who are turning their backs on gas guzzlers and choosing smaller cars as well as public transport, according to research by insurance retailer Swinton. Swinton has analysed its motor insurance quotations database over the last 12 months and reports a dramatic increase in the numbers of motor quotations for smaller-engined cars. Motor insurance quotations for the very largest cars on the roads including Hummers and Range Rovers have fallen by 16 per cent compared to 06/07 quotes, with Swinton also seeing a decrease in drivers seeking insurance quotes on more everyday Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), down 11 per cent in the last year. Quotes for cars with engines below 1.5 litres (diesel and petrol) have risen by an astonishing 20 per cent, a statistic that Swinton’s analysts lay squarely at the door of higher fuel prices, car tax bands and driver concerns over climate change.
Continue ReadingTrax Supports Formula 1
Trax, the UK’s leading weight manufacturer, is now supplying adhesive weights to Formula 1 control tyre supplier Bridgestone to support the racing series worldwide. According to a company statement announcing the news, the demanding requirements of Formula 1 have led the company to supply a particular type of special adhesive tape to ensure top-flight performance.
Continue ReadingSchaeffler Likely to Take Control of Continental AG in 2010
Schaeffler Group is likely to wait until 2010 before it takes full control of Continental AG, German radio station NDR1 reported on 16 July. The report, which didn’t cite any sources, suggests that Schaeffler will wait until the lion’s share of the loan arrangement Conti racked up to finance the Siemens VDO acquisition expires. According to the report, this would also mean Schaeffler would have to re-negotiate conditions before the loans expire, and in the current conditions would not get such a good deal. The German radio report was aired the same day that financial analysts at MorganStanley published an investor note suggesting “a takeover bid meant to fail could push the share price higher for the next 30 days.” The MorganStanley analysts point out that, in their opinion, a full takeover of Conti does not appear “financially feasible.” However, the takeover bid should clearly add strong support to the share price in the short term, the analysts conclude.
Continue ReadingMD Takes Plunge on Commercial Tyre Service
Mike Carroll, the Managing Director of a subsidiary of Rhyl Tyre & Battery, has purchased his commercial tyre segment following a £320,000 deal. Tyremaster, as the new company will be known, will operate with 12 employees and continue to provide a breakdown service for hauliers and agricultural and construction businesses in the area of the North Wales coast. It has units on the Deeside Industrial Estate and in Gaerwen on Anglesey.
Continue ReadingPeter Gaster Named as New TIF Chairman
Peter Gaster has been appointed chairman of the Tyre Industry Federation (TIF), following the federation’s AGM in London last week. Gaster is also current chairman of the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) and has represented the NTDA on the TIF Board since it joined the organisation three years ago. “It is a great honour for me to take on this pivotal role in the UK tyre industry and I look forward to representing the varied interests of the industry as TIF’s chairman. NTDA continues to be totally supportive of the objectives of the TIF and I will ensure that TIF’s key role, as a forum to bring together the various sectors of our industry in the interests of better communication and understanding, continues to be the cornerstone of the organisation,” Peter Gaster commented.
Continue ReadingRuia Group to Build 4 Billion Rupee Assam Plant
The Ruia Group of Kolkata, India has revealed plans to local news sources that they are to build a new tyre plant on a Greenfield site near the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport in Guwahati. The site is currently being prepared for industrial development by local government and Ruia looks set to invest heavily, with four billion rupees earmarked for the project in the next year and a half. The company expects the facility to open with a production capacity of 50 tonnes per day initially. Ruia hopes to double that figure over time.
Continue ReadingLone Wolf Crew Cuts its Teeth on Cooper Tyres
The Lone Wolf Transglobal Expedition made full use of the Cooper Discoverer Super Traction Tread on its 12-month trip of 30,000 miles in the wide variety of conditions present in 32 different countries. The success of the team brought lavish praise for the rugged Discoverer, which with its STT shod the crew’s Land Rover Wolf Defender. So much so, that the organisers of the successful expedition will be looking to Cooper Tire & Rubber Company once again to carry them through their next adventure. The 12-month Lone Wolf trip saw Daniel Moylan and his crew tackle mud, ice, snow and water without a hitch Varying terrain was made all the worse by extreme temperatures, providing a demanding test not for the vehicle, the tyres and the team. The expedition made its way through Europe to Iran and the Middle East, across the jungles of South East Asia, to the USA and South America, before arriving back in the UK.
Continue ReadingConti to Make Mount Vernon, Ill. Investment
Continental’s North American division is ready to pump US$60 million into its Illinois plant spread over the next three years. The money will go towards expanding production capacity on the facility’s passenger, light truck and commercial tyre operations. The German manufacturer will expand its workforce to the tune of 75 new jobs, increasing production by around two million tyres every year. News sources suggest that the company will spend around two-thirds of the total figure on new machinery and tools for the fabrication of passenger and light truck tyres, while the remaining third will be spent on updating the factory’s commercial tyre building machines.
Continue ReadingVacu-Lug to Make 15 Redundant in Ops Review
Grantham-based retreading firm, Vacu-Lug is set to make 15 employees redundant in an operational review following difficult trading conditions in the commercial tyre sector. The company, which is Europe’s largest retreader of commercial and industrial tyres, is struggling to retain previous levels of demand in some business areas thanks to current market difficulties in haulage and logistics industries. A spokesman for the company told local news sources that the review was the company’s response to the slowing economy, while the redundancies do not reflect the expanding nature of other sectors of the business. The company was eager to stress the fact that the move comes as “a restructuring exercise, which will help us continue our growth in other areas of the business.”
Continue ReadingGoodway Joins TRIB
Goodway Rubber Industries Sdn Bhd from Malaysia has joined Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB) along with Pak Rubber & Retreading Services (Pvt) Ltd. from Pakistan. “We are very happy to welcome both companies to the TRIB family and we know they will enjoy the many benefits TRIB offers to its members worldwide,” said Harvey Brodsky, TRIB’s Managing Director.
Continue ReadingBFNAT Plant Gets Environment Award
Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire’s Warren County, Tenn., medium truck tire plant recently received the 2008 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award for accomplishments in pollution prevention. BFNAT said it installed new pollution-reducing technologies at the plant, added hydrogen-fuel vehicles, reduced mercury lighting in the plant, and cut back on water use. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingBandvulc Trials Win Trailercare Contract
Bandvulc has won a tyre contract with Midlands-based trailer servicing company, Trailercare, after extensive trials of tyre products. Trailercare managing director, Mark Hemus said he had no hesitation in choosing Bandvulc and is confident that this is the right choice for his work to his blue chip customers. Hemus commented: “Trailercare has a reputation of providing quality service levels at the right prices. The selection criteria for our tyre agreement had to meet these same exacting standards, which Bandvulc achieved and exceeded.” This arrangement also sees the tyre division of Trailercare (Total Tyre Care) being added to BTC’s list of providers in the West Midlands; a ‘win-win’ for both organisations. Total Tyre Care’s Director/Manager, Carl Falconer comments: “With the experience Bandvulc has in the tyre support network – it was an obvious choice to go down the Bandvulc route, their TSU is one of the best in the industry and is growing all the time. It assists us to be part of that growth”.
Continue ReadingSanchez Appointed President of Remy Unit
Remy International Inc. appointed Jesus “Jay” Sanchez as president of the company’s Electrical Aftermarket business unit. Sanchez had been managing director of the Arvin Meritor Light Vehicle Aftermarket business in Europe and South Africa. Sanchez is a graduate of Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wis., with a degree in mechanical engineering. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingOTR Keeps The Pressure Up
OTR is now supplying tyre pressure monitoring systems as part of its earthmover tyre management service. The correct pressure in earthmover tyres not only improves the safety and stability of the vehicle, but gives operators a much improved return on investment. That, says OTRs Regional sales Manager Paul Skerritt, is a pretty obvious statement, but he goes on to say you would be amazed at what we find on site sometimes. Graeme Manning, OTRs Commercial Director, says: Inflation pressure is one of the most important factors affecting tyre life. Fuel efficiency is greatly affected too – a tyre under-inflated by 10 per cent reduces fuel efficiency by 1.5 per cent.
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