Conti Tyre Prices to Increase in Asia
On June 18 Continental announced that, as of September 1, prices will increase for replacement market tyres sold in Asia by up to 10 per cent. In outlining the price rises, the company commented that “the market price for natural rubber, a key component used in tyres, continues to increase, while the price of oil and derived products, such as synthetic rubber and carbon black remain at historic high levels.” It added that this increase will only partially offset the raw material cost increases.
Continue ReadingCooper Introduces CTS Touring Tyre
Cooper Tire has added a new product to the US premium luxury SUV touring tyre segment. Called the CTS, the new tyre is, says Cooper, designed to deliver year-round performance with higher levels of wet traction and ride comfort. The tread is of a five rib design intended for all season traction, and Cooper comments that the wide centre elements boost responsiveness and highway stability, while the wide circumferential grooves help resist hydroplaning. The tyre also incorporates Coopers Response-Technology (R-Tech) construction, which employs several design elements intended to work in concert, providing enhanced tyre performance. The sidewall design, says Cooper, is computer optimised, and the extended bead filler offers improved handling response and cornering ability. The new coupled silica-based compound helps provide traction in wet conditions while also maximising treadwear.
Continue ReadingGajah Tunggal Production, Prices to Increase
Price rises of 10 per cent have been announced by PT Gajah Tunggal Tbk, however a representative of the Indonesian company states plans to increase sales by as much as 20 per cent remain firm. We are still targeting an increase in our sales revenue of between 15 to 20 per cent this year compared to 2007, Catharina Widjaja, director of corporate communications, informed Reuters. This sales increase will follow a boost in production output; Widjaja reported daily production for car tyres is anticipated to rise by 5,000 units to 35,000 and motorcycle tyres from 45,0000 to 60,000 units by the end of the year. On the issue of price rises, Widjaja said Gajah Tunggal raised the price by around 5 per cent in Q1 of 2008 and another 5 per cent recently. GT will continue to monitor the impact of the rising prices of raw material.”
Continue ReadingDunlop Unveils New V8 Series Tyre
Dunlop is set to improve the sustainability of tyres supplied for the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series by introducing a synthetic material into the polymer binding agent of the tyre compound, replacing the oil-based additive. Dunlop’s V8 Supercar operations manager Kevin Fitzsimons explained to journalists that the change represents the only significant alteration to the tyre’s makeup since the company introduced its control tyre in 2002, and that the switch would not affect adversely the tyre’s level of performance.
Continue ReadingFederal on the Road to Establishing Sports Pedigree
When meeting Federal Tire’s Jamie Ma for the first time, the enthusiasm the chairman holds for his company and the tyres it makes feels thick enough to grasp with both hands. “I am different from the CEOs of most tyre companies,” he states. “They are just trustees of their firms, you could say, elected to serve a few years. My position at Federal is not like that.” As the third generation to serve in his family’s Taiwan based business, Mr. Ma claims to be, at age 34, the world’s youngest CEO of a tyre company. And that said, he adds his comparative youthfulness will be, he believes, a factor making all the difference for Federal. “When I execute a programme, I have years in which I can do it,” he explains. “Jamie Ma plans another thirty years in the business.” Federal Tire’s main purpose for attending Reifen 2008 was to launch its latest tyre, the 595RPM. Designed for super cars and aimed, says Mr. Ma, at Pirelli’s R-Zero Rosso, the Michelin Pilot Sport 2, Bridgestone Potenza RE050A and Yokohama’s Advan Sport, the 595RPM is available in a large range of fitments for rims between 17 and 22-inches. The tyre carries a UTQG tread wear rating of 160, adds the chairman, and the asymmetric tread – the first such pattern to feature on a Federal UHP tyre, is designed with an outer shoulder that gives greater traction plus additional siping on the inner area for optimised ride qualities.
Continue ReadingNew Improved OTR Website
OTR Tyres Ltd has upgraded and improved its website in order to reflect the expanded range of products, services and global operations says the Alfreton-based company. The new look site contains 140 pages with easy, drop down navigation to guide visitors to the relevant areas of interest. The site is produced in-house by OTRs dedicated, IT team and, as well as news and information, the site allows customers secure access to their TotalTyreLogic tyre management records, factory production schedule and tyre information.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Australia Prices to Rise August 1
Price increases of up to 5 per cent have been announced by Bridgestone Australia Ltd. The new pricing will be implemented on August 1 and includes most Bridgestone tyres, tubes, retreads and services. Mac Ohashi, Bridgestone Australia chairman and CEO, commented that the company had absorbed the effect of rising raw material costs for as long as possible. We have seen very significant continued upward price pressure on raw materials such as oil, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, steel and carbon black in combination with increased energy and transportation costs.
Continue ReadingTech International Names OTR Sales Manager
Tech International has promoted Ron Reiring to the post of OTR Sales Manager, North America. His responsibilities will include developing new OTR sales opportunities for Tech Internationals tire repairs and OTR equipment in the US, Canada and Mexico, while providing support to Techs existing OTR customer base. Reiring graduated from Fresno State University with a degree in Industrial technology and, prior to his latest promotion, he served as a Western US Zone Manager for Tech, providing sales support, service and training to Techs national account base.
Continue Reading14-Day Turkish Tyre Strike Ends
A two week tyre strike by 4,000 members of International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers Unions (ICEM) Turkish affiliate Lastik-İş ended on 13 June, and workers from three tyre manufacturers resumed work the following day. The strike ended when a two-year accord was reached between the union and three global companies, Goodyear, Bridgestone and Pirelli, who jointly represented the tyre industry in talks. The negotiations on 13 June were the first since the strike began on 31 May. Talks first began on a 2008-2009 labour agreement, covering four tyre factories, in September 2007. The two parties agreed to a 14 per cent pay increase for 2008, and an increase equalling the Turkish rate of inflation for 2009. In 2007, the Turkish rate of inflation was 8.39 per cent and is expected to rise above that this year. Lastik-İş had sought a 12 per cent wage rise for the first six months of 2008, with increases matching the inflation rate in each six-month period through 2009.
Continue ReadingWhat a Difference a Day Makes
On the face of it, twenty-four hours is not such a long time – three sleeps, a long haul flight, the average time it takes hackers to crack new digital music protection software. But in other situations the same twenty-four hours seem like a very long time indeed, and can test the limits of endurance. Such is the case for the Le Mans 24 Hour race, an event in which vehicles and tyres are pushed to the limit and nothing is assured until the very end. The Virgo Motorsport team wes a case in point. A brilliant performance cut short close to the end. With less than three hours remaining the British team was forced to retire from its GT2 class second place position following engine failure, becoming one of twenty vehicles to withdraw from the original line up of fifty-five. In the end first place went to the Michelin shod Audi Sport R10 TD1 driven by Kristensen, Capello and McNish, and as a further bonus the tyremaker savoured victory in each of the four race categories. “I’m just gutted,” said Virgo Motorsport driver Rob Bell following the race. “We had a car capable of winning, but it wasn’t to be.” A solid result from Virgo would also have been a feather in the cap for Dunlop, with the Ferrari 430’s tyres proving a worthy match for the competitors’ Michelins. As driver Tim Sudgeon commented, Virgo Motorsport had “three strong drivers, a highly professional team, a car with the capability to win, great tyres.” He added: “We had all the ingredients, and it’s not often that’s the case, so it makes it all the more disappointing for us. It is renowned as the hardest race and that reputation is for good reason.” First across the line at Le Mans was, as previously mentioned, the Audi Sport R10 TD1 driven by Kristensen, Capello and McNish. This year’s win was the German marques eighth victory on the Sarthe circuit and the fifth in a row since 2004. And of course a victory for Audi is also a victory for Michelin, who has not tasted defeat in the Le Mans 24 Hour race since 1998. This year the French company took first spot in every one of the competition classes: In LMP2 victory went to the Van Merksteijn, Verstappen and Bleekemolen Porsche RS Spyder; in LM GT1 to the Brabham, Garcia and Turner Aston Martin; and in LM GT2, drivers Salo, Meli and Bruni drove to victory in their Ferrari F430 GT. This years Le Mans was one of the greatest challenges we have ever faced,” commented Audi sport Director Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. “We really needed a tyre partner we could rely on to get us to the end of the race. Michelins people did that superbly for us, supplying a product that was absolutely right, and perfect service to go with it. We work as one with our Michelin technician: hes part of the team, he thinks the same way we do and he did absolutely everything he could to give us the best advice in very difficult racing conditions. So thanks and hats off to Michelin!” Once again we learned a great deal this year with all our partners and it was a difficult race,” added Michelin competitions director Frédéric Henry-Biabaud. “Looking at the broader picture, we have won all four classes and thats just fantastic. We have every reason to be proud of what we have done, and I would like to thank all Michelin employees who work hard all over the year to provide the best product for our partners. “It was a very taxing race,” he added. “One that brought the full range of available tyres into play. The first part of the race, on a dry track, showed how well our soft and medium tyres coped with double of triple stints in the various classes, while the wet second part of the race meant we had to call on our intermediates and our choice of part- and full-wet tyres. It was a wonderful Le Mans, one where we were able to put everything we learned from testing this season with our 2008 range in the LMS and ALMS series into practice.” Pirelli reports a second place finish for the “most Italian” Ferrari, the BMS-Scuderia Italia 430 GTC driven by Babini, Malucelli and Ruberti. The Pirelli shod car, the only vehicle on the grid fitted with the Italian manufacturer’s products, competed in the GT2 class. The BMS-Scuderia Italia Ferrari finished 22nd overall. But for every happy ending at Le Mans there is a story of opportunity lost, and like their counterparts from Virgo Motorsport, the Yokohama supported Tokai University-YGK Power team was forced into retirement late in the race. After completing 18 hours the team’s Courage-ORECA-YGK LC70 vehicle experienced transmission problems that made competing further an impossibility. “The students are disappointed, but they are very satisfied to have done the race at Le Mans,” said Yokohama’s Global Motorsport general manager Akinori Tokieda. “They have done around 18 hours; it’s a good result for them. They gained a lot of experience from the race. We’re very proud to have been involved in the first university team at Le Mans.” Plans for next year’s race had begun even before the chequered flag waved on June 15. Michelin’s Henry-Biabaud commented that “During this 2008 race our minds were already turning to 2009… Naturally we will have a full debrief, and we should be able to sort out the priorities for the rest of the season pretty quickly.”
Continue ReadingMichelin Lifestyle Wins Brand Extension Award
The successful introduction of the Michelin range of motoring accessories has been recognised with the Award for Excellence in Brand Extension presented recently by the Marketing Society in association with Marketing magazine. The Award for Excellence 2008, described by Michelin as the Oscars of the marketing world, recognises the creative skills Michelin Lifestyle Ltd used “to expand consumers’ awareness and accessibility to the Michelin brand by introducing new products for motorists, in addition to the traditional tyre products.” By developing and establishing the Michelin range of premium quality motoring and leisure accessories, the company’s brand recognition is enhanced.
Continue ReadingCoker Takes on M&H Drag Lines
Coker Tire has taken over as the distributor of M&H Racing Tires drag racing lines. Some 80 M&H Racemaster car and motorcycle tyres will now be offered through the Coker Performance Division, including drag slicks, DOT-approved street legal drag tires and motorcycle drag slicks. Coker will also carry three ultra-high-performance motocross M&H Tera-Flex lines. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingToyo Established Iberia Representative Office
Toyo Tire’s European subsidiary, Toyo Tire Europe GmbH, has established an Iberia representative office in Madrid, Spain. The office was opened on June 2 and focuses upon sales promotion activities to customers in Iberia, a market Toyo has described in a press release as “one of the major markets in Europe.” Toyo adds it aims to expand its share through bolstering its brand position in this market.
Continue ReadingMustang GT500KR Fitted With Custom Goodyears
Goodyear has developed an ultra-performance rubber compound for their Eagle F1 Supercar tyre, which has won exclusive fitment rights on Ford’s new Mustang GT500KR. Carroll Shelby’s newly designed KR model will become the first production car to use the tyre in the US. To mark out those tyres fitted on the Mustang, the Goodyear Wingfoot symbol will be emblazoned on the outboard sidewall in the tradition of the original customised appearance of the company’s Blue Dot HPs, which were fitted initially on the first-ever 1965 Shelby Mustang carrying, somewhat unsurprisingly, a blue dot.
Continue Reading3 Year Agreement Sees Vellco Continue Michelin Casing Relationship
Vellco Limited has signed a new three year agreement with Michelin in the UK to collect, sort and grade a significant proportion of the truck tyre casings arising within Michelin’s UK truck tyre division. This agreement is expected to produce a substantial number of truck tyre casings annually for Vellco’s operations, including truck tyre casings from all designated ATS Euromaster Centres. “Michelin has worked in partnership with Vellco for a number of years now, and this new agreement demonstrates our commitment to a stable and sustained partnership arrangement for the future,” said Chris Bloor, commercial director for Michelin UK. Vellco managing director Chris Fell added “we are absolutely delighted to sign this agreement with Michelin. We are committed to giving a professional service throughout the entire Vellco operation, and this is borne out by the confidence that Michelin has shown by utilising Vellco, and our ability to deliver what they need.”
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