Vipal to Inaugurate New Factory this Year
This year Vipal is going to inaugurate a new factory, in Feira de Santana, Bahia (NE Brazil), having spent 160 million Brazilian reals (US$ 92 million, 48 million pounds) of investment on the project. Apart from construction of the factory in Bahia, Vipal also announced the construction of the first productive unit abroad. The company hasn’t revealed exactly where this plant will be, and the kind of investment that will be associated with the new plants has not yet been defined. However, Argentina and Mexico are said to be the countries that present “the great chance of receiving a new unit.”
Continue ReadingGovernment of Liberia and Firestone Sign Agreement
Firestone Liberia has signed an Amended and Restated Concession Agreement with the government of Liberia. The agreement modifies the current 2005 concession agreement and comes after extended negotiations. The government and Firestone have jointly affirmed that the amended agreement represents an opportunity for a new partnership between Firestone and the government in their support for the rehabilitation and enhancement of Liberias natural rubber industry.
Continue ReadingKwik-Fit Extends Fleet Hire Agreement
Kwik-Fit Fleet has extended its business partnership with leasing and fleet management company Fleet Hire into a fifth year with the signing of a new 12-month solus preferred agreement. The Solihull-based company operates a fleet of almost 6,000 vehicles and now uses Kwik-Fit Fleet for the supply of virtually all fast-fit related services, from traditional tyre repair and replacement utilising Kwik-Fit’s High Street centre network and 200 Mobile units to brake, exhaust and battery services.
Continue ReadingVipal Aims to be Key Material Supplier to Arab Retreaders
Vipal, the Brazilian retread materials supplier, is betting on greater sales abroad and is specifically seeking to increase its presences in new markets in the Middle East and North Africa. At the end of last year, company representatives were in Saudi Arabia, in the United Arab Emirates and in Sudan. In the three countries the results were positive and new partnerships were established, vice president João Carlos Paludo, told the Brazil Arab News Agency.
Continue ReadingFoundation Stone Laid for New Apollo OTR Plant
Yet another new chapter in the history of Apollo Tyre’s impressive growth was written on February 25 at a foundation stone laying ceremony for the companys new OTR tyre production facility. The construction of this new plant marks Apollos entry into the OTR tyre segment. Presiding over the auspicious occasion at Limda, in India’s Gujarat state, was company chairman and managing director Onkar S Kanwar. The OTR facility will be ready for production within the next 15 months and will have an initial capacity of 10 tonnes per day, to be increased to 60 tonnes a day over a three-year period. Sizes produced at the Limda plant will start at 25-inch and diameters up to 57-inch are planned. The first phase of development will require an investment of about Rs 1 billion (£12.7 million), and this money will go towards establishing facilities primarily for the production of cross-ply OTR tyres. Additional investments will be made for radial production.
Continue ReadingTIA Retreading & Recycling Conference Grows 60%
The Tire Industry Association (TIA) reports that tyre industry visitors to the second Commercial Tire, Retread & Recycling Conference (CTRRC), held in Florida, increased by more than sixty per cent over last year. The CTRRC had 404 registered attendees, including 294 from the commercial/retread market and 110 recyclers who attended the three-day conference that included various seminars, a recycling tour and an equipment demonstration. This meeting was held again in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) of the American Trucking Associations (ATA).
Continue ReadingZeus Launches New Triofill Product
Zeus, a division of Dortmund-based Rösler, has launched a new off-highway tyre filling product. The company describes Triofill as being the “next generation” of off-highway tyre filling technology, systems and products, which coupled with a new electrically driven pumping system, will “re-define the way in which tyre filling technology and its wide diversity of applications will grow in the future.” The international marketing of the new product began in Ireland recently with the appointment of ITS (Industrial Tyre Services, Near Dublin, Ireland) as the Zeus brand’s first Premier Dealer. ITS will have responsibility for launching, distributing and developing Zeus Triofill across Eire.
Continue ReadingFree NTA Motorcycle Tyre Checks
National Tyres and Autocare is offering all motorcycle customers a three point tyre safety check covering tread, pressure and balance to show its support for Bike Tyre Safety Month, running throughout March this year. Earlier literature sent out by the company suggested that the checks would include alignment, but that now appears not to be the case. The campaign, organised by TyreSafe, will highlight the importance of tyre checks to bikers at the start of the biking season.
Continue ReadingWatts Gets Supplier Honour
Watts Tyre Services, the UK division of Watts Tyre Group, was named Supplier of the Year at the 2008 Fork Lift Truck Association annual awards held at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham. The awards showcase the UK materials handling industry and cover a range of categories including innovation, safety, environment and ergonomics. (Tire Review/Akron)
Continue ReadingHankook to Raise Prices 10%
Hankook Tire intends to increase operating profit by 32 per cent this year, a target it will reach through the increased sale of high performance tyres and by raising prices to counter higher raw materials costs. Chief financial officer Cho Hyun Bum told media in Seoul that the company intends to charge 10 per cent more for tyres, a necessary measure if it is to achieve its targeted 2008 profits of 348.5 billion won (£188.7 million). Last year the company made profits of 263.6 billion won (£142.7).
Continue ReadingConti Discusses South Africa Power Saving Programme
At its South African operations Continental Tyre SA has, over the course of three years, introduced a range of schemes that have seen power consumption reduced by 10 per cent. The company recently shared details of its activities in this area. “To save electricity, we have a production monitoring system in the plant to monitor the energy systems and electricity use so that we can see peak demand, steam consumption and air pressures, for example,” commented plant engineering manager Andrew Singer. “We also have a project to improve the monitoring of incoming voltage, frequency and power usage so that we are consistently aware of the power we are using and its quality.”
Continue ReadingGPX To Close Canada Factory
OTR, industrial and specialty tyre manufacturer GPX International Tire Corporation has disclosed its intention to cease operations at its solid tyre production facility in Mississauga, Canada and “consolidate its solid tyre manufacturing operations in Gorham, Maine and Xingtai, China.” This planned closure and consolidation is part of the company’s overall plan to rationalise its wholly owned manufacturing facilities, said GPX in a statement. These plans will see North American operations focusing on specialty products whilst the plant in China will produce the “longer run commodity type” products.
Continue ReadingLuxury Wheels Release MHT Vortex and Annex. Ranges
UK-based wheel importer, Luxury Wheels, has released two new wheels into the market. These two new styles from MHT, combine West-Coast style with high build-quality and finish. The Annex and Vortex are part of MHT’s new forged range that combines massive strength with low weight. The range is huge, and covers most ultra-high performance fitments for most luxury, sports and exotic applications. Sizes range from dramatically staggered options for the Lamborghini Murcielago or Dodge Viper – right up to a stunning 30-inch Hummer application. The MHT Forged range features solid forged rims which eliminate the air loss and bent-lip problems of the more traditional 3-piece designs whilst allowing a degree of modularity in the range to provide exact fitments for a wide variety of vehicles.
Continue ReadingMichelin to Increase Prices in Europe
Rising raw material costs have prompted Michelin to announce price increases for its passenger car, light commercial vehicle, truck and farm tyres in European markets. Car and light commercial tyre prices will rise by 3.5 per cent in most markets, however in the UK and CIS countries these increases will be 7 and 6 per cent respectively – this greater change, reports Michelin, is necessary to offset the negative impact of the local currencies compared to that of the euro.
Continue Reading80% of Nigerian Tyre Market Imported
An estimated 80 per cent the 3.3 million tyres used in Nigeria are imported, according to Dunlop Nigeria Plc, Nigeria’s only domestic tyre manufacturer. The company also said over 150 different brands of tyres are imported into the country from Europe and Asia, among others. Dunlop Nigeria Managing Director Mohammed Yinusa blamed the figures on […]
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