A League of Their Own
When football teams run out onto Moscow’s Luzhniki BSA Olympic Stadium at the start of a match, it is a safe bet that few, if any, players realise that the “grass” under their feet was once black and round and fitted to a car. But despite this unawareness, the tyres we deal with every day have a strong connection with the beautiful game; the Luzhniki stadium was one of the sites at which the UEFA trialled the use of synthetic turf several years ago, and was subsequently granted the honour of hosting the first ever UEFA Cup qualifying round to be held on an artificial surface. The synthetic turf gracing the ground at Luzhniki is FieldTurf – a product produced by FieldTurf Tarkett, a Canadian company that, in addition to supplying numerous UEFA and FIFA approved turf installations, also happens to be Credential Automotive’s largest rubber crumb customer. FieldTurf’s requirements currently account for two-thirds of all Credential’s annual output of recycled tyre product. “We’re quite proud to be playing our part in sporting excellence around the world,” comments Credential Automotive director Steve Patterson. But while Credential’s supply of tyre derived rubber product helps provide a natural feeling yet durable surface for our most popular sport, tyre recycling is much more than just a game for the County Durham based recycling and waste management specialist. Vast quantities of end of life tyres arrive at Credential’s Newton Aycliffe premises each year – Steve Patterson reports that Credential will process approximately 11 million tyres in 2008 – and the company collects tyres plus other automotive waste from fast fit centres, car dealerships, ELV dismantlers, farmers, councils and other tyre collectors in many regions throughout Great Britain, from Southwest England to Scotland. Credential’s ability to process so many tyres was in 2007 aided by the installation of the “Tyrannosaurus”, reported to be the world’s largest shredder. This machine of Cretaceous proportions was installed in May 2007 after arriving from Finland, and it is “operating well,” reports Steve Patterson. “The machine completed commissioning in August 2007 and will have processed 2.5 million tyres by then end of January 2008.” With a line capacity of 20 tonnes per hour, the equivalent of 3,000 car tyres, the Tyrannosaurus can make short work of end of life tyres. “The processing capacity is very high and depends on the material produced, but at a 50mm tyre chip the machine could process over 80,000 tonnes per annum on a two-shift basis.” Credential’s hardware is able to effectively process 4x4 and van tyres without encountering any of the problems experienced by operators using smaller machines, and Patterson reports that the company is also able to process or find outlets for tyres containing a range of technologies, including run-flat or uncured tyres. He adds that tyres containing anti-puncture sealants may provide a less than satisfactory result should they arrive in sufficient quantities, but at present very few of these appear in the mix so they pose no problem. The output from Credential Automotive’s facility, or at least the one-third not taken by FieldTurf, is supplied to numerous rubber manufacturers, whose end products include mats, flooring, insulating products and children’s playgrounds. According to Steve Patterson, Credential is easily able to sell everything it produces. “We currently have outlets for all of our outputs, he says. “Most are contracted and a proportion is placed on spot markets. We balance the risk/reward of contracted supply and spot markets constantly.” The ETRMA reported last July that the UK was Europe’s leading tyre recycler, with 93 per cent of tyres previously destined for landfill now diverted to various forms of recycling. While Credential, as a past winner of the Motor Traders Association ‘Environmental Award’ and NTDA TAFF environment award nominee, is recognised for its environmentally sound policy and practices, Steve Patterson believes that legislation remains fundamental to our high recycling levels. “In general terms most people within the industry recognise the benefits of recycling a high quality product like tyres, but you need legislation and strong enforcement to push the minority into compliance because they wont do it for the sake of it.” He adds: “While a number of responsible producers take an active interest in what happens to scrap tyres, a number do not, and it is economics that drive the market. If the landfill ban was not enforced then the UK would still send a higher proportion of tyres to landfill, or at least until the landfill tax made it uneconomic.”
Continue Reading1,000 Conti Tyres Stolen From Truck
Over 1,000 tyres were stolen from a lorry parked in a layby on the A43 between Northampton and Towcester. According to local news sources, the tyres were taken from a plain blue articulated lorry parked in the layby on the southbound carriageway near Blisworth between 23:00 on 23 January and 8:00 the following morning. The stolen tyres are ContiPremiumContact 205/55 R Continental tyres and are estimated to represent a six-figure retail sales value in total.
Continue ReadingHakkapeliitta Truck E Points to New Truck Tyre Range
Nokian Tyres introduced the Hakkapeliitta Truck E a new tyre for trucks and buses, designed for the most demanding winter conditions. This new winter drive tyre is also the first member of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta Truck product family. The tyres tread design features more than 1,100 efficient transverse sipes, forming a dense network that helps maximise grip. The tyre is also equipped with special sipe activators that are very sensitive to the road surface and rapidly activate the sipes, particularly in changing temperatures and road conditions. “Nokian Hakkapeliitta Truck E is the result of years of intensive work; its a new-generation product that combines the excellent grip and resistance properties that professional drivers value very highly,” says Teppo Siltanen, Product Manager, Nokian Truck Tyres. Development work drew on the experiences of the highly commended Nokian Noktop 41 traction surface and the Nokian NTR-817 truck tyre.
Continue ReadingBandag Offers New Tread Design
Bandag announced today it is now offering BDY2ä, Bandag Drive Severe Service 2, in the North American market. Working with Canadian fleets, Bandag specifically engineered this retread tire design for severe service conditions where superior traction is required from a drive position tyre. “We understand that keeping fleets up and running on time is critical to the oil field and logging industries. BDY2Ä is a next-generation design offering more aggressive traction than its predecessor,” says Chris Hoffman, product manager of global tyre products for Bandag. “Our retread tyre design complements the new Bridgestone M775 on/off highway radial tyres and has rapidly been put into use by fleets in both Canada and the western United States.”
Continue ReadingDouble Coin to Open New Truck Tyre Factory
A report printed in a motor industry publication indicates that Double Coin Holdings Co. plans to open a new truck tyre factory in the final quarter of 2008. According to Automotive News, the facility to be build in Chongqing, China, will be able to produce 2.5 million truck radials per year, increasing the companys annual truck tyre capacity to around 7 million units. Double Coin has neither confirmed nor denied whether the company has plans to produce passenger car tyres at the facility. When asked this question, company spokesperson Sun Wen simply told Automotive News it depends on the market.
Continue ReadingBFNT’s Gamauf to Retire
The vice-president of Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire (BFNT), John K. Gamauf, will retire from the company effective as of May 1, 2008. Gamauf, who also holds the office of president, Consumer Replacement Tire Sales, will be replaced by John Baratta, who currently serves as vice president, North American Consumer Tires Sales, BFNT. Baratta’s successor has yet to be named. Gamauf will continue to serve on BFNT’s board of directors. Mark A. Emkes, chairman and CEO of BFNT and its parent company, Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. (BSAH) said: “I would like to thank John Gamauf on behalf of the entire Bridgestone Americas team for the great job he has done during his long, successful career with our company. Under his leadership, he and his team have developed the best consumer tyre dealer network in the country. Not only has he grown our consumer replacement tyre sales to record levels, he’s also done a tremendous job developing the individuals who make up his team. The result is the deepest and most talented bench in the industry. John’s truly ‘done it all’ when it comes to retail tyre sales.”
Continue ReadingTyre Specialist Becomes Sheep Midwife
When Goodyear Dunlop UK off-the-road tyre specialist, Brian Eastman, visited a farm in Shurford he ended up using a more “hands-on” approach than he bargained for. In January Eastman was visiting Richard Parris at Cutliffe Farm when farmer Parris received a call informing him that one of his sheep was in a bit of bother during labour. He leaped to the rescue, taking an intrigued Brian Eastman with him, whereupon they found the sheep was struggling with a lamb in a breach position. Parris took control, whil Goodyears Eastman held the sheep in place and kept it calm. “It was an interesting night at the farm and certainly a first for me! Mother and baby are doing well!” Brian Eastman told T&A. Perhaps his example will lead to animal midwifery being added to OTR tyre training!
Continue ReadingBridgestone Motorsport Valencia Test Summary
The Valencia race circuit in Spain played host to Bridgestone’s medium compound Potenza for ten of Formula One’s eleven teams for the second test of 2008 on January 22-24. The medium compound Potenza dry grooved racing tyre was in action for the entirety of the test, which took place in dry conditions, with blue skies overhead on the first two days, but a mainly cloudy and overcast day three. No runs were completed using any of Bridgestone’s wet range of Potenza Formula One tyres. Teams completed valuable evaluation work with both the latest and last season’s cars run to the 2008 regulations. New cars from BMW Sauber, Ferrari, Honda, McLaren, Red Bull, Renault, Toyota and Williams and were all put through their paces along with older cars from some of these teams as well as Force India and Toro Rosso. Super Aguri were not present at this test. Bridgestone Potenza Formula One tyres will be in use next week at Barcelona on 1-3 February, where Bridgestone’s hard compound Potenza will be used for the first time this year.
Continue ReadingRally Monte Carlo Gets Underway With Pirelli
For Pirelli the start of the 76th Monte Carlo Rally marks an important new chapter in its sporting history. This event will be the first WRC rally in which all the teams will use Pirelli control tyres, as part of an exclusive three-year tyre supply deal. The Italian firm has produced three different types of tyre for the world rally season, one of which is available in two different versions. Pirelli’s choice of tyres has been guided by a strict specification brief from the FIA. As well as the Pirelli PZero - designed for asphalt rallies - and the Pirelli Scorpion for gravel events, the all-new Pirelli Sottozero will be used on winter events. This tyre is available in a narrow size with longer studs, for heavy snow and ice such as is found in Sweden, and also a wider version with the option of adding short studs - which has been specially designed for the unique conditions of Monte Carlo event.
Continue ReadingWRAP Seeks New eQuip Lessors
WRAP is looking for new lessors to join its successful eQuip Residual Value Guarantee scheme, which in its four years of operation has benefited a number of tyre recyclers. There are currently ten finance providers signed up to the scheme and WRAP now wants to open the panel to new lessors as the recycling sector continues to grow. Ian Wardle, Head of Business Support at WRAP, says: “eQuip has already made a significant contribution towards meeting UK recycling targets. To date, 328 assets have been guaranteed through eQuip, at a value in excess of £19 million. These assets have already diverted three million tonnes of waste from landfill and the demand for this type of activity is going to grow rapidly in the next few years. We need other lessors to join the existing panel so that we can help the recycling sector to keep pace with this demand.”
Continue ReadingBridgestone F1 Tyres ‘Essentially the Same’ as 2007
Bridgestone reports that Formula 1 teams are busy testing ahead of the 2008 season, with most running their new cars at the latest test session at Valencia in Spain, and teams have the benefit of racing on tyres that are fundamentally the same as those tried and tested last year. Interest in the new season seems at an all-time high with a staggering 35,000 crowding the track to watch the Ferrari duo of Felipe Massa and defending World Champion Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest times. Perhaps most impressive, however, was Nico Rosberg who finished third on the timesheets in the new Williams FW30, which had only had its first shakedown the day before. Rosbergs best time was just a tenth behind Raikkonen and two-tenths faster than McLarens Heikki Kovalainen. The man most of the crowd had come to see - Spains double World Champion Fernando Alonso - finished the day with the sixth fastest time behind countryman and McLaren test-driver Pedro de la Rosa.
Continue ReadingPro-Cut Shows Off PFM 9.19 Lathe
Pro-Cut Europe, spent two days showcasing the new PFM 9.19 On-Car Brake Lathe in the Engineering section of Autosport 2008. Guy Carter, Sales Director for Pro-Cut Europe, said: “This is the fifth time we’ve been to Autosport but this was the first in the Engineering section and we will definitely be back.” The Pro-Cut stand attracted visitors from all over the world from race car engineers to prototype designers and racing team owners. Allen Hawkins, UK Sales Manager, said “I was glad I was only on the stand on Thursday - my voice went, we ran out of marketing material and I needed Friday in the office just to follow up the leads”. He continued: “In the two days we spoke to over a 100 interested parties and are extremely happy with the continued communication after the show and that’s just contacts from the domestic market.
Continue ReadingNizhnekamskshina to Increase Size Range
The tyre range produced at Russia’s Nizhnekamskshina tyre factory will increase to 21 sizes this year, the company reports. And according to company representatives, total planned production for 2008 is to be 12.3 million tyres, slightly less than last year. Nizhnekamskshina currently has a capacity of 12.9 million units per annum. Between 2001 and 2007 some 4.8 billion roubles (£100 million) has been invested into the 37 year old formerly government owned facility, and production at the Nizhnekamskshina plant focuses upon three key segments – passenger car tyres, truck tyres and tyres for agricultural equipment. Factory output is said to cover 30 per cent of Russia’s production output, and of the total volume, 23 per cent are delivered to OEM customers, 59 per cent to the domestic aftermarket, and the remainder exported.
Continue Reading66 Million Additional Euros Earmarked for Nokian’s Russian Facility
Russia’s AK&M Information Agency reports that investment in the second stage of the Nokian Tyres facility in Vsevolozhsk, St Petersburg will this year be increased by 66 million euros. Total investment in the project, which will double the factory’s output to 10 million units per year by 2011, is expected to reach 195 million euros. Stage one of the project required an investment of 155 million euros and production at the facility began in June 2005. Plant production reportedly covers 27.4 per cent of Russia’s output. In 2006 the factory’s net profit rose 30.5 per cent to 107.3 million euros, with net sales increasing 21.8 per cent to 835.9 million euros.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Keeps Charity Rolling with Tyre Donation
Bridgestone has donated a consignment of tyres to Mercy Ships, the international charity operating hospital ships that provide health care in some of the world’s poorest countries. A selection of Bridgestone’s rugged 4x4 Dueller tyres have been supplied, and these will see use on vehicles that travel into remote areas of the bush, across difficult terrain and dirt tracks to reach sick people that otherwise could not be treated. For Des Collins, vice president Public Relations, Bridgestone Europe, this donation makes sense in several ways: “Bridgestone has a sister company in Liberia, Firestone Natural Rubber Company, which employs more than 6,000 people in the production of natural rubber. As a part of its commitment to employees and their families in Liberia, Firestone operates its own schools and hospitals there, and consequently knows well the local need for health care. Therefore, Bridgestone was attracted to helping Mercy Ships in their efforts in West Africa and we are confident that the Dueller 4x4 tyres will help them in their great work.”
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