New Appointments at Goodyear SA
South Africa’s tyre industry has recently completed a short round of musical chairs, with a couple of senior executives switching companies. Former Continental Tyre SA senior manager Dustine Gascoyne has joined Goodyear South Africa as marketing director. “The Port Elizabeth-born marketing executive has gained solid experience in the tyre industry after spending the past 14 years at Continental,” said Goodyear in its announcement. Gascoyne added: “I am delighted to be on board at Goodyear. The company feels open and team-oriented.” Goodyear recently split the sales and marketing directorship portfolios into two separate roles, and former Hi-Q managing director Andrew Bowren has taken up the position of sales director at Goodyear South Africa.
Continue ReadingMore than ‘Just’ Tyres
The name of the Chinese tyre manufacturer Aufine is derived from the English words ‘all fine’, and according to the company’s general manager, David Sun, business these days is more than just all fine at Aufine. When Tyres & Accessories spoke to Mr. Sun at Septembers CITExpo exhibition in Shanghai he was brimming with confidence about the company’s future, in particular with regards to export sales of its products and, more specifically, exports to European markets. “For many people from overseas that we’ve met here at CITExpo, Aufine is a new brand,” observed David Sun. “Although we’ve been manufacturing tyres in China for 20 years, Aufine has only been exporting for one.” Therefore the new exporter of tyres from China viewed CITExpo as an opportunity to make new friends, so to speak, and Mr. Sun confirmed that the company’s main reason for attending the exhibition in Shanghai, along with promoting the Aufine brand, was to seek new agents in strategic export markets. To this end the general manager was able to confirm without hesitation that Aufine had been very successful in its quest.
Continue ReadingConti Names Director of Dealer Sales
(Akron/Tire Review) Jim Sicking has joined Continental Tire North America as its new director of independent dealer channel sales for its passenger/light truck tyre unit. Most recently, Sickling was national accounts manager for Phillips Industries. “We are pleased to welcome Jim Sicking to the CTNA family. He has extensive experience in the automotive industry, and we’re confident that under his leadership, we will see significant gains in our dealer sales in the coming years,” said Andreas Gerstenberger, executive vice president of PLT replacement sales and marketing.
Continue ReadingKumho Petrochemical to Increase Synthetic Rubber Production
Kumho Petrochemical has made a total investment of 285.3 billion Korean won (£150.6 million) in extensions to its facilities as part of its goal of acquiring the largest share of the global synthetic rubber and specialty chemical market. A total of 164 billion Korean won (£86.6 million) has been invested in the company’s BR (butadiene rubber) factory and 97 billion Korean won (£51.2 million) in its SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber) plant. A further 24.3 billion Korean won (£12.8 million) has been invested in the company’s specialty chemical plant, where the substance 6-PPD is produced. When the extensions are completed, Kumho Petrochemical’s annual BR production capacity will increase from 222,000 tons to 342,000 tons, while its annual SBR production capacity will rise from 421,000 tons to 531,000 tons. The company will also produce more than twice its current volume of 6-PPD a year, increasing its capacity from 31,000 tons to 70,000 tons. Extensions to the BR plant are expected to be completed in October 2009. When this goal is achieved, Kumho Petrochemical’s annual production of BR and SBR combined will reach 763,000 tons – meaning that output will surpass that of Goodyear, who currently produce 714,000 tons per annum, placing Kumho Petrochemical at the head of the world list in terms of synthetic rubber production.
Continue ReadingMichelin to Cut Some, Upgrade Other Operations at Stoke Facility
The Michelin factory at Stoke on Trent is to cease its calendaring operations, and investment in the plant over the next few years will be directed towards retreading operations. According to a Michelin spokeswoman, the production of calendered steelcord, which currently supplies the company’s factory in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, will end in March 2008. Approximately 40 jobs will be lost as a result; Michelin is seeking voluntary redundancies, and will attempt to place those who wish to remain with the tyremaker in other suitable roles. The remaining 1,300 jobs at the Stoke on Trent factory are secure, added Michelin, and the Ballymena plant will be supplied from other Michelin facilities. The Stoke site seems likely, however, to benefit from an upgrade to its Remix retreading operations. Michelin reports that plans are afoot to invest in a “multi-million” pound programme that will provide the technology required to retread tyres incorporating Michelin Durable Technologies. Research into the proposal will be carried out next year and implementation of the upgrade will begin in 2009, with a 5-year timeframe slated for its completion.
Continue ReadingDon’t Try This at Home…Or Anywhere Else
A man in the US has injured himself using an item of tyre changing equipment that T&A did not encounter at last May’s Brityrex and is confident was also not displayed on any of the stands at either CITExpo or Tyrexpo Asia. In order to loosen a stiff wheel nut, the 66-year old man from Washington State called into service the considerable power offered by his 12-guage shotgun. The man had removed all but one of the wheel nuts from the rear right wheel of his Lincoln Continental, which he had been attempting to repair for the previous two weeks – the removal of wheel nuts apparently in this instance proving to be a challenging and time consuming affair. The DIY fast-fit procedure was carried out at arm’s length from the wheel, and the man was peppered with buckshot and debris as a reward for his creative thinking.
Continue ReadingHankook Issues Statement Regarding Worker Claims
(Akron/Tire Review) Hankook Tire has issued a statement in response to news reports that South Korea’s Ministry of Labour is investigating the relationship between the working environment at two of Hankook’s factories and the sudden deaths of 14 employees. The deaths being investigated occurred between May 2006 and October 2007, and workers at the company’s factories in Daejeon and Geumsan, claim the deaths can be linked to a toxic chemical solvent used during the manufacturing process – a claim Hankook reports it has examined but as yet remains unverified. Hankook’s statement says:
Continue ReadingUBS Increases Stake in Continental AG
According to a press release published on November 12 by Swiss based banking firm UBS AG, its share in Continental AG now stands at 5.34 per cent. In late September Continental’s website reported the bank’s shareholding as being 1.97 per cent. No further details were disclosed by UBS.
Continue ReadingAgarwal Rubber: Driving Ambition
Agarwal Rubber Limited was incorporated in 1983 and is part of the Agarwal Group; one of the leading private business groups in India, with interests in a number of fields, including automobile rubber products, tyres, tubes, flaps, cement manufacturing and real estate. Agarwal Rubber was the first company in India to exclusively manufacture butyl rubber tubes and flaps – products which had traditionally been manufactured by tyre companies – and the initial capacity was 200 tubes per day. This has risen somewhat, as todays daily production capacity stands at 30,000 tubes. The company is already well known for its Maruti brand of products, which include tyres and tubes for everything from two wheelers through passenger cars and LCVs to trucks and even tubes for aircraft wheels. Agarwal Rubber has recently extended its range with the addition of a new brand, ARL.
Continue ReadingNETE Takes the Exhaustion out of Custom Exhausts
North Eastern Tyre and Exhausts recently announced its intention to make further inroads into the retail market, and steps towards this goal have been made through a number of investments, including upgrading of its outlets and the construction of a ninth premises in Harrogate/Knaresborough, which is nearing completion. Now the Middlesbrough based business has invested into the exhaust side of its operations in North Yorkshire with the addition of a piece of equipment that is proving a drawcard for the region’s car enthusiasts. The company’s Brotton outlet has become the recipient of a specialist exhaust-bending machine that allows NETE to produce any style of exhaust for any type of car. The machine, which cost in excess of £20,000, utilises the latest in exhaust customising technology to come from the US and, reports the manager of NETE’s Brotton outlet, Tony Darcy, it is attracting a wide variety of drivers from right across the region.
Continue ReadingFormer Firestone President DiFederico Dies
(Akron/Tire Review) Former Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. president Mario DiFederico, 86, died early November in Akron. DiFederico was elected to the Firestone board in 1970 and retired as president in 1979. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1947, and immediately started with Firestone.
Continue ReadingPhillips Carbon Black to Expand Capacity
India’s RPG Enterprises is looking to boost capacities at its Phillips Carbon Black (PCBL) subsidiary. The Economic Times in India reports the company is establishing a 75,000 tonnes per annum greenfield carbon black manufacturing unit in the west Indian state of Gujarat, along with a 16 megawatt power plant. It also intends to increase capacity at its facility in the state of Kerala by 50,000 tonnes per annum to 85,000 tonnes. RPG Enterprises vice-chairman Sanjiv Goenka told the Indian financial daily “the move is expected to catapult PCBL globally to the sixth rank in terms of the manufacturing capacity over the next two years from ninth now.” The total outlay for the proposed projects, at both greenfield and established sites, is estimated to be Rs 5,500,000,000 (£67.3 million) and will be funded by a mix of debt, equity and internal accruals, Mr. Goenka added. The greenfield facility alone will require an investment of Rs 3,500,000,000 (£42.8 million).
Continue ReadingSumitomo Company to Purchase US Sporting Goods Maker
SRI Sports Ltd., a division of the Sumitomo Rubber Group, has announced that it will acquire the US company Cleveland Golf Co. for US$132.5 million. The Japanese sporting goods maker will buy all outstanding shares in the California based company, the fifth-ranking maker of golf clubs in the United States, from Quiksilver Inc. SRI Sports hopes to complete the share acquisition procedures by the year-end. Through the acquisition, SRI Sports, which makes Dunlop brand golf and tennis goods, is aiming to expand its business in the United States.
Continue ReadingMarathon Runners to Follow in Goodyear’s Tyre Tracks
In the US Goodyear is taking the promotion of its tyres to the streets – literally. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company on November 12 announced it is to hold the distinction of being the Official Tire of the 2007 Philadelphia Marathon. As part of the agreement, Goodyear will have the marathon’s blue line that leads runners through the races 26.2 miles painted in the pattern of the companys signature TripleTred Technology tread pattern. This is believed to be the first occasion in the history of road racing that a marathon line has featured a branded design. The pattern will be seen by the 15,000 runners and more than 100,000 spectators anticipated to be in attendance on race day, November 18. The tread line will be laid down via a six-foot tall replica Fortera TripleTred tyre, which will roll the line out over the entire course. During the two nights leading into the marathon, the replica Goodyear tyre will paint the patterned blue line in a biodegradable, all natural vegetable-based latex paint. Philadelphia mayor John F. Street will begin the line painting in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art during a press conference on November 15.
Continue ReadingNew Artificial Turf May Be Unsafe, Officials Claim
(Akron/Tire Review – New Haven Register) Every new expanse of artificial turf contains plastic grass and about 120 tons of finely chopped tyres that may emit a small amount of cancer-causing agents. The layer of rubber crumbs makes the surface softer and more forgiving. It also gives off dozens of compounds that have not been studied or assessed for safety in the United States. Despite assurances from the Connecticut Department of Public Health that the chemicals in artificial turf are little cause for concern, environmentalists and a growing number of public officials in the Northeast are questioning the wisdom of building athletic fields containing the equivalent of 26,000 tyres of unknown composition. Outdoor sports were played on grass and dirt until 1966 and the advent of the enclosed Houston Astrodome, which was too dark inside to grow grass. A Monsanto subsidiary produced ersatz grass that came to be called Astroturf. In 1967, Indiana State built the first stadium with outdoor Astroturf. Astroturf evolved into a product similar to a plastic shag carpet in-filled with granulated rubber.
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