Nokian Tyres AGM Proposals
At the Nokian Tyres Annual General Meeting, to be held April 6, 2006, the Board of Directors will propose the Members of the Board of Directors to be elected for the next period. The nominees are the current Members of the Board of Directors: Rabbe Grönblom, Hannu Penttilä, Petteri Walldén and Kim Gran and new Members of the Board of Directors: Hille Korhonen, Koki Takahashi and Alexei Vlasov.
Continue ReadingSuperior to Supply ‘Large Diameter’ Alloys to GM
Superior Industries International, Inc has announced that it has awarded new contracts from General Motors to supply large-diameter aluminum wheels for passenger vehicles and SUVs. The programmes are said to represent a combination of new and replacement business.
Continue ReadingNokian to Invest in Heavy Tyre Production
Nokian Tyres’ Board of Directors has approved a plan to invest 4 million euros in order to expand heavy radial tyre production capacity. This will mean an increase in Nokian Tyres total investments in 2006 from 88 million euros to 92 million euros. The investment includes the whole production process; ie component manufacturing, tyre assembly and curing at the Heavy Tyre plant in Nokia, Finland. The investment will mean a capacity increase of the Nokian Tractor Industrial 2 product line, launched in 2004, and of the Nokian Country King product line, launched in 2005, to better meet the strong growth in demand. The increase in radial tyre capacity will come on-stream towards the end of this year and in early 2007.
Continue ReadingSPSA Picks Colombus McKinnon
Columbus McKinnon Corporation has announced the sale of a new CM Stationary Tyre Shredding System to SPSA (Southeastern Public Service Authority) in Suffolk, Virginia. In a government bid process, Columbus McKinnon Corporation equipment was chosen as the successful bidder. After an extensive search and numerous visits to other processing facilities and as a result of the rigorous requirements of their TDF customer, SPSA chose CM equipment for its reliability, low operating costs and its ability to create consistently sized, clean cut chips. In an effort to expand their business, SPSA chose CM equipment because of its ability to process a greater volume of tyres and help create new market potential.
Continue ReadingStars of the Future
Bridgestone has kicked off its 2006 First Stop Stars training programme with courses for managers, reception staff, and tyre technicians from dealerships across the UK. The first courses, in Birmingham and Leeds, were part of a series of bespoke training sessions scheduled for this year under the First Stop Stars scheme, Bridgestone’s programme that rewards high-quality tyre outlets and helps individual dealerships improve their standards. The training sessions, which comprised theoretical and practical elements, were delivered by Bridgestone UK’s Paul Turner and Phil Thirsk, and focussed on car tyre knowledge, health and safety, and basic tyre fitting.
Continue ReadingMichelin Delivers Savings for Anglian Water
Michelin is reporting that Anglian Water’s decision to switch its tyre procurement policy to Michelin from another mainstream manufacturer has resulted in measurable cost savings of nearly 16 per cent per year and halved the number of tyre related breakdowns. The company operates a fleet of 49 waste tankers and tippers, comprising a mixture of Volvos and Scanias, which are responsible for moving solid product from sewage works directly to treatment plants across the East of England, stretching from the Humber to the Thames.
Continue ReadingECE 108 and 109 Could be Mandatory From September
From 13 September 2006 complying with ECE regulations 108 and 109 could be a compulsory condition of selling retreads in the EU member states. The EU’s Brussels-based Competitive council adopted the decision on the 13 March. Now that this major decision has been taken it is likely that the regulation will be written into the statute books. Industry observers are receiving the announcement as a positive end to what has been a long procedure. The regulation has been compulsory in the UK since 1 January 2004 and has been available for use on a voluntary basis since June 1998.
Continue ReadingTRIB to Challenge Truck Drivers at Mid-America Show
(Akron/Tire Review) TRIB will hold its “Pump ‘Em, Don’t Thump ‘Em” contest at its booth at the upcoming Mid-America Trucking Show, set for next week in Louisville, Kentucky. The Mid-America Trucking Show is the trucking industry’s largest national event, and draws manufacturers, marketers and thousands of drivers each year. The Pump ‘Em, Don’t Thump ‘Em contest, co-sponsored by ArvinMeritor, will be held Friday, 24 March at 10:30 am in Booth 6973 in the West Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center.
Continue ReadingWorkers OK New Deal at Accuride Plant
(Akron/Tire Review) Union workers at Accuride’s steel wheel plant in London, Ontario, overwhelmingly approved a new contract with the manufacturer. The three-year deal between Accuride and the 550 Canadian Auto Workers (CAW)-represented workers was reached 11 March and includes a base rate wage increase of 2 per cent. The Accuride plant produces steel passenger and commercial truck wheels
Continue ReadingIndian Tyremakers to Import 25,000 Tonnes of Rubber
Indian tyre manufacturers will have to import 25,000 tonnes of natural rubber in the six months between April and September, the Hindu Business Line has reported. The imports come after a six month lull, when shipments into the country came to a halt. “Tyre companies are importing basically since we anticipate shortage of rubber. Contracts have been signed and consignments will begin arriving from April onwards,” said Mr D Ravindran, director-general, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association, the apex body of tyre makers in the country.
Continue ReadingAmtel Plans 100 million Euro Fundraising
Amtel-Vredestein is to issue a four-year credit-linked note for 100 million euros ($119.8 million) within the next two months, the company chief executive recently told the Reuters news agency. “There are some technical issues to tackle. Once we have resolved them with banks, we believe we will launch these CLNs within one-and-a-half to two months,” Alexei Gurin told reporters.
Continue ReadingTop Technician 2006 Results
The names of finalists in the Top Technician 2006 competition will be announced on March 24. The live final will be held at the Automotive Trade Show (25-27 April, NEC Birmingham) on the Top Technician stand, number 1531. Of the 500 technicians that originally entered, only 36 were invited to attend the semi finals at three regional ATA approved test centres in Croydon, Hinckley and Manchester. They undertook ATA at diagnostic level and were independently assessed for the purposes of the competition by Mark Softley from MototeK and Ian Gillgrass from the IMI.
Continue ReadingContinental Launches SportContact3
Continental Tyres today announced the launch of the ContiSportContact 3. Featuring an asymmetrical tread pattern designed to enhance the driving characteristics of sports cars, offer shorter braking distances, and extra grip for better handling, this tyre has already obtained approval from Audi. The new Continental range also includes tread pattern options both for high-powered rear wheel drive sports cars and powerful customised vehicles. The ContiSportContact 3 has been designed for manufacturers and drivers of sports vehicles – high performance tyres approved for speeds of over 150 mph accounted for 12 per cent of tyres across Europe in 2005. Continental anticipates that the proportion of these tyres will increase to 16 per cent by 2009.
Continue ReadingTyre Shipment Increase Smaller, Says RMA
(Akron/Tire Review) The RMA has adjusted its projections for 2006, and now expects total US tyre shipments to increase just 1 per cent compared to 2005, instead of the 2 per cent it had predicted back in December. The RMA said that 2006 should show “steady economic growth in the consumer and commercial sectors,” it has downgraded its shipment prediction because of decreases in OE markets. RMA projects continued annualized growth of about 1.7 per cent for total tyre shipments through 2011. Combined 2006 OE and replacement market shipments – passenger and commercial – should increase by 3.8 million units to nearly 325 million tires, up from 2005’s 320.8 million total units, RMA said. By 2011, shipments should reach 352 million tyres.
Continue ReadingHankook’s New Tyre ‘Loads Better’
Hankook Tyre UK will unveil a new tyre – the 295/60 R22.5 AL02 – at this years Commercial Vehicle show. The company claims its latest product will prove of immense benefit to the vehicle logistics industry. Hankook was contacted by a senior fleet engineer for a major vehicle logistics company, who was looking for a solution to a tyre-related problem. Like most logistics companies operating in Europe, his fleet was fitted with 295/60 R22.5 tyres on the three trailer axles in order to reduce vehicle height, which aids loading and unloading, as well as making the vehicle more stable.
Continue Reading