Hankook Becomes OE Supplier For Renault
The Korean tyre manufacturer Hankook is developing three tyre sizes for Renault. These are 155/65-14 and 165/70-14 reinforced for the Twingo and size 185/65-15 for the Kangoo. First deliveries will start at the end of next year. At present the major OE-suppliers to Renault are Michelin, Continental and Dunlop.
Continue ReadingNew Products From Michelin and Kleber
Michelin wants to underline its reputation for innovation concerning agricultural tyres with the presentation of three new tyres: MACHXBIB, XM 28 for tractors exceeding 180 horse power and the trailer tyre CARGOXBIB. The first one comes in two versions: an on-land version (650 mm wide) for transport and for work along the furrow and the in-land version (900 mm wide) with significantly reduced soil compaction and excellent traction performance. Highlight on the Kleber stand is the new FITKER a 70-series tyre that will be available in the two dimensions 480/70 R28 and 580/70 R38, and which replaces its predecessors, the Super 8L and 9L.
Continue Reading“ZE-512” By Falken
Successor to the ZE-502, which proved a major market success in Europe, Japanese tyre manufacturer introduces its new product, ZE-512, to the European market. The tyre shall set new standards in friction resistance, aquaplaning and handling on wet surfaces. The development of the ZE-512 focused on comfort-oriented, well-balanced properties. The two and one profile block and the side profiles 5-phase shifted random pitch variation minimise noise and maximise steering precision throughout the entire life of the tyre. The ZE 512 will appear in 41 dimensions.
Continue ReadingFord Jr.: Not Just For Sentimental Reasons
Two weeks ago William Bill Ford (44) played his part in the fall of Jacques Nasser and took on the responsibility for the company himself. Since then he has taken every opportunity to emphasise that he is very interested in repairing the ruined relationship between Ford and Firestone. Many newspapers stressed that his two great grandfathers were the founders of Ford and Firestone and his mother was born a Firestone. But sentimentality alone is not sufficient motivation. Almost single-handedly the now-resigned Ford boss Nasser ordered the additional recall of 12 million Firestone tyres that will burden the companys balance sheet with a figure in excess of two billion US-Dollars. This has been regarded as completely unnecessary by Firestone and the tyre manufacturer has rejected any responsibility for this act. After the US safety administration (NHTSA) and Firestone had agreed on a voluntary recall of some hundred thousand tyres, costing the tyre manufacturer a two-figure million Dollar amount of money, Firestone regards its attitude as justified. Ford wanted to present the bill to Bridgestone/Firestone at the right time. This may not be possible, in legal terms, the car producer might have no grounds against Firestone. It is possible that a voluntary agreement could provide a way not to lose the face in front of the shareholders. If Bridgestone/Firestone were to resume its old position as a key supplier, settlements to accounts could be presented in a plausible way, as has already happened for example in the case of General Motors and Volkswagen in the Lopez Affair.
Continue ReadingJoint Venture To Manufacture And Market Car Radials In China
The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd has announced that the Chinese Government has approved the establishment of a joint venture company in January 2002 to make and market radial car tyres in China. It is a jv between Yokohama, YHI Holdings (of Singapore) and Hangzhou Rubber, of China. Production will begin in April 2003, initially of 750,000 tyres a year. A second stage of investment will increase this figure up to 1.5 million tyres, depending on demand. Each stage will require an investment of $30 million.
Continue ReadingTop Executives Of Bridgestone/Ford Meet
According to Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbum, the top executives of Bridgestone Corp. and Ford Motor Co. met in Honolulu last weekend in a move towards repairing the rift between the two companies over the recall of Firestone tyres on Ford Explorers. Bridgestone CEO Shigeo Watanabe met with Nick Scheele, Ford chief operating officer, a Bridgestone spokesman said, this being the first talk at senior management level between the two companies since their 100-year relationship was severed in May. The two companies agreed to further meetings, with John Lampe, CEO of Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., participating next time, although no timetable has yet been announced. Both Ford and Bridgestone want to resume their long-standing business relationship. The Japanese tyre manufacturer will, according to industry pundits, supply Bridgestone tyres at a special price in order to contribute to the costs incurred by Ford during its voluntary and hasty Firestone tyre recall.
Continue Reading“Ypsilon” by Continental
With the new Ypsilon tyre, which was shown for the first time at Agritechnica in Hanover, Continental is breaking into the 22.5 inch tyre sector. The Ypsilion combines all the benefits of implement and MPT radial tyres and is approved for speeds of up to 90 km/h (56 mph). Its all-round suitability means it can be fitted not only to trailed axles but also drive axles. In addition the new, revised Technical Manual comprising of over 100 pages has been published to coincide with Agritechnica. It contains a wealth of information about agricultural tyres, their tread patterns, tyre pressures and application conditions.
Continue ReadingWorse-Than-Expected Figures For Vredestein
Contrary to earlier forecasts, the Dutch Vredestein group has announced heavy losses for 2001. Sales and profitability on the German tyre market, which are very important factors in Vredesteins results, are under pressure.
Continue ReadingConti’s Santa Claus Event in Scotland
It has become a tradition that the tyre producer Continental invites the press to a Santa Claus Event around the 6th of December each year, presenting a certain topic/issue about the market. Whereas the group had been international for a couple of years, Conti returned to the original concept of an only German speaking group in 2001. Last years topic was the development and construction of 4x4 winter tyres and the problems this presents in addressing the contradictions in the expectations of performance. In addition, an optimisation of existing test methods of 4x4 tyres off the road was discussed with the journalists. The event took place in the Scottish Highlands. One outcome: Tyre suggestions for 4x4 cars can only ever be just a compromise - even if on a high level. The tyre has to perform well off the road and on the road. Safety aspects have to be taken into consideration as well: braking, handling and high speed performance have to be convincing as well. In addition there is the strong goal-conflict between driving performance and rollover danger. To put it in a nutshell: The ideal tyre that fits perfectly on every SUV for every use does not exist. This statement is as true as it is simple - and was demonstrated to the journalists group in the Highlands. The cars (Land Rover and M-Class) that had been equipped with Continentals 4x4WinterContact had to capitulate very soon in the muddy ground, because the tyres have been developed for different ground conditions. What makes it even more difficult for tyre producers is the fact, that there are insufficient testing standards for tyres on 4x4 cars. Tests are made either by the car industry of by the car magazines. Uniform procedures have not been developed yet. There can only be recommendations for the best case scenario.
Continue ReadingWaste Tyres: A Problem Or A Resource?
Waste tyres are a problem around the world. The prominence given to dealing with the problem varies, depending upon the local conditions. So, on searching for news on illegal tyre dumping, we will find it is accepted that tyre disposal is recognised as a problem in all the leading, or developed, economies. The USA, Britain, Germany, New Zealand and Australia amongst others, all have severe problems with disposing of waste tyres. In many third world countries there is less of a problem, possibly due to a lower level of use, to lower environmental awareness, and, partly to economic pressures in catching up on the developed world. In the race to catch up many developing nations feel they have the right to use the same freedom from environmental restrictions that were enjoyed in the developed nations during the first 200 years of the industrial revolution. It is difficult for them to look at the USA or Europe and see what we have lost and compare it to what they have yet to lose. It might be argued that the burden of dealing with the environmental problems in the developing nations is possibly a problem which ought to be carried by the leading economies, rather than by the embryonic economies around the world. Whoever carries the cost, we must surely recognise that the tyre industry has a duty to ensure that the products created have as efficient a life span as possible. The production and the ultimate destruction of the tyres created must also be as efficient and as least damaging to the environment as is feasible. Right now, the leading nations are taking steps to address the problem of waste tyres. The biggest single step is the ultimate banning in landfill of waste tyres. However, this in turn, creates other problems for the tyre industry. If we produce millions of waste tyres every year, they will all, one day, have to be disposed of. It is estimated that some 21% of these tyres currently get landfilled. They get landfilled because there are no other uses for these tyres. If there are no other uses and the tyres can no longer be landfilled, what do we do with them? Alternative uses for old tyres would indubitably be more beneficial and more economic in the long-term. The environmental lobbyists at Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace continually scream that recycling old tyres as retreads is a far better option than burying or burning. However, there are problems associated with that too. The obvious one is that there is an insufficient market for retreaded tyres. The industry could doubtless remanufacture as many tyres as it could get its hands on, but where are they going to be sold? Instead of having massive stockpiles of old tyres, we end up with massive stockpiles of retreaded tyres no-one wants to buy. And in todays Just-In-Time economy, no manufacturer wants to stockpile unwanted goods. So that is not a real solution to the problem. Then, again, there is the reality of retreading. That it is only extending the life of the tyre, and, at the end of the day, it will still need to be disposed of. Retreading could reduce the number of new tyres manufactured and extend the lifespan of a tyre carcass, reducing the demand for raw materials - which most would argue is a good thing. The producers of the raw materials in South East Asia and the oil producing companies might disagree. So we need to find other uses for the end product. Turn the waste tyre into a raw material which can be mined to create a new product. This is not a new idea, and there are a number of possibilities available. Each though has its own costs and benefits which must, in turn, be considered. Sometimes the obvious options turn out to be less acceptable than we might expect.
Continue ReadingTyres And Motor Sports
Of course, most media interest in respect of tyres in motor sports nowadays is in Formula 1. In this top discipline Bridgestone and Michelin are the rivals, even the phrase war of tyres has been coined. But there are also World Championships in Motor Cycle Sports, national competitions with an exclusive tyre supplier or different tyre manufacturers take place. Sometimes the engagement in motor sports may lead to technical progress for tyres, but in the first line it is an instrument of marketing.
Continue ReadingDaimlerChrysler Awards For Eight Goodyear Plants
Eight Goodyear factories have earned the DaimlerChrysler Gold Award, given in recognition of outstanding service. Seven of the plants are in North America and one is in Europe, at Philippsburg, in Germany. Goodyear was rated as excellent in the areas of quality, delivery, competitive pricing and technology and acceptable in customer support.
Continue ReadingDunlop and the End of the Spare Wheel
At the beginning of October Dunlop GmbH (Hanau) invited trade journalists and vehicle manufacturers’ OE managers to a demonstration, Dunlop ’99: Innovations in the Interest of Safety and Mobility at Trier, or rather at the company’s own test track at Wittlich. The main aim of the event was to convince that it was high time to get rid of the spare wheel. People’s attitudes cannot be changed overnight; a lot of thinking is required about how to live in future without this fifth wheel on the car and yet remain mobile in a vehicle that has just had a puncture. Dunlop claims to have developed a forward-looking safety and mobility concept, consisting of several different components grouped together: a self-supporting tyre (DSST = Dunlop Self Supporting Technology), an integrated tyre pressure monitor called Warnair, and an equivalent system for the replacement market developed in cooperation with the Italian Alltech Car Security Systems company plus a tyre sealant Fill & Go on the basis of IMS (Instant Mobility System). In the next few years the company will introduce the practical application of each of these components on different vehicle models – Dunlop can already claim partial successes. For example, the increasing numbers of IMS applications have prompted the tyre manufacturer to speak of a breakthrough, but the company is realistic enough to know that in the case of the DSST tyre series a similar success can only be had through original equipment.
Continue ReadingNew And More OE Contracts For Bridgestone From GM
Worldwide, the Bridgestone group has won new and additional OE business from General Motors, the worlds largest purchaser of tyres. Continental too will supply more tyres this year than last. It is said that Michelin asked for a significant price increase and voluntarily gave up supply volumes.
Continue ReadingDownturn In Car Market Hits Ford Europe
Fords European operation lost $35 million in 2000, compared with a $10 million operating profit in 1999, after a $1 billion restructuring charge partly related to the closure of car making facilities at Dagenham U.K. Henry Wallace, Fords new world-wide chief financial officer, said he was targeting a 1% return on sales in Europe and hoped to bring the Companys European arm into profit this year.
Continue Reading
