Falken tyres OE on Audi A3
In July, Falken Tyre Europe announced that its Falken Ziex ZE310A Ecorun was an original equipment tyre for the Audi A3 TFSI e hybrid. This supply agreement has now been extended to other Audi A3 models. Falken is shipping Ziex ZE310 Ecorun tyres in size 205/55R16 91V to the Audi plant in Ingolstadt, Germany. All such tyres will bear the AO – Audi Original – mark on the sidewall.
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Goodyear introduces DrivePoint Heavy Duty for port AGVs
Major ports are busy places, and in order to improve preventative tyre maintenance and reduce downtime for the automated guided vehicles (AGV) used in the unloading of containers, Goodyear has extended DrivePoint to this segment. It calls this dedicated tyre monitoring system for autonomous port applications DrivePoint Heavy Duty.
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AJD Tools launched in the UK
Randstad has introduced the AJD Tools brand into the UK aftermarket. Through AJD Tools technicians can purchase specific automotive and diagnostic tools. Technicians can also access a large product range from the well-known manufacturer, Hubitools, including inspection devices such as (video) endoscopes, videoscopes or electronical stethoscopes. AJD Tools has been created as a legacy to Randstad founder Anthony (‘Tony’) John Dowd, who sadly passed away at the start of 2021.
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Linglong’s Drift Team Orange win double podium at Japan D1 Grand Prix
On 20 November the D1GP 2021 season finale started in Ebisu, Japan. Racing driver Naoto Suenaga, part of Linglong Tire’s Drift Team Orange won the Tsuiso event while another Linglong driver, Mekuwa Kojiro, was the runner-up.
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VMI looks back at 25 years in China
Often when we see the words ‘VMI’ and ‘China’ used in the same sentence, the context is a court ruling or copyright infringement. But although such issues are significant, they tell by no means the entire story of VMI in China. The company is now looking back at its 25 years in this market, a period it describes as one of “extraordinary change in the Chinese tyre industry” – change that “VMI has been at the heart of it.”
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Michelin buys inflatable structure specialist AirCaptif
Michelin has boosted its non-tyre business portfolio with the 100 per cent acquisition of French start-up AirCaptif, a firm with “unique know-how in the field of ultralight inflatable structures for protection and insulation.” Announcing its purchase of AirCaptif, Michelin notes that it has been “developing renowned expertise within the field of inflatable structures and highly technical materials” for the past 130 years and the acquisition of AirCaptif will now “allow for much faster development of activities on new markets.” It adds that the acquisition falls within Michelin’s “beyond the tyre” sustainable growth strategy.
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Pirelli awarded FIA 3-star environmental accreditation
The governing body of world motorsport has awarded Pirelli’s motorsport division three stars as part of its Environmental Accreditation Programme. This is the highest score that the FIA awards within the programme and gives only to participants who have demonstrated the best environmental standards in a series of measures.
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Goodyear tyres for Cupra’s first electric model
When we first reported Goodyear’s provision of original equipment tyres to Cupra, the arrangement involved a single size of Eagle F1 SuperSport for the Formentor VZ5. The tyre maker’s OE supply arrangement with Cupra has since expanded with the selection of a range of Goodyear summer tyres as original equipment fitments for the Cupra Born, the brand’s first fully electric road car.
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Sustainable raw materials: Liberty deal supporting Bolder’s growth
US-based sustainable materials supplier Bolder Industries, Inc. is looking forward to increasing deliveries to tyre makers and other manufacturers thanks to a new partnership with Liberty Tire Recycling, one of the leading providers of tyre recycling services in North America. It anticipates that the Liberty-supplied feedstock will help it meet growing contractual obligations for its BolderBlack recovered carbon black and BolderOil petrochemicals.
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Cabot buys Tokai’s Tianjin carbon black plant for $9 million
Cabot Corporation has agreed to buy Tokai Carbon (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. from Tokai Carbon Group for US$9 million. The carbon black manufacturing facility was commissioned in 2006 and is located in close proximity to Cabot’s current carbon black and speciality compounds facility in Tianjin, China. Cabot will run the plant and intends to continue to supply current customers while conducting technology upgrades. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.
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‘The online tyre market has moved on two or three years’ – MTS
With multiple sources suggesting that the online tyre business broke new ground during 2020, but with data illustrating that trend less easy to come by, Tyres & Accessories caught up with Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) wholesale director Graham Mitchell in order to get a leading tyre wholesaler’s perspective. Starting by setting the company’s recent online tyre business performance into the context of its recent history, our interview looks to the future of the online tyre business and touches on the importance of search engine marketing in the tyre trade.
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Continental SportContact 7 OE on Maserati models
Maserati has opted to use the recently-launched Continental SportContact 7 as original equipment on its Levante and Quattroporte vehicles. The Italian marque will fit the SportContact 7 to the Levante in sizes 265/40 ZR21 FR (101Y) at the front and 295/35 ZR21 FR (103Y) on the rear axle. The Maserati Quattroporte will wear the Continental tyre in sizes 245/35 ZR21 FR (96Y) and 285/30 ZR21 FR (100Y).
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‘Circle of the Best’ – presidential accolade for Dandelion rubber researchers
On Wednesday, Germany’s president Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced the winner of the 2021 Deutscher Zukunftspreis (German Future Prize), an accolade bestowed upon those promoting technology and innovation within the country. This year the award went, perhaps predictably, to the research team at Biontech for their work developing Pfizer’s Covid-19 mRNA vaccine, but the awards event also honoured research into finding a viable substitute for the rubber from the Pará tree.
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Linglong adds Hubtrac OTR tyre range within ongoing strategic development plans
2021 has been a year of significant strategic developments for the fast-growing Linglong Tire business. On 10 June 2021, Linglong announced plans to invest in a huge tyre manufacturing facility in Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province, China, which will output a wide range of products including 15.2 million high-performance radial tyres and 500,000 retreaded tyres. That three-phrase project will see construction commence in April 2022 and will be completed in March 2028.
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Former Conti CEO Degenhart named in Dieselgate investigation
Wolfgang Schäfer’s tenure as chief financial officer of German automotive technology company and tyre maker Continental ended abruptly on Wednesday amidst ongoing investigations into the supply of illegal defeat devices for diesel engines, but he’s not the only former Continental manager in the prosecutor’s sights. A representative from the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Hannover announced yesterday that they’re also investigating former chief executive officer Elmar Degenhart and a further ex-board member linked to the Powertrain division, as well as two employees below board level.
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