Goodyear UrbanMax MCA HL + for electric & hybrid buses
The city bus market is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Electrification, autonomy and accessibility, including on-demand services, are revolutionising urban mobility. Goodyear has launched a new tyre to provide a solution for operators seeking to maximise the efficiency of their current fleet and prepare for the future; the UrbanMax MCA HL + is an all-position tyre with high-load structure, enabling the 8-tonne axle load capacity required by modern electric or hybrid buses.
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RH Claydon to open Tunbridge Wells depot in January
RH Claydon will continue its expansion plan with a new 20,000 sq ft depot in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The unit, on the North Farm Industrial Estate will be the company’s seventh, taking its total storage capacity to more than 240,000 sq ft. The depot will be operational from 4 January 2022, opening for collections Monday-Friday between 8:00 and 17:30, and on Saturday mornings 9:00-12:00.
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Manchester-based industrial specialist Fork Truck Tyres continues to grow
In mid-November Tyres & Accessories visited Manchester-based Fork Truck Tyres, a company that is rapidly becoming a key player in the Northern English industrial tyre business and considering its next steps towards expansion. T&A spoke with company founder John Grey, sales manager Tony Gallagher and warehouse manager Stuart Dorney in order to find out more.
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Hankook Group takes majority share in Canadian optical MEMS specialist
The Hankook Group has acquired a majority shareholding in Preciseley Microtechnology Corp, a global specialist in optical MEMS (micro-electromechanical solutions) systems. In making the acquisition, Hankook is seeking synergies with complementary technologies to generate new business and growth opportunities. The most immediately obvious of these is Preciseley Microtechnology’s optical automotive applications for 3D environment detection.
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Hankook promoting sustainability with hydrogen-powered Hyundai truck
Hankook has collaborated with Hyundai and other partners on a new sustainability roadshow. A Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell fitted with Hankook SmartFlex AH31 and DH31 tyres is travelling around Germany until 8 December to promote ecologically optimised supply chains. Hankook’s partners in the event include H2 Green Power & Logistics GmbH, which is building an ecosystem for green hydrogen in the commercial vehicle sector, including company filling stations; and H2 MOBILITY Germany, the world’s largest hydrogen filling station operator, which operates 87 of the 91 public H2 stations in Germany alone.
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Project TREE: A blockchain-driven, more sustainable rubber supply chain
Japan’s Itochu Corporation announced today the commercial launch of Project TREE, an initiative that uses a blockchain-based traceability system to ensure the sustainability and traceability of natural rubber. Partners participating in the Project include Itochu subsidiaries and tyre manufacturers, and the UK will be the first market to benefit.
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Discount Tire-backed RoboTire automated tyre changing system raises $7.5 million
RoboTire, a Detroit-based automotive robotics and automation startup closed a US$7.5 million investment round in October. RoboTires patented system uses robots to change tyres “in a fraction of the time human operators can” purportedly reducing “multiple-hour experiences to under 15 minutes”. The Series A investment round was led by The Reinalt-Thomas Corporation, which sells tyres through 1000+ branches trading under the Discount Tire and Americas Tire brands in the USA. Automotive Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, 640 Oxford Ventures and several angel investors participated in the funding round.
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Vesevo tyre analysis system wins Automotive Testing Technology International award
Vesevo has been awarded Hardware Innovation of the Year in the Automotive Testing Technology International Awards. According to the company, the VESevo system won thanks to its hardware which offers detailed analysis of the quality of tyres and predicts their interaction with the vehicle – offering advantages, above all, in safety, performance, and quality control.
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Facts needed: Giti Tire addresses US workforce claims
Giti Tire has responded to allegations of problematic employee relations at its Richburg plant in the USA. Following the publication of a joint letter penned by the United Steelworkers (USW) union and “more than 40 civic, faith and government leaders,” David Shelton, director of industry relations, Giti Tire Manufacturing (USA), states that the tyre maker “always welcomes sincere and legitimate input from our team members and other community members.” He adds that Giti Tire’s policy is to ensure it possesses “all the facts and accurate information” before taking action on such matters and calls upon others to do likewise.
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Butadiene JV: Tatneft & KazMunayGas sign agreement
Russian oil and gas company Tatneft and Kazakhstani state-owned oil and gas company KazMunayGas have officially commenced a joint venture to produce butadiene rubbers with the signing of a corporate agreement by Nail Maganov, general director of Tafnet, and Alik Aidarbayev, management board chairman of KazMunayGas. The agreement follows the signing of an agreement earlier this year that set out the basic terms of the project as well as a roadmap for its implementation, a framework agreement and an agreement on an action plan for cooperation.
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Bridgestone signs commercial partnership with Collease
Vehicle rental company Collease has signed a two-year agreement with Bridgestone, incorporating all types of trailers and motorised equipment. Collease operates around 2,000 vehicles from the east of England. It said Bridgestone’s flexibility, attention to detail, and long-term approach to fleet management secured the partnership.
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ANRPC: Natural rubber output will be up 1.8% in 2021
Global natural rubber (NR) production output will rise 1.8 per cent to 13.836 million tonnes by the end of 2021, according to figures compiled by the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) and published on 22 November 2021. However, while global output appears to have grown this year, full-year 2021 global demand projections point to growth of 8.3 per cent to 14.028 million tonnes. Therefore, demand still outstrips supply and so the resultant prices look likely to remain high.
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Bryan Adams takes Pirelli Calendar ‘On the Road’
The Pirelli Calendar 2022, featuring photography by Canadian guitarist Bryan Adams and presented in a vinyl LP sleeve, has launched with an online event. Adams’s images celebrate stars of popular music, including historical icons Cher and Iggy Pop. As well as a self-portrait, the first time the photographer has been included as a calendar subject in its 48th edition, Adams has written a song using the calendar’s title, ‘On the Road’, which will feature on his next album. Pirelli says the calendar’s launch represents a landmark for the company, as it marks a return after the pandemic crisis interrupted its annual publication schedule and because it coincides with Pirelli’s 150th anniversary.
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Sri Lanka acknowledges GRI for export contribution
Bestowed by the country’s President, the Presidential Export Award is considered Sri Lanka’s highest honour in recognition of outstanding contribution to the export sector and to the country’s economic development. The most recent awards ceremony took place on 26 November, and tyre maker GRI was named Best Exporter of Dry Rubber Products for the second consecutive year.
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Chinese authorities stop Yokohama alloy rim counterfeiters
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that it has succeeded in removing fake Yokohama aluminium wheels from the market in China. Authorities in Foshan, Guangdong Province aided this most recent victory against counterfeiters.
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