Continental launched its first earthmoving tyres under the General Tire brand name early last year, and is now expanding its General Tire portfolio for the earthmoving industry with the General TE95. The tyre maker says the General TE95 “impresses with high traction, especially for soil compaction work” in road and construction applications, and the tyre is equipped – as is the entire product line – with V.ply technology.
Michelin is now offering expert tyre fitting and maintenance training for operators of industrial and heavy-duty machinery via two new one-day courses. The Safe Earthmover Tyre Fitting and Safe Crane Tyre Fitting programmes are delivered at the customer’s site by experts from the Michelin Training & Information Centre (MTIC). The sessions are appropriate for in-house technicians, or tyre dealers, working in a variety of sectors, including surface mining, underground mining, quarries, construction and materials handling.
Yokohama Off-Highway Tires Europe Middle East and Africa (YOHT EMEA) has announced across-the-board price increases of 4.5 to 5.5 per cent. An official statement specified that the first price increase of 4.5 to 5.5 per cent was implemented on 1st Jan 2020. The new pricing will apply to the entire portfolio of Yokohama Off-Highway Tires EMEA (including the Alliance and Galaxy brands) and will take effect from 1 April 2021.
The BKT off-highway tyre range now includes more than 2,700 SKUs. A recent addition to the BKT portfolio is the Earthmax SR 412, which the tyre maker first announced in the middle of last year. This tyre for articulated dump trucks, loaders and dozers is now available in two sizes, 29.5 R25 and 750/65 R25.
Mike Leedham has been appointed as the new off-the-road (OTR) Sales Manager for Continental Tyre Group. Leedham will be responsible for developing Continental’s OTR business in the UK and Ireland, as the company continues the development of its earthmover tyres, launched to the market in 2016.
Trelleborg Wheel Systems is gearing up to release the newest additions to its EMR range of earthmover radial tyres for critical construction applications. Further sizes within the EMR 1042 and EMR 1051 ranges will be released into the market in early 2021.
Following a corona-related delay, off-highway tyre specialist BKT is gearing up to introduce a new, supersized OTR tyre. It has now produced a prototype of its BKT Earthmax SR 468, a size 40.00 R57 tyre developed for use on rigid dump trucks. Over the coming months, the tyre maker’s engineers will test the prototype ahead of the line’s market debut.
Today Yokohama announced that it is consolidating its OTR tyre businesses into Yokohama Off-Highway Tires, which could be read as a prelude to the announcement Yokohama’s bid for the Prometeon tyre business. Roughly a year after the story broke, Yokohama’s bid for Prometeon isn’t the best kept secret in the tyre industry. Tyres & Accessories first heard talk of Yokohama’s bid for the ex-Pirelli industrial and commercial vehicle tyre business back in July 2019. The news was reported world-wide after we broke the story in September 2019, followed days later by third-party confirmation from the Chinese side of the deal. At that time, the deal was set to go public by the end of 2019. A few months later at the start of 2020, the timeframe switched to an end-of-first-quarter 2020 deadline. Then the coronavirus pandemic happened. And in the months that have followed things have gone quiet. So, where is Yokohama’s bid for Prometeon up to? The latest news is that deal is still on-track, but that there have been a few changes along the way. Here, Tyres & Accessories brings an update on the status of the acquisition and offers a different view on the deal by looking at it from a South American perspective.
BKT says it is “ready to take up the challenge” of developing tyres for the coming generation of self-driving and electric off-highway vehicles. The tyre maker is already addressing changes within the agricultural and construction sectors with a range of solutions, drawing upon its almost 30-year experience and in dialogue with end-users.
Magna Tyres has expanded its portfolio of ‘Made in Holland’ products with the introduction of the Magna M-Terrain E4/L4 in size 29.5R25. This particular dimension, which was specifically developed for medium and large wheel loaders as well as articulated dump trucks, has been part of the M-Terrain line-up for many years. In addition to being made in the Netherlands, production of the tyre will also continue in China.
Bridgestone Corporation has introduced what it describes as a “revolutionary” new MasterCore off-the-road (OTR). Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo on 7 August 2020, company representatives explained that MasterCore tyres are engineered for “ultra-high durability with performance that can be customized to various mine sites and operations”. The MasterCore product line has initially launched for 63-inch tyres, with additional patterns and sizes available to customers in 2021.
Health and safety gone mad! This refrain of outrage, often served together with a pint or three, is a staple UK gripe. But such tabloid-fuelled indignation is based upon a truth that benefits us all: HSE regulations ensure our workplaces are amongst the safest in the world. This aim to minimise potential danger is driving UK demand for a solution from Goodyear that offers the additional advantage of substantial cost savings.
General Tire has returned to the OTR tyre market – but not in Europe at this point in time. The Continental brand previewed its relaunch range at the Tire Industry Association Off The Road Conference in the USA in February, and General OTR tyres are being offered to customers in the Americas and Asia Pacific regions.
Triangle Tyre has been distributing earthmover tyres throughout Europe for more than fifteen years, and opened its own European headquarters in Milan, Italy, in 2017. The last three years have seen Triangle brand growing stronger within the region, with an expanding double-digit market share in the OTR segment, the introduction of new sizes to further expand an already-wide range, the opening of new partnerships, participation in international fairs – all achievements that Triangle proud of.
Yokohama OHT EMEA
Continental
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Triange Tyre