Tag: Germany
Continental opens 3D printing competence centre
Continental’s Tire division is just one company division expected to benefit from the opening of a new competence centre for 3D printing. The facility, located at the Continental Engineering Services plant in Karben, Germany, offers a variety of modern 3D printing technologies, such as a Selective Laser Melting (SLM) machine, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Stereolithography (SLA), Digital Light Printing (DLP) and Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM).
Wheelworld under new ownership
Wheelworld GmbH has a new owner. As of 15 May, Thomas Mögelin is the alloy rim specialist’s new managing director, having acquired the firm from founders Rolf and Sabine Bene.
Continental bosses lay foundation stone for new HQ
The foundation stone for Continental’s new headquarters in Hannover, Germany is now in place, and the company says its construction project is on schedule. Chief executive officer Dr Elmar Degenhart and Executive Board members Dr Ariane Reinhart and Wolfgang Schäfer hosted a ceremony to mark the occasion at the construction site last Wednesday.
FinTyre completes Rs Exclusivreifengrosshandel and Tyrexpert Reifen + Autoservice acquisition
Following the announcement made on 28 December 2018, on 10 May 2019, European FinTyre Distribution (EfTD) announced that it has completed the acquisition of 100 per cent of German tyre firms Rs ExclusivReifengrosshandel GmbH and Tyrexpert Reifen+Autoservice GmbH.
Nexen set to begin trial production at new Czech tyre plant
Nexen Tire Europe is due to begin trial production at its new facility in Zatec, the Czech Republic. The news marks the virtual completion of the project that started in October 2015.
Germany: Wholesaler Gundlach begins €20 million expansion project
German tyre and wheel wholesaler Reifen Gundlach is investing more than 20 million euros in an additional production line for its tyre-and-wheel assembly business. Work on the project is under way, and the 25,000 square metre building that will house the line is expected to be completed by May. Plans call for the production line to be operational in time for this autumn’s winter tyre season. The project will create around 100 new jobs at Gundlach’s site in Daufenbach, some 40 miles southeast of Cologne.
Will new battery production capacity replace car production in the UK?
While the UK new car manufacturing business has taken something of a battering in recent months, The Sunday Times reports that government ministers are considering offering state support for a huge shared electric vehicle battery “giga factory” modelled on Tesla’s enormous US battery manufacturing plant in the Nevada desert. That plant, which is known as Gigafactory 1, is set to have the biggest factory footprint in the world and already employees 3000 people. The UK project has so far been valued at around £1.7 billion.
Bigger tyres, less jobs: Goodyear announces bittersweet investment for Germany
Goodyear is investing 106 million euros (£90.6 million) to modernise two of its tyre plants in Germany. The investment in the Hanau and Fulda facilities will increase their capacities to produce tyres for 17-inch and larger rim diameters; Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany intends to add an extra 2.5 million units to its annual capacity in this segment. But it isn’t all good news – the company reports that these modernisation measures will lead to the loss of approximately 1,100 jobs.
MWheels promotes Mardle to CEO
MWheels has promoted Matthew Mardle to chief executive officer (CEO), a role in which he takes responsibility for financial results and all day-to-day operations of the business. John Ellis, who originally founded the business over 30 year ago, takes the role of chairman, having been chief executive, and continues to be involved in the company’s leadership function.
Build-up for The Tire Cologne 2020 begins
Despite being just seven months since the premiere of The Tire Cologne, Koelnmesse and the BRV are already working on the next edition, which will take place in June 2020.
Alcar MD Norbert Frohner departs
Alcar managing director has left the company in order to “continue his career in another industry”. According to a joint letter signed by Frohner and Alcar CEO Dr Alexander Riklin, the company “sincerely regret his decision and would like to thank him for his commitment and loyalty during his 25 years long work for Alcar.”
FinTyre buys RS Exclusiv Reifengrosshandel and TyreXpert Reifen + Autoservice
European FinTyre Distribution (EfTD) has signed a binding agreement to acquire two key players in the German tyre market: RS Exclusiv Reifengrosshandel GmbH and TyreXpert Reifen + Autoservice GmbH. As a result of the acquisition EfTD now has a total turnover of 740 million euros in Germany and project annual unit sales of 8.5 million tyres.
Doublestar car tyres on-sale in Carrefour Spain
Doublestar Tyres, the new majority shareholder of Kumho, recently announced that its tyres are on-sale alongside premium brands at Carrefour supermarkets in Spain. According to Doublestar, which compared Carrefour founded in 1959 to Walmart in the USA, the supermarket chain is Europe's favourite. Having pioneered the so-called hypermarket approach in Europe Carrefour has developed into the largest retailer in Europe and the second largest international retail chain group in the world, with business scope covering more than 40 countries and regions. Carrefour owns 17 large chain stores in Spain, which covers the Iberian area and radiates to the whole pan-European region. With an annual population of 400 million, Carrefour is a perfect channel for product sales and a perfect platform for brand exposure.
Fintyre to open London head office
The last couple of years have been something of a whirlwind for the European Fintyre Distribution project, which has seen the business grow from a key player in the Italian market into a wider European operation with aspirations of being the leading force in pan-European tyre distribution and perhaps even beyond. Tyres & Accessories recently met with European Fintyre chief executive officer Mauro Pessi in order find out more about the company’s decision to base its central headquarters in London as well as its general, ongoing growth.
Brexit OE tyre red-alert
Is Brexit going to wreak havoc on the automotive business or is it all just another millennium bug flash-in-the-pan? If a no-deal withdrawal does spell havoc, is it going to impact the tyre business as much as the OEMs?
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