The Borbet wheel factory in Solingen, Germany will close on 31 December 2022. The wheel manufacturer told its workforce on Monday 28 November at a works meeting. Around 600 employees are affected. All previous attempts to find an economically viable future for the location had failed. A transfer company will be set up.
Halfords Group reports that its Avayler software is not only driving the group’s internal financial performance, but is also expanding into Europe as a product in its own right. Specifically, Halfords reports that Avayler has signed a contract to supply its services to well-known German autocentre chain ATU, which is part of the Mobivia group. According to Halfords, the roll-out is set to start in Germany through ATU’s mobile fleet.
The public launch of the new Hankook iON race will take place at the Essen Motor Show early next month, ahead of the tyre’s competitive debut at the Mexico City E-Prix on 14 January 2023. Hankook Tire is an exclusive technical partner and tyre supplier to Formula E and has developed a tyre specifically for the series that contains around 30 per cent sustainable materials.
From 1 January 2023, Michael Wellenzohn will become chief executive officer of alloy wheel manufacturer Borbet, the first non-family member to hold this position in the company’s history. Wellenzohn succeeds Margot Borbet, CEO since 2019, who in future will head the Borbet Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
Zhongce Rubber’s Westlake brand OTR tyres made an appearance at Bauma 2022 in Munich, Germany alongside its sales partner, Marangoni Retreading Systems Deutschland (MRSD). The two companies have also cooperated in Italy; the latest Westlake tyres manufactured by Zhongce Rubber will also appear in the Italian market via Marangoni. Tyrepress sister website Reifenpresse visited the companies’ exhibition.
Readers with an interest in European tyre wholesale won’t have failed to notice a couple of recent developments in Germany. Best4Tires, the firm previously known as Reifen Gundlach, entered into a binding agreement to purchase German tyre wholesaler 1a Berlin-Tyre GmbH in June, and the following month Goodyear announced an expansion of its wholesale presence in southwest Germany with the acquisition of local player Reifen Burkhardt.
In March, Continental announced the upcoming start of work on a new, centralised facility for its driver assistance systems and automated driving businesses. Construction work was to commence at the site in Neu-Ulm, Germany in December 2022 and be completed in 2024. The company has now postponed the groundbreaking ceremony and won’t decide upon a new date for this until next year.
Mercedes-Benz is starting to equip its EQE and S-Class models with door handles containing materials gleaned from end-of-life tyres, and those involved in the project have been acknowledged for their contribution. Pyrolysis-based recycling specialist Pyrum Innovations, together with BASF, Mercedes-Benz and Witte Automotive, received a Materialica Design + Technology Award 2022 at this month’s eMove360 ° trade fair.
When Continental wrapped up two decades of top-level football sponsorship following the UEFA EURO 2016 event its Tire division claimed to have “achieved the brand recognition targets we had set for the communication platform that football provided.” Yet the tyre maker never lost its love for the beautiful game, and from 1 January 2023 will add the men’s team in its homeland to its sponsorship trophy cabinet.
Germany’s Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) has approved Pneuhage Gruppe’s acquisition of tyre wholesaler Gewe Reifengroßhandel GmbH. This means that the business will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pneuhage Management GmbH & Co. KG from 1 January 2023 and become the third tyre wholesaler in the Pneuhage Group alongside Interpneu and Reifen Center Wolf.
Authorities in Germany have granted Pyrum Innovations AG approval to start operating the two new production lines at its main plant in Dillingen. Obtaining this official permit is a significant milestone for Pyrum as it verifies the approvability of its series production plants and means that future facilities can be built without facing official restrictions.
Pyrum Innovations intends to build up to ten pyrolysis plants for recycling end-of-life tyres in the EU by 2030 together with tank terminal operator Unitank Betriebs- und Verwaltungs. The two firms agreed on this in a MoU signed in September. The first plant will be built in Germany, with its exact location finalised by the end of this year and commercial operation probably commencing late 2025.
Continental considers the Russian dandelion an attractive alternative source of natural rubber for its tyres and has conducted research into its suitability for more than a decade. This Taraxagum project now has a new research partner, German plant breeder Kartoffelzucht Böhm.
Continental employees in the company hometown of Hannover, Germany should have moved into their new headquarters some time back. When the topping-out ceremony took place at the end of 2019, the tyre maker and automotive supplier anticipated the building would be ready in time for its anniversary in 2021. But the pandemic upset these plans, and Continental announced a year ago that the new headquarters would open in summer 2022. We now know this didn’t happen.
Borbet
NRZ/Arno Borchers