Pyramids Tires, a new tyre manufacturer based in Port Said, northeast Egypt, saw its first tyres roll off the production line on 9 May 2020. The factory currently manufactures motorcycle, forklift and agricultural tyres as part of the first phase of the plant’s development. The second phase, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022, will see the company add passenger car, truck and OTR tyres to its portfolio.
Britishvolt has shortlisted Bro Tathan in South Wales and one other site for the UK’s first 30 plus GWh Gigafactory. Britishvolt eliminated 40 other proposals in the process. When the project is finalised, the company says the initial wave of £1.2 billion of investment into the site will eventually lead to around 3,500 jobs.
Following a budget that committed to the largest portfolio of inward investment in 30 years, on 14 May 2020 the UK Transport Secretary promised £1.7 billion for local road repairs and fast-tracked construction works worth £175 million while fewer passengers are using transport system. Hundreds-of-millions-of-pounds worth of upgrades have already been made to the nation’s road and rail networks during the lockdown period with more planned over the coming weeks and months. For the tyre industry, the new could also support flagging demand for OTR and off-road tyres used in such construction projects.
Recycling firm Scandinavian Enviro Systems AB (Enviro) has completed a share issue worth 116 million Swedish Krone to Michelin. The issue is part of the letter of intent announced on 15 April 2020 and signals a “long-term strategic partnership between the two companies”.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved Warburg Pincus’ indirect acquisition of a 9.93 per cent stake in Apollo Tyres Limited. The purchase of 108,000,000 compulsorily convertible preference shares in the tyre maker, each share worth Rs 100, is being carried out by Emerald Sage Investment Limited. This transaction is worth approximately Rs 10.8 billion (£114 million).
On 1 April 2020 Camfin SpA, a key shareholder in Pirelli which shares the Italian tyre manufacturer’s close connections with Marco Tronchetti Provera, announced that Camfin and Longmarch Sàrl had signed “a preliminary and non-binding Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] to evaluate a possible strategic partnership, aimed at developing activities in private equity, including the healthcare sector. However, while Camfin is and investment company and Longmarch is a separate Luxembourg-based vehicle, the two firms are related to Pirelli and the Chinese Hixih Rubber Group respectively. And therefore, the latest news could also indicate that Pirelli and Hixih are moving closer together.
Goodyear’s decision to exit UK retreading in 2015, followed by Continental’s 2016 takeover of Bandvulc and Vaculug’s 2018 acquisition by Zenises Group changed the face of the UK retreading business in just three years. However, while the market has both contracted and consolidated in recent years, a core group of key retreading production bases remain. And while the largest retreading businesses often gain the spotlight, it is worth mentioning fast-growing operations as well. Sussex-based Seryt Tyres is one such company, so Tyres & Accessories got in touch with director Kevin Gillin and marketing manager Olly Townsend in order to find out more.
In what has, for obvious reasons, been dubbed a Covid-19 budget, new UK Chancellor the Exchequer (the Right Honorable Rishi Sunak MP) promised the highest levels of inward investment for 30 years including a number of initiatives that will help small and medium-sized business such as tyre retailers and garages.
The Motor Traders Association of Queensland (MTAQ) has become an investor in innovative Australian tyre recycler, Green Distillation Technologies Corporation (GDTC), which has discovered a process that turns end-of-life tyres into high value oil, carbon and steel.
Almost 18 months ago, Bridgestone announced it would invest at least 160 million euros in its passenger car tyre plant in Poznań, Poland. A stage in this factory expansion project began on 20 January with the laying of a foundation stone for additional production buildings.
On 6 January 2020, Cabot China Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cabot Corporation agreed to buy Shenzhen Sanshun Nano New Materials Co., Ltd, a leading carbon nanotube (CNT) producer in China. The $115 million pricetag reportedly includes “liabilities and contingent payments”. According to the company, the move is designed to strengthen Cabot’s position in the high-growth batteries market, particularly in China, which is the largest and fastest growing electric vehicle market in the world.
Guizhou Tire recently broke ground on two new tyre production facilities near the firm’s headquarters in Guizhou, Guiyang province. According to Asian Rubber Journal reports, when operational, the first – a $307 million plant – is expected to generate nearly $426 million annually. Capacity is salted to be 3 million truck tyres a year.
Pyramid Tires
Northvolt
Corgom; TRM
Deva Darshan; Pexels
Chris McAndrew