Labelling
Continental AG says its welcomes the tyre labelling system agreed upon by various EU bodies. While the system must pass a final vote in the European Parliament before it is given the official green light, the German tyre manufacturer looks forward to its November 2012 introduction and holds the opinion that the extra costs manufacturers face through labelling will pay off in the long term.
The European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA) has welcomed the European Parliament’s agreement on tyre labelling, issued 1 October. According to a statement issued by the organisation, ETRMA and its 12 leading tyre corporate members “fully support and welcome the objective of the mandatory tyre performance information requirement.”
In three years all new tyres on sale in Europe will be classified and labelled for fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise performance. Yesterday (Thursday 1 October) European Parliament Industry Committee and Council negotiators reached a political agreement on a labelling system similar to that used for household appliances. However, lobby group Transport & Environment said the revised text would effectively turn the scheme into a voluntary programme, with “no clear rules on how or where the labels should be displayed.”
Like the European energy label we have come to expect on our new fridges and washing machines, the tyre label will use classes ranging from best-performance (green “A” class) to worst (red “G” class). Besides indicating how much the tyre affects the car's fuel efficiency, it will also give information about its performance in wet conditions and its external rolling noise in decibels.
The revised text for what is known as regulation 316 addresses earlier concerns from inside the tyre trade about the practical application of tyre labelling. MEPs acknowledged that, unlike household appliances, tyres are not always on display in shops. As a result they “insisted” that retailers be “obliged to show the label to the buyer before the sale and also on, or with, bills.”
September’s Question of the Month on Tyrepress.com (see the box at the top right of the Tyrepress.com homepage) reveals that most readers are doubtful that UK tyre traders will have stopped dealing in non s-marked tyres, even after the enforcement procedure is introduced in March 2010. Over 50 per cent of those answering the question have suggested that the implementation of both the law against dealing non s-marked tyres and the special UK enforcement measures will do nothing to stop dealers continuing to sell products without the required labelling. Don’t miss your chance to have your say on this issue on Tyrepress.com until the end of September.
Hankook Tire is to invest 230 million euros in its Hungary tyre production plant over the next 2 years in a bid to double production output from 5 to 10 million tyres a year by 2011. The latest injection of funds means the company has invested 550 million euros in the project. An official statement from the company said the latest move to ramp up production in Europe was a reflection of increasing demand there. Hankook’s decision to build a manufacturing facility in Hungary has been key to reducing customer delivery times from one month previously to just five days for the Europe-made Hankook tyres. However, the move also positions Hankook for increasing amounts of OE business, with the company openly bidding for the attention of “Audi-level” customers. Last year the company’s Hungary site began supplying OE customers in Europe, first Hyundai’s Czech factory (with tyres destined for the i30-compact car) then to Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge in Germany for the popular VW T5.
ContiTech reports achieving a further victory in the fight against product forgeries after proving that a large Chinese manufacturer produced fake ContiTech automotive drive belts. "This is a major step in the prosecution of illicit reproduction cases, since it was the first time that we were able to determine the manufacturer directly," reported Helmut Engel, head of the ContiTech Power Transmission Group’s Automotive Aftermarket sector. "Often, only the dealers and importers are held to account, and the producers of the copies remain unknown."
With the 30 November 2010 deadline fast approaching, Smithers is promoting its series of compliance seminars. According to the testing and research organisation, for many months attention has been focussed on the submission of lead registration dossiers to ECHA. However a new harmonised system for the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP) has brought with it equally demanding deadlines.
Last week NHTSA issued its 148-page long initial proposal for a national tyre fuel efficiency testing rating and education program – nearly two full years after it was mandated in the 2007 Energy Act. To be sure, developing even the first pass version was no easy task. While the core requirement was to create a simple, straightforward means to help consumers find the most fuel-efficient tyres, getting there will still take some doing…and leave a few people disappointed.
There are some interesting points in NHTSA’s proposal. For instance, it suggests that with the advent of this proposal NHTSA recommends doing away with the current UTQG system, saying that the new rating program would be a more effective alternative.
NHTSA also estimates that it would take between two and nine years to test every single passenger tyre SKU, so it will allow tyre makers to basically test one tyre within a family (make/model/size range) and use those ratings across the rest of that model. Even then, NHTSA experts only 25 per cent of replacement tyre to be labelled at the time the program would formally launch. (Tire Review/Akron)
If you are not sure whether your stock is s-marked or not, you need to read this. With just a couple of months left before s-marking comes into force, there could be as many as 2.5 million non-compliant tyres left in the supply chain.
2009 has seen the tyre business rush to interpret and apply tyre various different legislation affecting manufacturers, wholesalers, importers and distributors alike. Arguably this year has seen more new focus on this subject than in any of the five years preceding it put together. However, conflicting opinions in the market place, announcements of formal “first readings” and the general legal complexity of the texts have led to more than a little confusion in the marketplace.
Discussions on the EU Commission’s plans to introduce a tyre label continue, and Conti claims that experts are still sceptical about the problems involved. The manufacturer has also voiced its own concerns, highlighting some potential issues that could make it difficult for consumers to understand the label.
The manufacturer notes it already has tyres in its portfolio that easily meet the proposed high threshold values, however Conti says it still recognises a distinct need to clarify what will be implemented in terms of threshold values and certification, and points to a particular need to ensure the label signage contains clear graphics. All suggested designs to date, the company adds, have been hard for the consumer to understand, especially those indicating braking distance on wet roads. Continental comments that this particular graphic is “hardly recognisable as such”. A further Conti concern is that so far no agreement has been reached on a precise and meaningful measuring process for braking characteristics.
Korea’s Kumho has added two new HP tyres under its Ecsta brand in Europe – the HM KH31, which competes for a slice of the lucrative medium car market, including such perennial top-sellers as the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and VW Golf; and the X3 KL17, which is targeting more luxurious vehicles. The manufacturer also says that it aims to continue to increase its OE business in Europe, an ambition exemplified by the recent agreement with Mercedes-Benz to supply the Ecsta KU19 in size 245/45R18 for the newest model Viano X-Clusive. The company now does global OE business with Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Smart, Volkswagen and Daimler, to whom it has supplied tyres for the A-Class model since 2007.
Kumho’s new KH31 straddles the HP and UHP markets, replacing the company’s own much-vaunted KH11; a tyre that has proved successful in many rounds of European tyre tests. The company’s Birmingham-based European Technical Centre, known as the KETC was instrumental in the development of the new tyre, and the tread pattern, construction, compound and testing were all controlled from there. The key target for improvement was aquaplaning performance – lateral and longitudinal. The company believes that the KETC has been able to build on the abilities of the KH11 to yield further improvements in its wet weather performance.
Continuing Tyres & Accessories recent coverage on the potential impact of the forthcoming s-marking laws, T&A asks what specific impact the rules will have on the vintage tyre market. From 1 October tyres covered by regulation 2001/43 will have to have an “S” stamped on the sidewall at the end of its 7-digit certification code – and those that don’t will be illegal.
On April 22 the European Parliament approved – by a large majority – a number of draft measures that will see tyre performance in fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise levels explained on a standardised label attached to new tyres. The new rating system, pencilled in for implementation by late 2012, will use a scale similar to that utilised on the EU Energy Label or “fridge mark” as it has affectionately been dubbed.
Now that the tyre labelling measures first published in November have been approved, it has been proposed that tyres generating particularly low levels of noise be given an extra insignia, imprinted on the outer sidewall. Another proposed change is an upping of the level of information provided in tyre advertisements – the aim is to better inform consumers and provide a stimulus for the development of safer and more environmentally friendly tyres. However, specific details of the labelling scheme have yet to be finalised, and the draft text still awaits the scrutiny of the Council of Ministers, the body representing the 27 EU member states.
When the news that the European authorities were about to agree a new set of regulations for tyre noise, rolling resistance, wet-braking and labelling a month ago, Tyres & Accessories noted that early versions of the draft laws had (in 2008) provoked criticism from within the tyre manufacturing industry. A year later when details of the legislation’s first reading were published it became clear that the revised text had been substantial modified to better reflect the practical implications of implementing such far reaching legislation. With this in mind T&A interviewed European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturer’s Association (ETRMA) secretary general Fazilet Cinaralp, and chairman Dr Francesco Gori – whose membership includes all the leading European tyre manufacturers and those with production facilities within the continent.
Tyres & Accessories (T&A): A year ago ETRMA and some of the individual premium tyre manufacturers described the EC guidelines as unfeasible. What has changed since then?
The European Parliament’s decision on tyre labelling has been welcomed by specialty chemicals manufacturer Lanxess AG as a means of significantly reducing road generated CO2 reductions. The resolution requiring information about fuel efficiency, wet grip and rolling noise from 2012 onwards will, Lanxess believes, play a significant role for the tyre industry and its suppliers, as around 75 per cent of all tyres sold in Europe are replacement market products.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
