Middle East Archives

Goodyear MEA appoints Afaneh commercial tyre business director

Goodyear has appointed Hamzeh Afaneh as director of its commercial tyre business in the Middle East & Africa (MEA). Afaneh has spent almost sixteen years in the tyre business, occupying a series of sales and business development roles based in Jordan and the UAE with Bridgestone, Continental and most recently Goodyear as commercial regional manager in early 2021. He led Goodyear’s team for the Gulf Cooperations Council (GCC) and near East regions, growing commercial tyre sales and delivering tailored digital solutions to customers. He was the recipient of Goodyear’s Chairman’s Award in 2022. Announcing his appointment, the company notes his experience of brand marketing, sales and business development across the region.

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9th February 2023/1 Comment/by Andrew

MatraX debuts at Automechanika Dubai 2022

MatraX

Grupo Alves Bandeira’s MatraX Tyres brand experienced “an extremely productive” debut at Automechanika Dubai, according to the distributor. The expansive MatraX stand showcased the full MatraX range of PCR, high performance, SUV and 4×4 tyres. The MatraX Urcola, Veragua FX and Morucha patterns were featured on the stand, emphasising products suited to high-performance cars.

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12th December 2022/by Andrew

JV with Al Dobowi: Rema Tip Top Middle East

International News

Rema Tip Top and Al Dobowi Industrial Rubber Services have formed a joint venture that will provide industrial services across the Middle East and North Africa. Called Rema Tip Top Middle East, the joint venture aims to be a “leading engineering and service provider” in the region.

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17th August 2022/by Stephen

Apollo Tyres appoints APMEA marketing head

Career Tracks, International News

Vikram Garga is the new group head of marketing for Apollo Tyres in the Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA) region. Announcing Garga’s appointment, Apollo says the industry veteran will spearhead the regional marketing team and take responsibility for marketing and product strategy for all product categories, dealer programmes, brand positioning and monitoring performance in conjunction with sales. Based out of Apollo Tyres’ corporate headquarters in Gurugram, India, Garga will report to Satish Sharma president of Apollo Tyres’ APMEA business.

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18th July 2022/by Stephen

Kumho confirms Saudi tyre factory MoU

International News

Blatco

Kumho Tire representatives have confirmed reports that the South Korean tyremaker has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Saudi tyre business Black Arrow Tire Co (Blatco). However, the two parties differ on the degree of progress made with the talks.

26th January 2022/by Chris

Kumho and Blatco in talks over Saudi tyre factory

Company News, International News

Aramco

Various news sources are reporting that South Korea’s Kumho Tire signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia-based Blatco (Black Arrow Tire Co. as part of the Saudi-South Korean Business Forum on 18 January 2022. As many as 13 agreements were signed during the Saudi-South Korean Business Forum, of which 10 were signed by oil major Saudi Aramco.

25th January 2022/by Chris

Vipal Europe now responsible for North Africa & Middle East markets

Retreading

Vipal Rubber has restructured the commercial coverage area of several key regional subsidiaries, and as a result, its European branch office is now serving important markets in North Africa, such as Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, as well as main business partners in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The retreading materials and tyre repair specialist made this change to capitalised on the branch’s closer geographic proximity and similar time zone, and thus greater ease in carrying out technical, after-sales and training visits.

6th August 2021/by Stephen

Roadbot roadblock – Middle Eastern tyre factory stalls due to pandemic

Company News, International News

In January 2019, the ground was broken on the US$614 million Roadbot tyre plant in Abu Dhabi. Local news sources described the project as a milestone in the capital of the United Arab Emirates as recently as January 2020. However, the project has since hit a roadblock as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tyres & Accessories has seen documents that show how recent progress has been limited, though initial steps seem to have progressed well. Specifically, the official letter from Roadbot Tyre Industries dated July 2020 confirms that all the necessary planning applications, architectural designs and structure drawings have been approved and completed. Yet critical machinery work came to a standstill in March 2020.

12th October 2020/by Chris

Iran’s tyre manufacturing output refocuses on heavy tyres

International News, Premium

MohammadAli Dahaghin; Unsplash

The tyre manufacturing output of Iranian factories increased 26 per cent in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (1399 and specifically the period between 20 March and 21 August 2020) compared with the same period last year. Such growth is consistent with the Iranian tyre industry’s 10-year plan to double in size by 2025, which was publicised in 2015. And it also corresponds to earlier optimism related to Iranian tyre market growth, but what do the latest figures tell us about the product mix of the Iranian national tyre production base?

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23rd September 2020/by Chris

Pyramids Tires: $350 million Egyptian factory begins manufacturing

Company News, International News

Pyramid Tires

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.

3rd July 2020/by Chris

Automechanika Dubai postponed to October

International News

The 18th edition of Automechanika Dubai, which was scheduled to run from 7-9 June 2020, will now take place from 19-21 October 2020 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The postponement comes in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, as containment measures restrict movement across international borders, and impact the global economy.

3rd April 2020/by Chris

Davanti appoints MEA sales director to establish new regional office

Career Tracks, Company News, International News

Davanti Tyres has appointed Najib Chakhtoura sales director for the Middle East and Africa, in order to establish a “permanent presence” in the region. Chakhtoura is tasked with developing relationships with new and existing distributors to increase the brand’s global reach and sales volume. He previously held senior roles developing premium brands across the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait and North and East Africa. Chakhtoura will establish a new regional office for Davanti to introduce the brand into new territories across North, East and West Africa, the Gulf States and the wider Middle East.

17th February 2020/by Andrew

Continental rolling out region-specific trailer tyres

Product News

Various road and climatic conditions are encountered within the Continental Tire division’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business, and for this reason, it is introducing commercial trailer tyres that reflect regional requirements. The first of these is the Conti Hybrid HT3 WR.

16th January 2020/by Stephen

Ssangyong Motorsport fits Yokohama Geolandar on 2020 Dakar Rally

International News, Motorsport

Yokohama’s Geolandar M/T G003 tyres for SUVs and pickup trucks will be fitted to the Korando DKR driven by Oscar Fuertes Aldanondo and Diego Vallejo for Ssangyong Motorsport/Sodicars Racing on the 2020 Dakar Rally (5-17 January). The same car and drivers came in third in the T1.3 petrol 2-wheel drive class in the January 2019 event, and will take on competition in the same class this year.

2nd January 2020/by Andrew

Goodyear exclusive tyre partner for top Dakar Rally teams

Company News, Motorsport

Goodyear will be the official tyre supplier to two top teams in the upcoming Dakar Rally. The rally returns to its roots in the desert on 5 January in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the shift to a new continent presents new challenges to tyre suppliers, drivers and vehicles. The 2020 rally will run over sand dunes, rocky canyons and wadis or dry riverbeds, all on standard truck tyres. Goodyear has a strong record on the rally in recent years, with Petronas De Rooy Iveco occupying podium places, including two first places, with Goodyear as their tyre and development partner.

17th December 2019/by Andrew

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