Michelin has introduced two new sizes of its multi-purpose, all-season CrossGrip tyres for operators of backhoe loaders, skid steer loaders, telehandlers and small tractors. The new 440/80 R34 and 480/80 R34 CrossGrip fitments expand the range to 12 dimensions, available on both the original equipment and replacement markets.
Maxam has added the new 27.00R49 MS412 to its open pit mining, quarry and OTR programme. The tyre is designed to meet the demanding conditions in mine sites globally. The mining tyre specialist’s engineering team has designed the MS412 with a high lug-to-void ratio for improved wear and impact protection, providing mine sites increased protection and wear on haulage tyres. Maxam engineers have also placed stone ejectors strategically to increase protection against stone drilling, a cause of premature tyre removal. Its tread grooves increase traction in a variety of haul roads conditions. To enable high speed operation with minimum heat build-up, Maxam adds that it has optimised the MS412’s base compound.
Following a corona-related delay, off-highway tyre specialist BKT is gearing up to introduce a new, supersized OTR tyre. It has now produced a prototype of its BKT Earthmax SR 468, a size 40.00 R57 tyre developed for use on rigid dump trucks. Over the coming months, the tyre maker’s engineers will test the prototype ahead of the line’s market debut.
Triangle Tyre Europe has strengthened its team with the addition of two new managers. Corrado Moglia, general manager in Europe, said the appointments demonstrate how the company is focusing on the development of the brand in Europe. “We have recently added two valuable managers to our European team, Ayhan Haliloglou as OTR technical & sales manager, Europe, and Steve Eke as sales director for the UK & Ireland.”
Goodyear has launched a new off-highway tyre, the RH-4A+. The newest addition to its off-highway large haulage product line is engineered to deliver a lower operating cost per hour and higher productivity on hard rock surfaces. The tyre features an extra-deep E-4+ tread depth with a high net-to-gross tread pattern and optimised footprint pressure to help provide long hours to removal.
RH Claydon has today become the exclusive UK distributor of Triangle truck and bus and off the road tyres. The change of distributor for the brand follows Tym International’s decision to cease trading on 30 October. The specialist tyre importer-wholesaler, in which Triangle took a strategic holding in 2013, announced its liquidation in early September. Tym’s managing director, Steve Eke, has since been appointed UK & Ireland sales director of Triangle Tyre Europe. The Chinese tyre manufacturer, among the country’s top five according to Tyrepress data, set up a new European team headquartered in Milan in 2017 under general manager Corrado Moglia. Commencing its distributorship, RH Claydon stated that it looks forward to building a strong relationship with the brand.
Today Yokohama announced that it is consolidating its OTR tyre businesses into Yokohama Off-Highway Tires, which could be read as a prelude to the announcement Yokohama’s bid for the Prometeon tyre business. Roughly a year after the story broke, Yokohama’s bid for Prometeon isn’t the best kept secret in the tyre industry. Tyres & Accessories first heard talk of Yokohama’s bid for the ex-Pirelli industrial and commercial vehicle tyre business back in July 2019. The news was reported world-wide after we broke the story in September 2019, followed days later by third-party confirmation from the Chinese side of the deal. At that time, the deal was set to go public by the end of 2019. A few months later at the start of 2020, the timeframe switched to an end-of-first-quarter 2020 deadline. Then the coronavirus pandemic happened. And in the months that have followed things have gone quiet. So, where is Yokohama’s bid for Prometeon up to? The latest news is that deal is still on-track, but that there have been a few changes along the way. Here, Tyres & Accessories brings an update on the status of the acquisition and offers a different view on the deal by looking at it from a South American perspective.
The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. is consolidating its various off-highway businesses into a single entity. The new division – Yokohama Off-Highway Tires – will include Alliance Tire Group (ATG), which Yokohama bought four years ago and Yokohama’s off-the-road (OTR) tyre businesses across the globe. The move can also be interpreted as a prelude to the announcement of the result of Yokohama’s bid for the Prometeon tyre business, talks about which got underway last year.
Marubeni range of international tyre-related investment interests also includes projects in Russia. One example is the establishment of Marubeni Rubber RUS LLC (MRR) in February 2019. In this case the Marubeni Corporation chose to connect with Russia’s very active mining industry due based on the country’s rich natural resources.
GKN Wheels’ multi-million-pound investment programme at its Telford factory has resulted in the achievement of record targets. Despite a number of obstacles, not least the impact Coronavirus pandemic has had on the plant’s operational capabilities, the new manufacturing plant is now producing more than three times as many wheels as the old plant, with 55 high-quality off-highway wheels now being manufactured every hour. With the new line now fully operational, the old lines and assembly cells have now been decommissioned and disposed of.
The Russian SME Bank has lent 48.7 million rubles (£497,000; 541,582 euros; US$633,100) to Intech Eco LLC, a tyre pyrolysis plant based in the Novokuznetsk industrial park, at the start of September 2020. According to local news reports the loan is for the purpose of building a large tyre disposal facility. Financing will be provided for five years under a program of Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development (according to the Russian Government’s Decree No. 1764 dated 30 December 2018). The loan is said to be secured by a guarantee from Russian Small and Medium Business Corporation (RSMB Corporation), covering up to 50 per cent of the loan amount.
Bridgend’s Tyre Boss has become the UK agent for Techking Tires. The Qingdao, China based tyre manufacturer is a specialist in OTR tyre segments, fitted to heavy machinery in a variety of applications. Its new UK agent has pressed on with ambitious growth and expansion plans in 2020. Its latest development follows the acquisition of two warehouses, a large tyre press and a successful ISO audit so far this year.
Michelin
Maxam
Goodyear
Triangle
MTP
GKN
GKN Structures
Tyre Boss