Praise for Continental from T&C Site Services Ltd. Not only does the UK’s largest independent earthmover and OTR tyre specialist think highly of the Continental range of radial and v-ply tyres, it appreciates the company’s “forward-thinking and advisory approach.”
On its 10 November board meeting, Aeolus approved a project with a total investment of 610 million yuan (about 73.12 million pounds, 82.93 million euros) at its manufacturing base in Jiaozuo, China. It is reported that the tyre company plans to increase the annual production capacity of 80,000 tyres through reconstruction, including giant tyres and engineering radial tyres. The construction period is expected to be 18 months.
Michelin has launched the Michelin X Stacker 3 HD for reach stackers, designed for heavy duty use primarily in ports. The new tyre, which replaces the older generation X Stacker 2 LC, limits unexpected machine downtime, reducing urgent need for replacement and extra service costs for the customer. Its optimised tread wear indicator allows for secure wear life projection, meaning operators can plan the appropriate maintenance accordingly.
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.
Already well established as a leading Truck and Commercial wholesale tyre supplier, recent diversification from GB Tyres has seen it increase its presence in the car wholesale market. It is now looking forward to expanding its off-road agricultural, plant, construction and earthmover offerings, the wholesaler tells Tyres & Accessories. While the expansion of its sales into passenger car tyres has required approaching new customers and a slightly different customer base, many agricultural customers are already using GB Tyres for their truck tyre supply. GB Tyres says the extension is therefore a case of “enhancing its offer to the same customers.” It adds that the advantage of offering tyres in an expanding range of segments to an existing large customer base means it can offer a mix of car, truck and any other tyres all on the same delivery, which helps the company distinguish itself from some competitors.
Off-highway wheel and hub maker, moveero, has launched a brand-new website (moveero.com), designed to help customers quickly and easily identify the best match for their “specific application and machine requirements”. According to the company, the website has been designed to make “product selection and comparison a straightforward process”.
During Apollo Tyres’s recent celebration of 25 years of Traxion agricultural tyre technology, Europe president Benoit Rivallant set an ambitious target of growing the company’s off-highway tyre (OHT) revenue by 50 per cent. In Europe, 16 per cent of total revenue originates from the off-highway tyre sector. This compares with 63 per cent from passenger car tyres, 12 per cent from truck and bus tyres, 8 per cent from spare tyres, 1 per cent from bicycle tyres and 1 per cent from other products. In other words, the 16 per cent originating from off-highway tyre sales is a strategically important figure, 92 per cent of which comes from the agricultural sub-segment. Tyres & Accessories took time out with the company’s European head in order to find out more about how executives plan to achieve such ambitious targets in the context of a broadly challenging tyre market environment.
On 11 October, a 59/80R63 radial engineering tyre rolled off the production line at Aeolus’s Jiaozuo manufacturing base. This giant OTR tyre has a diameter of over four metres and a weight of nearly six tons. It is mainly used for giant mining weighing about 400 tons.
As of October, Kevin Burke Tyres is offering the entire Alliance tyre portfolio in Ireland. Yokohama Off-Highway Tires says that this new partnership, along with its long-standing relationship with Kirkby Tyres, will “ensure an even wider array of tailor-made solutions for the Irish market.” Kirkby Tyres remains exclusive partner for the Alliance brand in England, Wales and Scotland.
Denmark’s NDI Group presented examples of its new Nordexx off-highway tyre range at The Tire Cologne in May, and now says it is “ready to deliver” these tyres to customers around the world. The Nordexx range for industrial machinery is available in 37 different SKUs in 25- to 29-inch sizes.”
Although the USA is “heading fast toward recession” and inflation “continues to be a problem,” Titan International chairman Morry Taylor expects that some companies “will not be affected by the Big R in a big way.” Demand for large equipment continues to outstrip supply and Taylor anticipates farmers turning a profit. Against this backdrop, Titan expects Q3 2022 revenue of approximately US$540 million.
BKT is responding to the need for speciality tyre products in the recycling industry with new sizes. Leading the range expansion are the speciality 300/70 R16.5 Skid Max SR-Skidder and the 405/70 R18 BK-Loader 53. BKT notes the diversity of machinery operating in recycling centres, calling these environments “one of the most difficult and demanding” for tyres. As a result of such highly specific needs, the manufacturer has developed purpose-made products and is as many sizes and variants as possible.
To meet growing demand for mining tyre recycling and recycled rubber products, specifically carbon black and rCB, Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group and Mitsui & Co. have entered into a joint venture commercialise the Kal Tire thermal conversion recycling facility in Chile from early 2023. Activities there will act as a “foundation” as the venture pursues “opportunities to bring OTR tyre recycling solutions to mining regions around the world.”
Techking
Aeolus
Michelin
NRZ/Arno Borchers
NTDA
moveero
Anthony/Tyre Industry Publications Ltd.
Online investor Q&A
Aeolus
BKT