The Austrian Automotive Club, ÖAMTC, has tested five winter, two all-season and one conventional off road tyre for winter performance. All products were size 215/65 R16. According to the automobile club, snow braking performance really “separated the wheat from the chaff.” At a speed of 40 km/h the all-season tyres had a substantially longer braking distance than winter tyres.
Continental AG reportedly plans to sell its Bryan, Ohio, OTR tyre production plant, according to a German Reuters report. Other sources indicate that the company is in talks with an unknown buyer. Continental declined to make any further comment.
The Bryan plant is said to have nearly 300 employees and the capacity to produce up to 300 off-the-road tyres each day. Last October, Continental sold its worldwide agricultural division to Ceska Gumarenska Spolecnost (CGS). As part of the agreement, the Czech company continues to produce and trade Continental, Semperit, Barum and Euzkadi tyres.
Bandag is set to introduce a new line of off-the-road precure retreads to the American tyre market.
The new range, Continuum, is designed for light and medium earthmover tyres and includes two serpentine tread designs, which, in Bandag’s words have been created to offer “greater flexibility than other retread application methods and products.”
Goodyear Tire & Rubber has announced that it will raise prices on its consumer, commercial, farm and OTR tyres, effective the 1 September.
Consumer tyre prices will increase by up to five per cent and commercial tyre prices by two per cent. Farm tyre prices are set to go up by five per cent and OTR tyre prices will rise between three and five per cent.
According to a Goodyear spokesman all brands will be affected by the price increase. Company officials are citing escalating raw material costs, higher energy rates and rising transportation costs as the reasons behind the price rises.
Tyres from Czech manufacturer Mitas will be sold directly on to the Irish market from the beginning of November. The tyres will be sold through subsidiary company Mitas UK Ltd., which will be trading on the Irish market as Mitas Ireland. As well as agricultural and OTR tyres, Mitas Ireland will be selling earthmover, industrial and motorcycle tyres. The organisation will operate from a warehouse in County Kildare, run by sales manager Dave Deering.
In the USA, Goodyear has introduced a new OTR tyre, aimed at mining applications, size 45R57. The tyre is made in two pieces, with a casing and tread belt package that lock together and which are held together by air pressure. The tread belt package is replaceable and, should part of the tyre become damaged, replacement can be made in a fraction of the time needed for a conventional tyre.
Marangoni – in the UK the name Marangoni means little to the man in the street. To people in the tyre trade Marangoni in the UK means a quality mid-range tyre product, either as Marangoni or as Stunner from Group Tyre. Some may also be aware that Marangoni produce car and light truck retreads through their retread division Marangoni Pneumatici, headquartered at Rovereto in the North of Italy. Marangoni’s car tyre retread plant at Feltre produces up to 1.25 million pieces per year that are sold throughout Europe. Brenno Benaglia, sales and marketing director for Marangoni Pneumatici is at pains to explain that there are no plans at all to enter the UK market with truck tyre retreads. “It is not part of our business plan, it would create problems for our other operations if we were to take on our own customers in head to head competition.” However, the company will be exhibiting at the Hillhead Quarrying Exhibition with a view to introduce earthmover retreads.
Bob Skelton, founder of OTR Tyres Ltd, has retired after 25 years at the helm. He passes the reigns on to Chris Skelton who has been managing director for the past five years. OTR Tyres Ltd. Is one of the largest OTR specialists in Europe and has leading operations in Ghana and Zambia.
Eskay Tyres, based in Sittingbourne (Kent) have been appointed sole European distributors for the Westlake brand of radial and bias-ply tyres. The range includes passenger, light truck, truck, agricultural, ATV, OTR and industrial tyres.
US company Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. has announced a new corporate structure from Dec. 1st. The reorganised company will be known as Bridgestone/Firestone Americas Holding Inc (BFAH), which will be the holding company for a number of subsidiaries. John Lampe will be CEO and president of BFAH. The change has been made to take advantage of better financing rates and to re-focus on core businesses.
The world’s most important exhibition for equipment in the building, construction, mining and quarrying industries is “Bauma”, which was held in the beginning of April in Munich. On 2000 stands many vehicles from this segment were exhibited – equipped with very specialised tyres. Not all the tyre manufacturers are involved in this segment, for which the abbreviation EM is common, standing for earthmover tyres. The most important producers of EM tyres are Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear and Dunlop who showed sections of their current programs on their own stands. Some other tyre brands were fitted on the machines featured on the stands of vehicle manufacturers, but the four above-mentioned brands dominate the market. One trend in earthmover tyres is radialisation, but cross ply tyres are still in use. Low profile tyres and low-pressure technology are the most modern developments. The specialised tyre manufacturers want to be able to equip virtually every construction and mining machine, from skid-steer and compact loaders to the biggest trucks, to provide the customers with economic solutions and optimum efficiency.
Bridgestone/Firestone is displaying its new generation of off-the-road tyres at Intermat 2000, one of a series of exhibitions for the construction and civil engineering industries, to be held in Paris from 16-21 May. Bridgestone claims a global OTR tyre market share in excess of 40% and in the past three years, has invested US$ 100 million in this product sector.
Goodyear’s retread plant in North Bay (Ontario, Canada) is believed to be North America’s first Off-The-Road (OTR) tyre retreading facility to become ISO 9002 registered. The North Bay facility is Canada’s largest OTR retread operation.
