It recently upgraded its V.ply port tyre line with the introduction of Port Plus, a compound designed to reduce heat generation and abrasion. Now Continental has announced plans to complete its port tyre portfolio next year with the summer 2019 launch of new radial products.
Tyres & Accessories has just turned 70, and this is a milestone we share with something very important to us – the radial tyre. Invented by Michelin in 1946, the radial arguably represents the most important revolution in black, rubbery ring development since the introduction of the pneumatic tyre more than half a century earlier.
Michelin North America has celebrated half a century of partnership with the retailer it says has not only sold more Michelin tyres than any other, but also introduced the radial tyre into the USA. Department store chain Sears signed an agreement with Michelin in 1965 to sell Michelin radials under the Allstate trademark, a deal that kicked off a collaboration that has now seen more than 135 million tyres sold through Sears outlets.
MRF Tyres is claiming an Indian-market first with the release of its Revz motorcycle tyre. This new range marks the tyre maker’s – and the country’s – entry into the motorcycle radial segment, and MRF has embarked on an elaborate digital campaign to get the message out. In addition to commissioning an interactive section for the mrftyres.com website, the tyre maker has taken to Twitter under the #RevzolutionIsHere hashtag and is also revving up interest via other social media sources.
At the start of this month, Continental introduced truck and bus radials into the Indian market. The company is working towards an annual capacity of 220,000 TBR tyres in addition to the 1.1 million cross-ply tyres it produces each year in India. The company also has plans to further increase its passenger car radial capacity there.
Production capacity at Ceat Kelani Holdings’ site in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka will rise by almost 70 per cent following the entry into operation of a new plant dedicated to passenger car and SUV radial production. When the new tyre building machines and curing presses start production in April, CEAT Kelani will increase its radial tyre building and curing capacity from 23,000 tyres per month to 39,000. The facility has been established through an investment of Rs 600 million (£2.8 million).
Continental has begun producing and distributing radial truck tyres in the Indian market ahead of the product range’s official launch there on 1 April. The tyre maker says its initial truck radial capacity in India is 220,000 tyres a year; these will be distributed to a dealer network that contains more than 1,400 outlets in over 70 cities across the country. The first products to be launched include the HSR2 steer tyre and HDR2 drive tyre for freight carrying vehicles and the HSX2 and HDX2 coach tyres.
Michelin will supply radial aircraft tyres to the upcoming version of the Boeing 737 after its selection as an original equipment supplier for the model. The 737 Max 8 and 737 Max 8, scheduled to enter service in 2017 and 2019, will both be fitted with Michelin aircraft radials featuring NZG (Near Zero Growth) technology.
During the course of the recent Agritechnica event, Alliance Tire Group launched the 396MPT – an all-steel high-speed radial floatation tyre. Capable of speeds up to 100 km/h, the latest product is described as “revolutionary technology” by Alliance owing to its high floatation, traction, speed, stability and comfort characteristics. Indeed, according to the company, “this new approach provides a performance combination that was not possible before.”
In response to its recent participation in the Agritechnica in Germany a week or so ago, HBI Bandenmarkt Tyres & Wheels has highlighted that both the show in particular and the agricultural industry in general is increasingly taking on a global dimension.
All-steel truck radial tyre manufacturer Dynacargo began exporting to the United States earlier this year. According to online news reports, Dynacargo (a member company of Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum (Group) Co., Ltd.-Kaidi Xixiang Company) has gained permission from Shaanxi Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau to export to the North American market.
Goodyear is unveiling a new Eagle race tyre with roots in consumer tyre technology at this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Reversing the usual development trend of racetrack-to-road, Goodyear’s newly designed right-side tyre marks the introduction of its Multi-Zone Tread Technology, combining two different rubber compounds in a single tread to face the conditions of one of NASCAR’s most demanding speedways.
Last year, Trelleborg’s Xingtai agricultural tyre plant in China’s Hebei Province entered service, making the Swedish firm the first global company to establish an agricultural tyre production presence in China. Plant output is expected to reach 150,000 radial and cross-ply units this year, with much of the production sold in the local market. To support its activities in China, Trelleborg Wheel Systems has now launched a new Chinese language website.
