LUC is the latest product from German laser systems specialist 4Jet Group. Informing tyre makers of this new solution that replaces grinding-based mechanical reworking, 4Jet states that LUC utilises “digital, precise and touchless” post-processing to improve the uniformity of tyre beads.
Global tyre businesses have exited the Russian tyre business as a direct consequence of the Russian government’s decision to invade Ukraine. We all knew this was coming, following initial announcements from the likes of Michelin, Bridgestone and Nokian along those lines in the second quarter of 2022. However, the news that Nokian sold its much-lauded St. Petersburg operation to Tatneft at the end of October indicates that the exodus is underway. And that, in turn, means significant tyre production capacity within Russia has changed hands, something that has an inevitable impact on those departing, those remaining and the wider tyre business. In this column, we take a look at how Michelin, Bridgestone and Nokian have been negotiating their respective exits from Russia and ask what it might mean for the future.
Guangrao County in Dongying City seems to have gone silent in a short period. On October 20, Guangrao detected an asymptomatic case of Covid-19. Then things seemed to get serious. Data from the Dongying Municipal Health Commission showed that from the 22 to the 30, new asymptomatic patients of Covid-19 were found in Guangrao daily. The government launched a response policy in a short time. According to Guangrao residents, since the 23, some communities have asked people to stay at home, and some factories require closed-loop management.
Hankook’s Tyre Manufacturer of the Year winning entry at the NTDA Tyre Industry Awards “demonstrated, in great detail, its growing marketplace leadership in product, performance, innovation, productivity and sustainability,” according to NTDA chief executive Stefan Hay. The award was presented to Hankook Tyre UK’s sales director Paul Emery and marketing & communications manager Zoë Baldwin. Emery said: “We are a relatively small team at Hankook and are extremely proud that the UK tyre industry has recognised the strength of the Hankook business. This is truly a team effort and a team award.”
Passenger car and light truck (PCLT) tyre production trends in Western Europe have been scaling down over the long-term. The move to larger production facilities in the comparatively low-cost labour markets in Eastern Europe, or greater reliance on imports from Asia, has seen a steady stream of plant closures and conversions to speciality, short-run production capacity – on in the case of Cooper Tire’s UK plant, for example, one followed by the other – in the region. A new assessment of the most recent three-year period by tyre industry analyst Astutus Research suggests that the overall picture has been of a decline similar to the period following the 2008 financial crisis, which was itself a catalyst for this trend. Yet digging a little deeper into the figures shows several dynamics at play in European PCLT tyre production, including supply chain disruption and spiralling energy costs. For comprehensive analysis of global tyre market trends, a series of reports by Astutus Research are available to buy now in the Tyrepress Reports Shop – click here for more details.
German rubber industry association wdk is “sounding the alarm” as massive increases in the cost of energy, raw materials and logistics take their toll upon companies within the industry, draining their liquidity and straining earnings. The wdk warns of impending insolvencies, a concretisation of relocation plans and job cuts.
Although Chinese factories produced significantly fewer tyres in the first half of 2022 than in the same period last year, monthly figures released by the country’s National Bureau of Statistics show a return to year-on-year growth in June. A total of 76.98 million tyres were manufactured within China last month, a 1.2 per cent year-on-year increase and 6.75 million more than were produced in May 2022.
Since March 2022, China’s government has imposed strict lockdown policies on several cities in response to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Shanghai, the economic centre of China, is one of the core lockdown areas. According to information available to Tyrepress, it appears the entire industry is feeling the restrictions hitting production, logistics and retail in Shanghai and surrounding cities.
The cyberattack on Bridgestone Americas resulted in the perpetrators gaining access to “a limited number of Bridgestone systems and threatening to make this information public.” However, the Bridgestone Americas statement released in answer to Tyres & Accessories questions on 15 March also explained that the company is: “…working around the clock with external security advisors, Accenture Security, to investigate and understand the full scope and nature of the incident.”
Kumho Tire Co., South Korea’s second-largest tire maker, said Tuesday it will sell its natural rubber processing plant in Vietnam to focus on its core business. According to an official statement published on 23 March 2021, Kumho Tire said it has struck a deal with a joint venture between Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and Thanh Cong Group of Vietnam to sell its rubber factory.
Titan International has completed the sale of its tyre manufacturing plant in Brownsville, Texas facility to an affiliate of commercial real estate firm Phoenix Investors. The one million square feet plant was built in 1997 on 108 acres, and Titan ended tyre production in 2003. It has since leased the site to multiple tenants.
Five months on from its groundbreaking ceremony, the first pictures from Shandong Jinyu Tire’s new Vietnam truck and bus radial tyre factory show the progress made so far. At its May 2020 event, Jinyu said the new tyre manufacturing plant would have an annual capacity of 2 million tyres in its first stage, supplying mainly European and North American markets. At its completion, due March 2024, Jinyu would have an annual capacity of 7 million TBR tyres, with a global sales footprint.
Waste rubber generated by tyre manufacturing could deliver increased energy savings and business opportunities according to IRR Waste 2 Energy. The company’s continuous pyrolysis technology, which is fully commissioned and in operation at its parent company Carlton Forest Group’s Worksop headquarters, has delivered “tangible results” in both “energy generation and the production of by-products such as pyrolysis oil and carbon char,” the company states. These materials can be refined further to produce high grade engine oil and recovered carbon black (RcB).
Cooper has begun the process of restarting its tyre manufacturing plant in El Salto, Mexico. The manufacturer said it is restarting production on a limited basis today. It states that it has “put in place a comprehensive set of procedures that include required employee health disclosures, increased cleaning and disinfecting of facilities and equipment, social distancing and physical barriers, visitor restrictions, and other measures.” These measures are aligned with the company’s “first priority of employee health and safety,” it added.
Goodyear has purchased new VI-grade driving simulators, including a dynamic model, to enhance its product development. The tyre manufacturer has selected a Compact Simulator recently delivered to the company’s innovation centre in Luxembourg and a Dynamic Driving Simulator DiM250 (Driver-in-Motion) to be installed in Akron, Ohio, in the coming months.
Egor Fin; Unsplash
Xuda Wang
NTDA
Bridgestone Firestone Americas
Jinyu
Shaun Flannery/shaunflanneryphotography.com