A total of 35.1 million tyres for all powered applications were sold in Russia in 2022, reports daily newspaper Kommersant. This figure represents a year-on-year decrease of 14.9% that disproportionately weighed upon the premium tyre segment. Tyre makers based within the country produced 42.7 million tyres within the year.
Goodyear’s latest financial results show that third-quarter 2022 group sales grew 7.6 per cent to $377 million up from $5.311 billion and $4.934 billion respectively the preceding two years. According to the company, the increase was driven by pricing actions that drove revenue per tyre (excluding foreign currency) 16 per cent higher than Q3 2021 level. At the same time, sales were impacted by lower tyre volumes, which declined 3 per cent.
Yokohama Rubber has announced it will cease supplying karting tyres at the end of this year. The tyre maker says its management team reached this decision “after careful consideration of various viewpoints” related to restructuring as part of the company’s mid-term management plan.
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.
Nokian Tyres has explained the decision to retain its manufacturing operation in Russia, a facility that reportedly produced 82 per cent of Nokian’s passenger and light commercial vehicle tyres last year. The Finnish tyre maker states that by continuing to operate the passenger car tyre factory in Vsevolozhsk, Russia it wants to “make sure that the factory is operated and controlled by Nokian Tyres also in the future.”
As of Friday 18 March 2022, Bridgestone Corporation will suspend its manufacturing activities in Russia until further notice. This production stop will take place after “the necessary preparations” are made. The company has also decided to freeze any new investments and suspend all exports to Russia with immediate effect.
Several days ago, Apollo Tyres informed the BSE stock exchange regarding the temporary closure of its Perambra factory in India’s Kerala state. The company said it had paused production in Perambra and closed the facility in order to comply with the current pandemic situation and directives issued by local authorities. The tyre maker reports that the plant will remain closed until 23 May.
A new contract covering the workforce at the Nokian Tyres plant in Finland will allow for more flexible working hours in 2021. Nokian Tyres says the contract covers approximately 400 people engaged in various functions related to car tyre production and “enters into effect immediately.” The contract remains in force until the end of the year.
Hankook Tire has reported consolidated global sales of KRW 1.4358 trillion (£945.0 million) for the first quarter of 2020, around 12.6 per cent less than in the opening quarter of last year. Operating profit decreased 24.8 per cent year-on-year to KRW 105.9 billion (£69.7 million).
In line with the gradual relaxing of the lockdown in Italy, industrial activity at Pirelli’s Settimo Torinese facility resumes today. The tyre maker says production levels will initially be below normal levels in light of lower current demand.
With the approval of local authorities, BKT has restarted tyre production, albeit still on a partial basis, in all its plants in India. The off-highway tyre specialist has also resumed supply and delivery to both the OEM and aftermarket channels.
Nokian Tyres reports that the shutdown which began on 27 March in response to COVID-19 ended on Monday 27 April with the reopening of its factory in the USA. Some plant employees have returned to work for the start of a phased reopening process. The company’s factory in Russia resumed production on 6 April.
The phased approach that Goodyear is taking to restart its tyre production in the EMEA region continues. The company has already announced that truck tyre production is up and running again at some sites in Europe, with tyre making partially recommencing in plants in Colmar-Berg (Luxembourg), Wittlich (Germany), Kranj (Slovenia), Debica (Poland) and Izmit (Turkey) over the last two weeks. The next plants to return to production are Goodyear’s Hanau, Fulda, Fürstenwalde and Riesa plants in Germany and in Amiens, France – all five will begin working this week.
Production at Apollo Tyres’ factory in Hungary will partially recommence tomorrow, a month after the tyre maker scaled back production there and in its Enschede plant in the Netherlands in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Nokian Tyres
BKT
Nokian Tyres
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