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Michelin Helps Traditional English
Craft to Bloom Again
Bridgestone Shipments of Run-Flat Tyres Top Three Million
Michelin to Cease Formula One Involvement
Wrantage farmer wins Firestone Young Farmer of the
Year Award
Michelin recalls 255/35 ZR20 97Y Extra Load Michelin
Pilot Sport Tyres
Goodyear Sells North American Farm Tyre
Business
Bridgestone Launches B 250
Michelin Helps Traditional
English Craft to Bloom Again
 Michelin
Development, part of Michelin Tyre Plc. is backing one of only a
few new china companies to be formed in Stoke on Trent since the
majority of the famous names moved their manufacturing to the Far
East.
Stoke on Trent and
"The Potteries" was always the traditional home of fine English
china but with the economic climate favouring relocation to either
the Far East or Eastern Europe, many of the region's best known
pottery companies have moved their manufacturing off-shore and made
skilled workers redundant. John Hinks, who has over 30 years experience
in the Stoke ceramics industry, including being a past owner of
Royale Stratford, was determined to halt this trend and prove that
specialist local skills were more than a match for cheap labour.
Michelin Development Ltd was able to help him set up his new company.
Studio Hinks Fine China
specialises in flowers and floral arrangements in fine china and
was started in early 2005. John Hinks was determined to keep the
art of fine bone china floral making alive in the area and was willing
to put a substantial amount of his own money behind the project.
Despite this, he realised that he needed extra funding and turned
to the Michelin Development team for help. They were able to help
with expertise and loans to see John through the important launch
period.
Now Hinks has healthy
orders from prestige china companies like Aynsley, Doulton and Wedgwood
with the main demand coming from Japan. The Studio now employs twelve
skilled artists plus a number of homeworkers and is looking to increase
this over the next few months. John thinks that local skills have
given him the edge:
"I think that we are
the best in the world at floral work, which is why the biggest china
manufacturers choose to use us. The help from Michelin Development
has meant that I am able to employ some of the fine local craftsmen
and women whose career ended when companies moved out East"
Michelin Development
was developed to help small to medium sized businesses and start-ups
create new jobs in the areas where it has factories. It offers special
loans and world-class expertise to companies with the right kind
of potential. A full set of guidelines is available on www.michelindevelopment.co.uk.
Bridgestone Shipments of
Run-Flat Tyres Top Three Million
Bridgestone Corporation has announced that it
recently shipped its three-millionth run-flat tyre. The company's
run-flat production has accelerated since 1999 as automakers have
adopted run-flat specifications on a growing range of vehicle models.
The historic three-millionth tyre left a Bridgestone plant in September.
After marking one million shipments in February
2004, the following two million shipments were achieved in as little
as one year and seven months. Rapid growth in demand for run-flats
coupled with Bridgestone's capability in developing run-flat technologies
and its efforts to strengthen production system are seen as the
primary reasons for the fast increase in shipments.
Michelin to Cease Formula
One Involvement
Michelin has announced it will not
extend its Formula One involvement beyond the 2006 season. In a
pre-prepared press statement Michelin said that it had on several
occasions expressed the conditions of its involvement in Formula
One:
"Michelin considers
Formula One to be a highly technical motorsport in which the tyre
is a very influential component in the scope of the performance
of the vehicle", said the statement. "The teams' freedom to choose
their own tyres is essential. Therefore, competition between at
least two tyre manufacturers is critical; this provides the basis
for real competition between tyre suppliers, which, in turn, stimulates
progress for the public's greater interest. Today, it would appear
as though Formula One rules will be modified to impose a single
tyre supplier".
After consulting with
its lpartners (McLaren Mercedes, BMW Sauber F1, Renault F1, Honda
Racing F1) as well as with Sir Frank Williams, Michelin says it
is now convinced that the evolution towards a single tyre supplier
is inevitable and expressed regret to see F1 lose a part of its
high technology. In addition, Michelin pointed out that constant
changes to racing regulations without warning made planning for
the future impossible, making long-term investments in Formula One
less viable.
"This decision is the
result of profound differences between Michelin's long-standing
sporting philosophy and the way Formula One is managed by the regulating
authorities, which no longer provide a clear and sustainable environment
to justify long-term investments," commented Mr. Edouard Michelin.
"For Michelin, leaving Formula One in no way represents abandoning
motorsports, to which the Michelin brand has been committed for
117 years. If F1's ways of functioning were to be significantly
modified, Michelin would not hesitate in proposing its services
to the different teams once again."
Wrantage farmer wins Firestone
Young Farmer of the Year Award
 Twenty-six
year old Rodney Down of Higher Wrantage Farm, Taunton, Somerset
is the National winner of the Firestone Young Farmer of the Year
Award. Rodney was one of three finalists in the 'Young Farmer' category
at a ceremony held at The Grosvenor House in London on Wednesday
30 November.
Rodney was awarded
his trophy by Kate Humble, the BBC TV presenter and Stefan Denayer,
Firestone's European Agricultural Sales Manager. In the Young Farmer
of the Year category, judges were looking at business acumen, technical
expertise, environmental and social responsibility, marketing skills
and innovation.
Michelin recalls 255/35 ZR20
97Y Extra Load Michelin Pilot Sport Tyres
Michelin is launching a recall of
255/35 ZR 20 97Y Michelin Pilot Sport Extra Load tyres. This decision
results from the analysis of customer returns in Europe, which has
revealed an anomaly that in certain cases may lead to a rapid loss
of air pressure in the tyre. This situation constitutes a potential
safety risk.
As a precautionary
measure Michelin has decided to exchange all the subject tyres.
The following free-phone number is being made available to provide
additional information relating to this operation: 0800 056 7200
Goodyear Sells North American
Farm Tyre Business
Goodyear has announced that it has
completed the sale of its North American farm tyre assets to Titan
Tire Corporation, a subsidiary of Titan International, Inc. The
sale includes Goodyear's farm tyre manufacturing plant, property
and equipment in Freeport, Ill., and inventories. It also includes
a licensing agreement with Titan to pay a royalty to manufacture
and sell Goodyear-branded farm tyres in North America. Goodyear
received $100 million from Titan for the assets. On an on-going
basis, the sale will reduce revenue in Goodyear's North American
Tire segment by about $200 million annually, but will eliminate
the need for further investment in the farm tyre business and position
the company to enhance the segment's profitability.
Bridgestone Launches
B250
 Bridgestone
has launched its most technologically advanced general use tyre
to date - the B250. The new tyre will replace the original equipment
B391 and B390 tyres, and the B330 Evo, which is sold purely in the
replacement market. The move is designed to simplify the company's
range of general use tyres, increase brand recognition, and make
the ordering process easier for dealers.
Andy Lane,
marketing manager of Bridgestone UK, said: "By replacing two original
equipment tyres and one aftermarket tyre with the new B250 we are
making our general use range more recognisable for consumers and
more convenient for the dealerships stocking them. "The existing
B-Series tyres have all performed extremely well in both the original
equipment and replacement markets, and we've worked hard to produce
a new tyre that exceeds the excellent standards set by them. The
B250 will fulfil all the expectations of car manufacturers for a
new generation of general use vehicles, as well as meeting the needs
of drivers with an emphasis on safety and comfort," he said.
A host
of original equipment fitments to cars including the new Renault
Clio and the Toyota Yaris have already been announced, and Bridgestone
is expecting the tyre to be just as popular in the replacement market
when it is launched in January 2006. The B250 delivers a safe, reliable
performance for smaller hatchbacks and saloon cars, and is specifically
designed to provide optimal handling, comfort, wet grip, and durability.
The B250
features large grooves, a high sipe density, and a high void ratio
in the centre of the tyre to aid wet performance, helping it match
the excellent wet braking performance of the B330 Evo and even improve
on cornering hydroplaning by three per cent. Dry braking performance
has been improved by seven per cent in comparison to the B330 Evo,
thanks to solid shoulder blocks, which ensure excellent dry handling,
particularly when cornering.The blocks also provide a higher resistance
to shoulder wear, with the estimated life-span of the tyre beating
that of the B330 Evo by an impressive 13 per cent.
"The new
B250 is a well-balanced, technologically advanced tyre that provides
an excellent overall performance. We expect it to have a major impact
in both the original equipment and replacement markets very soon,"
said Andy.
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