Ross Brawn at Bridgestone Technical Centre
Continental to Expand Tyre Production Capacities in Low Cost Countries
Green Tyre Dealer Scheme Now Operational
Goodyear Takes Disciplinary Actions Related to European Union Accounting Review
Brityrex International Launched
ContiNetwork Adds ACE Tyres
Bridgestone Receives Glowing Reviews in Which? Tyre Test
Double Talents Win Michelin Renault Race Scholarship

Ross Brawn at Bridgestone Technical Centre

Ferrari's Technical Director, Ross Brawn recently visited the Bridgestone Europe Technical Centre in Rome. The primary focus of the event was to meet Bridgestone's young engineers and give them a talk on the importance of tyre development.

But the visit also included time for a tour of the facility by Alberto Laurenti, Managing Director of the centre and a 'spin' on the same test track that the latest agricultural tyres - such as the Firestone R9000 Evolution - are put through their paces.

Ross' father was the Firestone Agricultural Field Engineer for more than twenty-five years and it was due to his father's interest in motorsport that Ross developed his passion for the sport.

Continental to Expand Tyre Production Capacities in Low Cost Countries

Continental has announced plans to strengthen its presence in lower cost countries by building a new plant in Brazil and expanding its production basis in Malaysia together with its joint venture partner Sime Darby.

"With this forward-looking decision, we are continuing to broaden our activities in high-growth markets as well as expanding our production at low cost locations," said Continental's Executive Board Chairman, Manfred Wennemer. Plans are to invest 150 million euros in the first phase, with investments for the total project totalling more than 250 million euros. By 2008, this will create an additional annual capacity of 7 million passenger tyres and 700,000 tyres for commercial vehicles. This increase will serve mainly to supply the NAFTA region, where the number of tyres produced in low cost countries is to date still very low.

Even before production gets started in the new plant in Camacari in the Brazilian state of Bahia at the end of 2005 or beginning of 2006, Continental Sime Tyre will start its manufacturing operations in Alor Setar, Malaysia. At the same time, expansions are underway in Kuala Lumpur with the focus on tyres for commercial vehicles.

"We are holding talks here with our joint venture partner, Sime Darby, and are confident that, together, we will continue to broaden our very successful business activities," said Dr. Hans-Joachim Nikolin, Continental's Executive Board Member responsible for Commercial Vehicle Tires. He announced that after completion of the passenger tyre plant in Camacari, a plant for commercial vehicle tyres will also be built there, with production starting at the end of 2006 or beginning of 2007. More than 1000 jobs will be created in Brazil and about 200 in Malaysia.

Green Tyre Dealer Scheme Now Operational

The Retread Manufacturers Association (RMA) has announced that its Green Tyre Dealer Scheme is now operational. As a result green consumers from across the country will now be able to follow a sustainable purchasing policy when buying tyres for their vehicle by purchasing quality British-manufactured retreads from the Association's rapidly growing network of Green Tyre Dealers.

127 car tyre retailers from across the country have already joined the network with the expectation that membership will raise rapidly within the coming months. In addition three specialist mail order companies have joined the scheme meaning that drivers will always be able to source a retread, even if they do not have a local stockist.

RMA Director Sheila Ikin commented: "Our aim with the Green Tyre Dealer Scheme is to substantially increase the awareness of the ecological value of retreaded tyres among green consumers. We believe that retreads should be considered as the best practical environmental option for tyre recycling. Unlike other forms of tyre recycling or disposal, retreading does not simply defer the eventual disposal of old tyres, but actively contributes towards reducing the amount of used tyres hence saving valuable natural resources. "Every retread produced means one less new tyre, thereby minimising the number of new tyres produced annually, extending the life of the original product and saving substantially on resources such as oil (a passenger retread requires 4.5 gallons less oil than a new tyre)."

Readers wishing to find their nearest Green Tyre Dealer can do so by visiting the scheme website at www.greentyres.com. or by contacting the RMA on 01782 417777.

Goodyear Takes Disciplinary Actions Related to European Union Accounting Review

Goodyear has reported today that it has taken disciplinary actions against several senior managers in its European Union operation and streamlined its organisational structure in response to its ongoing investigation of improper accounting in European and other overseas operations. Although the investigation is not yet complete, Goodyear decided to begin the process of improving the European organisation and to continue strengthening its accounting controls.

As part of the year-end closing process and unrelated to the investigation of improper accounting in Europe, the company has also identified adjustments to the previously announced restatement of its financial statements, which are expected to result in a reduction of operating earnings of $16 million over five years, and a reduction in shareholders' equity at Sept. 30, 2003, of approximately $23 million. The largest of these adjustments arises from an understatement of workers' compensation claims, related to the years 1999 to 2003 at one of its domestic plants. The company is currently reviewing the cause of the understatement.

The disciplinary actions taken in Europe include separation of several senior managers and reprimand of other European personnel. "These actions represent an important milestone toward completing the investigation, which is necessary for us to file our audited financials for 2003," said Robert W. Tieken, executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Brityrex International Launched

ECI international, the orgaisers of Tyrexpo Asia, have announced the launch of Brityrex International 2005, which will take place at the Harrogate International centre from 10-12 May 2005. Paul Farrant and Rowena Suthers of ECI were the original team behind Brityrex when it was owned and organised by Tyre Exhibitions and ran successfully for many years in Harrogate. ECI International has now acquired the Brityrex title and will run a three day event offering visitors and exhibitors the opportunity to focus on the fastest areas of growth in the tyre market.

ContiNetwork Adds ACE Tyres

The commercial tyre service provider, ACE Tyres, which operates seven vans within a 40km radius of their depots in Milton Keynes and Northampton, has joined Continental's ContiNetwork Partnership. As a new ContiNetwork Partner, ACE Tyres joins a nationwide network of independent partners comprising 49 dealers which offers more than 200 commercial tyre locations around the UK to service local, regional and national fleets.

Danny Haley, Managing Director at ACE Tyres, said, "The move is an important one for us as we are currently constructing a new state of the art depot in Milton Keynes and it seems only right that we bring our business relations up to date. I am particularly looking forward to taking advantage of the affinity offers with RL Automotive, Mercedes Vans and Fuelserv that the network has in place."

Set over 26 acres of land, the new ACE Tyre depot in Milton Keynes will boast car service bays as well as a separate area for storing commercial tyres. Jeff Book, Product Manager of the ContiNetwork, said, "We are delighted to welcome ACE Tyres into the Partnership. An expanding business, such as ACEs', is an ideal catalyst for the development of fresh ideas and I am sure that they will prove a valuable working example of the high level of service for which the ContiNetwork has become renowned."

Bridgestone Receives Glowing Reviews in Which? Tyre Test

Bridgestone has announced that three of its tyres have received glowing reviews in a recent consumer report. One tyre, the Bridgestone Potenza RE720 achieved the highest overall mark, being given an impressive 72 per cent score across all criteria.

The March 2004 edition of Which? magazine tested a total of 27 tyres in three sizes from a range of manufacturers. The comprehensive test involved each tyre being driven for more than 6,000 miles on roads ranging from country lanes to motorways, in both wet and dry conditions - with the Bridgestone B330 Evo and the Bridgestone Potenza RE720, along with another Bridgestone-manufactured tyre the Firestone Firehawk TZ200, receiving excellent results.

Double Talents Win Michelin Renault Race Scholarship

The popular Michelin Renault Scholarship has uncovered two brilliant new young race talents. Competition in the seventh year of the campaign was intense with the closest ever final proving too fine for the judges who made the unique decision to divide the award of a fully funded race programme in the Elf BTE Lawline Renault Clio Cup series.

Michael Simpson and Rommel Jeffers will share the Michelin liveried Clio in the 20 race series. The two twenty year olds were judged equal on scoring points at the end of the final, remarkable enough but the vastly different levels of competitive driving experience of these two youngsters endorses the value of this Scholarship in unearthing new driving stars.

Michael, an apprentice engineer with British Aerospace at Brough, has been winning in the Kart world since the age of eight. On the other hand, Rommel from Leeds does not even have a driving license and has never been on a racetrack before. He showed his "instinctive" talent by finishing his best laps just 200ths of a second behind the more experienced Simpson.

Both youngsters have high ambitions for competitive driving careers. "All I have ever wanted to do is drive racing machines," says Michael. " My father has backed me in Karts and we really are a family team. He'll be a little miffed not being allowed to tinker with the Clio when it is my turn to race!" Rommel's immediate plan is to secure both his full road license and his race license. "I can get a track license by completing my ARDS schooling at Silverstone but it will be handy to have a road license to get to the races! I really want to dedicate myself to this season and hope to impress enough to gain another sponsored drive for 2005," says Rommel.

More than 600 young hopefuls entered the Michelin Renault Scholarship run by racing driver Tim Sugden. The entry was whittled down by on-track selection tests to just 10 finalists who then spent a hard day at the Croft Autodrome under the gaze of professional drivers, sports physiologists and executives from Michelin, Renault and media specialists. The two winners were selected for their talent, ability and all round personality values.