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Michelin
Launches New Primacy HP
Search
Unit Back on the Road Thanks to Bridgestone Sponsorship
Heffernan's
Tyres, Kildare Become First Michelin Accredited Centre in Ireland
Press
Room Sponsorship Raises Bridgestone Profile at Geneva Motor Show
Earnings
Up at Yokohama
BF
Goodrich Studs Star in the Swedish Snow
Continental
and Christian Salvesen in Warehousing Deal
Goodyear
Reports Best Profits Since 1998
Bridgestone
as G8 Safety Partner
Middleton
Grabs Sunseeker Glory
Yokohama
Rubber to Expand OTR Tyre Capacity
Continental
and Unions Sign Accord on Stöcken Production
Three
New Tyres from BG Goodrich
Bridgestone
Draws on F1 Heritage with Brand-Building Promo
Michelin Launches New
Primacy HP
 Michelin
have reacted to research, which shows that nearly three-quarters
(72%) of European drivers feel that the main problem with their
tyres is that they don't last long enough, by making increased tread
life a top priority in the development of its new tyre, the Michelin
Primacy HP.
Designed for saloons
and hatchbacks, the new Michelin Primacy HP is claimed to provide
at least 25% longer tread life than all competitors in the same
premium range. And even better, when compared to competitor tyres
with the shortest tread life, Michelin Primacy HP tyres deliver
up to 54% more miles on the road. Most importantly, Michelin Primacy
HP has also been designed to deliver the same level of safety throughout
its extended lifespan. For example, after 6,000 miles, the Michelin
Primacy HP shows a braking distance on wet roads that is 1.2 metres
shorter than the average distance of the main competitor tyres.
In creating a tyre,
which can last up to 50% longer than directly competing tyres, while
maintaining enhanced safety, Michelin makes use of three major innovations.
The first innovation is a tyre design method known as A.S.M: A for
Architecture, S for Sculpture and M for Materials. The acronym reflects
Michelin's ability to focus simultaneously on the three fundamental
factors that determine a tyre's performance balance. Applying this
method to the Michelin Primacy HP has created a tyre that not only
last longer, but also offers an unprecedented performance balance.
The second innovation
is in the technology, resulting directly from the A.S.M. design
method. For the first time, Michelin has created a tyre that is
supple yet rigid. In other words, the Michelin Primacy HP combines
an architecture (the "A" in A.S.M.) that deforms more easily to
optimise contact with the road, with an extremely rigid tread design,
or "sculpture" (the "S" in A.S.M.), so that every square millimetre
of the contact patch delivers maximum performance.
The third innovation
is also about technology, more precisely the tread materials (the
"M" in A.S.M.). These materials are a unique combination of ElastoSPORT
and Full-Silica, made possible thanks to Michelin's exclusive mixing
technology. The result is perfect even wear, which is essential
both to long tread life and to lasting performance throughout the
tyre's lifespan, better braking on wet surfaces, due to the tyre's
bigger contact patch as well as the use of ElastoSPORT and Full
Silica and perfect steering control and handling on wet roads due
to the way the tyre's tread pattern cuts through the sheet of water
between the road and the tyre.
The new Michelin Primacy
HP will be available in both a standard and a run-flat version (Self
Supporting tyre - SST). The Michelin HP ZP uses ZP (Zero Pressure)
technology to deliver an advanced solution that reinforces the sidewalls
of a standard tyre with a special rubber compound, The Michelin's
ZP can carry the load of the vehicle at zero pressure for 50 kilometres
at 50 mph.
Search Unit Back on the Road
Thanks to Bridgestone Sponsorship
 A
specialist mobile unit that trains dogs to detect drugs in schools,
colleges and businesses is back on the road thanks to sponsorship
from Bridgestone UK. The UK Military & Police Canine Training Centre
(MPCTC) approached the company for support after its dog carrier
unit was forced off the road following an accident.
The Lincolnshire-based
organisation is reliant on sponsorship and was struggling to meet
the cost of replacement tyres. Thankfully Bridgestone stepped in
to help by providing a free-of-charge set from its all-terrain Dueler
range.So relieved
was the MPCTC it has named one of its prized dogs Bridgestone as
a tribute to the company.
Brian Dascalu, who
handles Bridgestone the Labrador for the MPCTC, added: "We're extremely
grateful to Bridgestone UK for donating the tyres and helping us
out of a serious predicament. Time off the road means less visits
to schools and business, and more opportunity for dealers and users
to carry out drug-related activity.
Heffernan's Tyres, Kildare
Become First Michelin Accredited Centre in Ireland
 Heffernan
Tyres, Kildare, has become the first tyre centre in Ireland to receive
the prestigious Michelin Accreditation that recognises the highest
qualities in customer service and professionalism. The car and truck
tyre centre has recently been rated as the best in Ireland by a
leading industry publication.
Founded in Kildare
in 1952 by Joe Heffernan, the award-winning centre is under its
second generation of Heffernan management being run currently by
Joe's son, Thomas with his wife Linda. In a recent Irish Tyre Journal
review of the centres across Ireland, Heffernan's came out on top.
Thomas is clear on
the reasons why: "Service is number one. People are looking for
service these days. The age of shoddy and rude service is gone and
we pride ourselves on the service we offer customers. Our parking
and waiting facilities make customers welcome and comfortable, and
our staff, from the girls in the office to the guys on the shop
floor, are excellent. We all recognise the importance of good service
and strive to deliver it every time."
Jonathan Brett, Programme
Development Manager for Michelin car UK says, "Heffernan Tyres has
all the qualities that Michelin sees as crucial to its continued
drive to raise standards in the industry. The MAP programme aims
to make the entire buying process a more pleasant experience and
do away with the notion of dirty tyre centres where customers can
be made to feel unwelcome. Heffernan Tyres is user friendly and
makes the customer feel welcome, and it is only logical that Michelin
should recognise this professionalism."
Press Room Sponsorship Raises
Bridgestone Profile at Geneva Motor Show
 Bridgestone
Europe, together with Fujitsu Siemens Computers, will co-sponsor
the press room of the 2006 Geneva motor show (2-12 March). Together
with a strong presence in the exhibition area an international press
conference on 1 March (Room "Salève" at 12:00h) these activities
will further raise the profile of the leading tyre manufacturer
at what is Europe's first major automotive industry fair of the
year.
As 'Official Press
Sponsor', Bridgestone will feature its logos and messages on prominent
wall displays, signage and documentation in the press room. In addition,
Bridgestone-uniformed staff will be on hand to assist journalists
visiting the event. Sponsorship of the official organiser's website
also brings the right to display year-round banner flashes on pages
that annually attract more than 10 million visits. A hyperlink in
the press section also connects directly to Bridgestone's own corporate
website. As well as giving strong exposure to commercial information,
this provides a platform for promoting the global 'Think Before
you Drive' safety campaign, which Bridgestone is running in collaboration
with the FIA Foundation.
Earnings Up at Yokohama
The Yokohama Rubber
Co., Ltd.has announced a 19.1% increase in operating income, to
20.9 billion yen, in the nine months ended December 31. Sales growth,
cost-cutting measures, and the weakening of the yen against the
dollar were given as the main reasons for the increase.
Net income rose 2.4-fold,
to 19.5 billion yen, including a tax benefit from an earlier write-down
of equity in a North American subsidiary. Yokohama also posted a
9.1% increase in net sales, to 333.7 billion yen. Leading the sales
growth were gains in Yokohama's tyre operations in North America
and in Europe. The company also registered sales gains in the Japanese
tyre market on the strength of growth in winter tyres.
BF Goodrich Studs Star
in the Swedish Snow
 BFGoodrich
made it two out of two at the second round of the World Rally Championship
in Sweden recently when birthday boy Marcus Grönholm (Ford/BFGoodrich)
finished 30.9 seconds ahead of reigning champion Sébastien Loeb
(Citroën/BFGoodrich).
Icy stages for the
first two days and a covering of fresh snow on Sunday morning meant
the Swedish Rally had perfect conditions to bring out the very best
in the drivers, cars and tyres. "As on the Monte Carlo Rally, tyre
choice - or rather stud choice - proved decisive, as ice at -15°C
and ice at -2°C are completely different for tyres," explained Aimé
Chatard, BFGoodrich Rallies Programme Manager.
 After
securing his fourth Swedish Rally victory, which was also his 20th
and Ford's 50th ever rally win in the World Championship, a jubilant
Marcus Grönholm commented: "That was a great fight with Seb and
it's nice to win here in Sweden again. I was very pleased with the
performance of my tyres [BFGoodrich g-Force Ice/long stud and BFGoodrich
g-Force Ice/normal stud] throughout the rally."
Continental and Christian
Salvesen in Warehousing Deal
Christian Salvesen
has been appointed by Continental Tyre Group to provide warehousing
and distribution throughout the UK. From July this year, the European
Logisitcs business will manage the tyre storage, handling and distribution
of Continental Tyre Group Limited Brands.
The contract was put
out to tender last year, and nine companies took part in the process.
Christian Salvesen was successful in securing a five-year contract
which will be fully operational by July 1, 2006.
Christian Salvesen
has also extended its logistics partnership with Goodyear Dunlop
Tyres UK Limited. The company will take over the operation of the
National Distribution Centre at Tyrefort in Erdington, Birmingham,
which has more than 500,000 sq ft. of warehousing space and provides
the capacity to store one million tyres. Operating 24 hours a day,
the centre incorporates 47 loading bays and has become established
as on of the UK's leading tyre distribution centres.
Christian Salvesen
will move the Continental Tyre Group Limited's distribution from
its current location in Rugby to the Tyrefort facility and will
manage both contracts on a shared user basis.
Goodyear Reports Best Profits
Since 1998
The Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Company has reported record sales for the fourth quarter
and the full year of 2005. The company's full-year net income is
the highest since 1998. "Strong demand for our innovative new tyres
coupled with improved marketing drove a richer product mix and record
sales for the company,"said Robert J. Keegan, chairman and chief
executive officer.
Goodyear reported sales
of $4.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2005 and a record $19.7
billion for the full year, an increase of 7 percent over $18.4 billion
in 2004. Sales increased in 2005 largely due to improved pricing
and product mix in all of the company's business units, higher unit
volume and currencytranslation. The company estimates that currency
translation had a positive impact on sales of approximately $211
million.
Goodyear's net income
in 2005 nearly doubled to $228 million compared to $115 million
in 2004.
Bridgestone as G8 Safety
Partner
The President of the
Bridgestone Corporation, Mr Shigeo Watanabe has been selected as
one of the 8 members of an international commission led by Lord
Robertson, which will aim to put global road safety on the agenda
of the G8 countries. The commission will publish actions needed
to reduce deaths and serious injuries caused by road traffic crashes
on Thursday 8th June 2006. Copies of this report will be sent to
the G8 Heads of Government in advance of the 2006 G8 summit in St
Petersburg, Russia, in July 2006.
Middleton Grabs Sunseeker
Glory
 Matador
Tyres backed driver Craig Middleton took a 26.4 second victory in
the recent Rallye Sunseeker, the opening round of the MSA National
Gravel Rally Championship. The 26 year old Welshman from Llandrindod
Wells fought back from brake and steering woes to fight off the
challenge of runner up Steve Perez to take a popular victory on
the Bournemouth based event.
Yokohama Rubber to Expand
OTR Tyre Capacity
Yokohama Rubber has
announced that it is to expand its production capacity for off-the-road
tyres for construction, mining, and other heavy equipment by about
50%.
The company will build
a new facility at its Onomichi Plant in Japan to provide the additional
capacity. Work will begin on the new facility this month, and Yokohama's
plans call for production to get under way there in November. The
project will increase Yokohama's monthly production capacity for
OTR tyres incrementally to 1,620 tons by 2009, from 1,100 tons today.
Continental and Unions Sign
Accord on Stöcken Production
The conflict surrounding
the discontinuation of passenger tyre production at Continental's
Hanover-Stöcken plant in Germany has finally been resolved. On Tuesday
February 21 representatives of the tyre manufacturer as well as
the mining, chemical and energy workers union (IG BCE) and the works
council put their signatures under a detailed catalogue of social
measures that will accompany the production and staff cuts scheduled
to be concluded by the end of 2007.
"After difficult but
ultimately constructive discussions, we found a modus vivendi that
points the way to future perspectives for the employees while at
the same time giving the company the room it needs to maneuver,"
declared Thomas Sattelberger, Member of the Executive Board, responsible
for Human Resources at Continental, in remarks following the signing.
Key elements of the
accord are a flexible rationalisation concept for the period from
January 1 to December 31, 2007, staff cutbacks underpinned by social
safeguards, the creation of additional jobs in truck tyre production
and in the R&D department in Stöcken, and training components.
Three New Tyres from BG
Goodrich
 BF
Goodrich have announced the introduction of three new tyres, the
off-road rally All-Terrain T/A Comp, the new Krawler T/A® KX for
fans of rock crawling and four new dimensions for the Macadam T/A
The All-Terrain T/A Comp is an evolution of the company's Baja Rock
T/A tyre, a two-times winner of the Dakar Rally.
Thanks to its construction,
the All-Terrain T/A Comp is competitive over both rocky surfaces
and sand, on which its larger contact patch offers reduced rolling
resistance and enhanced precision.
The BFGoodrich Krawler
T/A® KX, marketed as a "rock-climbing tyre" features a 'deep-lug'
tread pattern and a flexible compound to ensure excellent levels
of grip and traction, not only on dirt but also in mud and over
rocks. Meanwhile, its tread can be hand cut in order to adapt it
as closely as possible to the exact nature of the terrain. The tyre's
four nylon sidewall plies ensure maximum resistance to perforation,
while its two extremely long casing belts are derived from the world
of competition. Available in two dimensions (37x12.50R17, 35X13.50R15),
the Krawler T/A® KX is designed exclusively for competition use
or for use on private land. It is not road legal and will be sold
through BFGoodrich's motor sport distribution outlets.
 The
third new development from BF Goodrich is an extension in the range
of the company's Macadam T/A tyre. Previously available for 15,16
and 18inch wheels only, from June 2006 the Macadam T/A will now
also be available for 17- inch rims in a choice of three different
dimensions: -235/65 R17 108V Extra Load TL (BMW X5, VW Touareg,
Volvo XC90, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Porsche Cayenne, new M-and R-Class
Mercedes) -275/55 R 17 109V TL (Mercedes ML) -255/60 R 17 106V TL
(Mercedes ML, VW Touareg) At the same time, a further dimension
will be added to the 18-inch Macadam T/A range: -255/55 R 18 109V
Extra Load TL (BMW X5, Land Rover Discovery II, G-Class Mercedes,
Range Rover, new M and R Class Mercedes).
Bridgestone Draws on F1 Heritage
with Brand-Building Promo
 Bridgestone
is drawing on its Formula One heritage to build brand awareness
with a consumer-focused promotion run in association with Ford and
Rapid Fit. The company is running a prize draw offering motorists
the chance to win a luxury trip for two to the Brazilian Grand Prix
at Sao Paulo in return for a free tyre check. Four runners-up prizes
of a pair of tickets to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza are also
up for grabs at participating Ford and Rapid Fit outlets. Dealers
are being incentivised to support the promotion by having the chance
to win a trip to Silverstone for generating the most entries. The
prize draw closes at the end of May, with the winners announced
in June.
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