European Rubber Journal articles from April 2001

European Rubber Journal archives from April 2001

Trelleborg and Tokai form global AVS alliance.(Trelleborg Automotive, Tokai Rubber Industries Ltd., automotive antivibration supplier)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Technical and manufacturing alliance between Trelleborg Automotive and Tokai Rubber Industries creates largest global automotive antivibration supplier. The new unit will pursue global contracts and share production facilities, R&D and raw...

Rubber news: ERJ newsbrief.(includes various information)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... Renault, Nissan go for joint purchasing [] Tokyo--Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co are to set up a joint purchasing organisation to save 5 percent from their global supply contracts on common projects, starting with the C-platform, according...

Helvoet buys Philips unit.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... New electronics activities with $2.5 million turnover add TPE extrusion, conductive rubbers to Helvoet. Dutch rubber specialist Helvoet BV has taken over the rubber division of electronics supplier Philips NV and will operate it as a...

Europower to source hose from Semperit.(Europower Hydraulics Ltd., Semperit Technische Produkte GmbH & Co.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... High UK manufacturing costs force hydraulic hose maker to cut UK production and buy hose made in the Czech Republic. Hydraulic hose and fittings manufacturer Europower Hydraulics Ltd has signed a deal to buy braided rubber hose from...

Tough markets cause drop in profits for Vita.(British Vita PLC's financial results in 2000)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... Rubber sector sales show some growth, in a year where British Vita's cost reduction has cut to the bone. British Vita plc's rubber-related business, part of its industrial polymers segment, were described by David Campbell, the firm's...

GMT to invest in Perak unit.(Gummi Metall Technik GmbH, Gummi Metall Technik Sdn. Bhd.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... German maker of antivibration parts is investing $1.6 million in its QS9000-certified Malaysian operation to expand exports. Antivibration part maker Gummi Metall Technik GmbH (GMT) is investing RM6 million ($1.6 million) in its Malaysian...

Intelligent traffic hump hits the road.(from Dunlop GRG)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2001... Traffic calming hump disappears for low-speed traffic, stays inflated for those breaking the speed limit. Dunlop GRG has developed an inflatable road hump designed to give a smooth ride to drivers who obey speed limits, as well as to...

Michelin to sue minority Stomil shareholders.(Michelin et Cie, Stomil-Olsztyn S.P.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Michelin is to take legal action following allegations from minority shareholders about its stewardship of Polish tyre firm Stomil Olsztyn. A feud between minority shareholders of Stomil Olsztyn and Groupe Michelin, which owns 59-percent...

Tyre News: ERJ newsbriefs.(multiple topics)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... Bridgestone earnings plunge [] Tokyo--Bridgestone Corp's net earnings plunged 80 percent last year compared with 1999, to $164.4 million. The results were dragged down by a recall-related $510-million net loss by its Bridgestone/Firestone...

Alliance Tire aims to gain N American business.(Alliance Tire and Rubber Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Israeli tyre maker consolidates in one location, looks to make inroads in North America with big agricultural tyres. Israeli tyre maker Alliance Tire Co. Ltd has refocused its resources on agricultural tyres and is looking for ways to build...

Michelin alleges rivals gave dealers incentives.(Michelin North America Inc., Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., Bandag Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Alleged Bridgestone/ Firestone-Bandag plot would prevent adoption of firm's retread system, claims Michelin. Michelin North America Inc. claims Bandag Inc. and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. offered Bandag retreaders financial incentives not...

Dow, Reichhold to form latex joint venture.(Dow Chemcial Co., Reichhold Chemicals Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Specialty latex is to get a new focus as Dow and Reichhold put these businesses into JV. Reichhold will also sell its carpet and paper latex businesses to Dow. Dow Chemical Co. and Reichhold Inc. are to form a 50:50 joint venture, Dow...

Mitsui to build elastomer plant in Singapore.(Mitsui Chemicals Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Japanese polymer maker Mitsui is setting up a Singapore unit for its Tafmer elastomers which are mainly used as plastics modifiers. Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (MCI) is to establish a new 100-kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) ethylene-alpha olefin...

Ripplewood completes Kraton purchase.(Ripplewood Holdings L.L.C. acquires Kraton Polymers)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... Under new ownership, Kraton TPE business aims to double turnover to $12 000 million in five years. As a newly independent business, the aim of Kraton Polymers, "is still to double turnover every five years" according to Roger Morgan,...

EPDM users urged to optimise supply.(DSM Elastomers)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... DSM initiative prompted by concerns about EPDM supply this year and next. DSM Elastomers (DSME) is urging its customers to participate in a "dual approval" initiative to improve availability of EPDM, which it expects will continue to...

ERJ PEOPLE.(multiple personnel changes)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Cabot boss to retire [] Boston, Massachusetts--Samuel Bodman is to retire as chairman and chief executive officer of Cabot Corp., the world's largest carbon black producer. Kennett Burnes, president and chief operating officer, will assume...

Supplier news: ERJ newsbriefs.(multiple topics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... How long do bonds in cars last? [] Hertford, UK--A new project on life assessment of adhesive bonds in the automotive industry will help promote use of lighter-weight vehicles and reduced emissions, say its organisers. The...

GRAY brings leadership, QC to GDX.(John Gray leads vehicle sealing division)
April 1, 2001... GenCorp's vehicle sealing division has undergone a transformation since Joseph Gray took over as its leader. He bought his understanding of the automotive sector to the business and has increased operating income by 89 percent over the year....

Hutchinson develops `friendly' AC seal.(air-conditioning joint seal)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Hutchinson FTS Inc. has developed an air-conditioning joint seal that is both environmentally and consumer friendly. The Dual Plane Seal reduces refrigerant emissions by 80 percent, Hutchinson said. The device is in production on...

Goodyear sets out Dunlop strategy.(Goodyear-Dunlop Tires Europe BV)(Company Profile)
April 1, 2001... Goodyear has finally laid out its overall strategy for merging the Goodyear and Dunlop brands in Europe. The approach is split between consumer-based marketing, where the brands remain strong and separate, and everything else--including...

Kelly brand is re-launched across Europe.(Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe BV)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe BV is re-launching the Kelly brand across Europe. Following research into the current brand strengths, the company will sell Kelly as a good value, rugged tyre brand across Europe, said Chris Kisby, director of the...

Conti seeks to leverage rubber knowledge.(Continental Automotive Systems)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Wolfgand Ziebart, head of Continental Automotive Systems, says Continental can deliver better performance in steering, suspension and braking, by integrating electronic systems, rather than concentrating on mature technologies, such as rubber...

BMW to hold tyre `auction'.(Bayerische Motoren Werke AG to seek tire suppliers)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... BMW AG has confirmed that it intends to hold an internet auction to buy tyres for use on its established 3-series and 5-series saloons towards the end of March. A spokesman for BMW insisted that the auction is about much more than price. "The...

Winter tyre testing.
April 1, 2001... Winter tyres might be one of the industry's most lucrative product ranges, but testing them is far fro straightforward. Up in Lapland, TestWorld tries to separate the data from the noise. Ice and snow grip are possibly the most difficult...

Test professional, journalist and owner of 36 test tracks.(TestWorld)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
April 1, 2001... TestWorld is based in Ivalo, he centre of the Finnish Lapland tourist industry, where visitors can ride snowmobiles, learn to drive reindeer and view the Northern Lights. TestWorld is something of a contradiction. On the one hand, the...

Inertial guidance system borrows from missile technology.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... For the very latest in trackside measurement, the best--and most expensive--solution is to install high-tech marker posts all around the test track, and transponders in the car. Between them, these systems can continuously identify the speed,...

Pax wins mass-market contract.(Michelin et Cie to supply PAX tire for Renault Scenic)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Commercialisation of the PAX tyre continues, with Michelin announcing that the tyre will be an option on the Renault Scenic from this summer Meanwhile, technology also is helping the PAX concept, with Michelin claiming to have reduced the...

Tenneco axle prototype may become reality.(Tenneco Automotive Inc.'s Elastomeric Torsional Axle)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... The elastomer-based suspension system Tenneco Automotive Inc. introduced as a concept on DaimlerChrysler AG's fuel efficient prototype vehicle last year, may soon become a reality. A production application of an axle using rubber elements...

Goodyear GT3 uses BioTred compound.(Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.'s new range of tires)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co has launched a range of tyres--the GT3-- using its starch-based filler, which partially replaces carbon black and silica in the tread compound. The material, first revealed in ERJ's Global Tyre Report in 1999, is...

DCX suppliers just say, `No'.(DaimlerChrysler AG)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... DaimlerChrysler AG's major automotive component suppliers have refused the company's demand for an immediate 5-percent price cut as part of its North American turnaround strategy. Nearly 70 percent of the auto maker's largest 100 suppliers...

Nizhnekamsk to invest $60m in new car tyre line.(in Russia)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... Nizhnekamskshina, Russia's biggest tyre factory, is planning a investment programme funded by a Russian oil company. General director, Radic Ilyasov told ERJ that the company is currently investing $60m to add capacity for two million...

Tyre testing. Where is it leading?(Brief Article)(Column)
April 1, 2001... If there is one thing I have discovered in the last few weeks, it is that there are no absolutes in tyre testing. Everything is relative. This fact was underlined recently when I visited Ivalo in northern Finland--Lapland to the cognoscenti....