The Tire and Rubber Association of Canada News
Bridgestone Americas recently announced that it has been named Sustainability Supplier of the Year by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
The announcement was made at FCA’s Annual Supplier Conference and Award Ceremony in Detroit, Michigan. According to Bridgestone, this award helps to showcase the company’s commitment to conform to social, ethical and environmental principles throughout its supply chain.
Tokyo – Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), in collaboration with Professor Hiroshi Tani of Kansai University, has developed a new technology to generate electric power from the rotation of a tire.
The process involves installing a power generating device (energy harvester) inside a tire to convert static electricity occurring within a tire into clean energy, said the Japanese tire & rubber company in a 23 July statement.
Maxxis, the No. 9 tire maker worldwide in 2017 with a markedly lower market presence in North America, sees building the size of its customer base as critical before committing to some other building blocks, according to Chris Jenkins, programs manager – automotive division, for Suwanee-based Maxxis USA.
Toyo Tire has advanced its conventional tire design base technology, which blends computer aided engineering and artificial intelligence, into a new development process badged T-Mode.
It uses a combination of two simulation technologies employing supercomputers – tire simulation, which reproduces tire motion for performance prediction and structural analysis, and driving simulation, which involves modeling of the vehicle, and takes into account passenger numbers, loads, driving patterns and more, to assess the impact of vehicle motion on tires.
Trinseo (NYSE: TSE), a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders, and synthetic rubber, announced the release of its 2019 Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, which showcases how Trinseo is meeting or exceeding the highest standards of safety and environmental performance, while developing innovative solutions that benefit our world. This is the ninth report since the Company’s formation in 2010, and has been prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards Core Option.
It’s already been an eventful year for the automotive industry. Let’s review some of the biggest trends and headlines we’ve seen so far and consider what the future might hold.
Shake-Ups and Industry Disruptors
We can’t discuss the industry in 2019 without mentioning tariffs, so let’s start there.
The U.S. and China have made a lot of noise by threatening to impose new or raise existing tariffs on automobiles. The potential of higher costs is affecting factories worldwide, and the situation is made more complex by the fact that many auto makers have plants in countries other than their home base (for example, GM builds cars in China; BMW in the U.S.; VW in Mexico).
Alliance Tire Americas, Inc. (ATA) has announced that Laurence (Law) Bennett has joined the company as vice president of aftermarket sales–east.
Bennett comes to ATA from Exide Technologies, where he served as VP of the GNB Industrial Power Division, leading a sales and service organization covering the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
BOWIE, Md. – The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has scheduled eight educational sessions for the 2019 Global Tire Expo (GTE) – Powered by TIA at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show Nov. 5-8 in Las Vegas, including one that will look at the hybrid and electric vehicle market and opportunities for independent tire dealers and repair shops.
Following recent scrutiny from some of the biggest names in the sport, NASCAR has adjusted its definition for what is an uncontrolled tire across all three national tours. In a rules update released to teams on Wednesday, crew members will no longer be required to be within an arm’s length when controlling tires. A tire will only be considered uncontrolled if the tires create a safety issue or interfere-impede with another competitor’s pit stop.
BRUSSELS — Replacement tire demand throughout Europe was a mixed bag for the first six months of 2019, with passenger tires shipments down 3.7% and truck/bus tire shipments up 5.4%