A Tyre Safety Awareness Campaign has been launched in Malawi and Zambia by the international development agency Transaid. The Campaign aims to reduce the number of road deaths caused by poor vehicle maintenance in Africa by raising awareness of the importance of good tyre management.

The Tyre Safety Awareness Campaign began with a series of training courses directed by the Training Manager at Michelin’s Stoke-on-Trent Head Office, Phil Rochester. According to Transaid, Africa accounts for 10 per cent of the world’s total road fatalities while owning only 4 per cent of the world’s motor vehicles. The problem is also increasing…and in response Transaid has dedicated its Campaign to promoting Tyre Safety Awareness in the hope of reducing the accidents caused by poorly maintained vehicles.

Michelin directed a total of ten courses over a two-week period, targeting audiences which included road safety agencies, traffic police, public transport operators and road transport operators. The courses were designed to provide basic information on safety assessments, focussing on ways to avoid dangers resulting from inadequate tyre maintenance. In total, the Safety Training was delivered to 270 people from various sectors of the transport industry.

Michelin Training Manager Phil Rochester described the relationship between road fatalities and poor tyre maintenance: “Ignoring the basic rules of tyre safety is a major risk factor which is seeing the number of fatal road traffic crashes in Africa continue to rise, in direct proportion to the increasing number of vehicles.”

On behalf of the company, Rochester explained: “Michelin was keen to support Transaid in its campaign to raise awareness of the issues, and we felt the best way to do this was ‘on the ground’ with a series of training courses tackling key target audiences. One of our key messages was to emphasise that better tyres mean safer roads, and safer roads will result in fewer crashes.”

According to the Michelin Manager, the response to the Campaign was encouraging: “The groups we spoke to were incredibly receptive to this message, and were quick to understand the benefits of routinely checking tyre pressures, tread depth and general tyre condition.”

In addition to the support from Michelin, the Transaid project has benefited from sponsorship by companies such as Bandvulc Tyres, who have developed and supplied materials including promotional stickers for the Campaign.

Transaid has promoted the Tyre Safety campaign with activities and advertising intended to disseminate the message of Tyre Safety. Discussions were held with drivers in Malawi and Zambia concerning tyre pressure, wear and damage, in addition to the training courses directed by Michelin.

Having directly engaged over 300 individuals in Malawi and Zambia, Transaid hopes that the message of Tyre Safety will be disseminated quickly. Transaid believes that the regulatory and law enforcement agencies have become more aware of the dangers and impact of inadequate tyre maintenance, and hopes that more frequent tyre inspections will commence along with the enforcement of existing regulations.

The Campaign has affected a wide and diverse audience of road-users, from tyre dealers and repair specialists to public transport operators, in the hope of promoting Tyre Safety understanding and awareness to conserve and protect. The Tyre Safety Campaign has potentially benefited drivers, passengers and pedestrians by educating and training key groups in Africa.

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http://www.transaid.org/projects/malawi-and-zambia,-tyre-safety-awareness-campaign,-2007

Michelin is due to launch production of new rubber mixes at the Michelin manufacturing site in Poland this autumn. The site in Olsztyn, Poland, was opened in 1967 and integrated into the Michelin Company in 1995 to become Michelin’s sole Polish manufacturing facility.

The Olsztyn site has now become part of a £172 million investment program that will also incorporate the development and construction of a warehousing and logistics centre, adjacent to the manufacturing site. Michelin has announced that the investment program is its largest in Europe and will create more than 500 new jobs.

Polish officials were enthused by Michelin’s expansion agreement, stating that “Poland is becoming an unquestionable European leader” within the tyre manufacturing sector. Other major representatives of the sector, such as Bridgestone and Goodyear, have also invested in Polish facilities, which have “brought about positive financial results and high efficiency of production”, as one Polish official claimed.

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The new Kia cee’d range will be exclusively supplied Michelin tyres. Kia has chosen two Michelin tyres for fitment to the Kia cee’d…the latest-generation Michelin Energy for 15 and 16 inch wheels and the Michelin Primacy HP for 17 inch wheels. The Michelin Primacy HP was released earlier this year and has already won multiple awards for its performance in independent tyre tests and evaluations.

At the international launch of the Kia cee’d on the outskirts of Rome, Kia’s Vehicle Evaluation Manager, Michael Lugert, explained how the research and development process began: “Very early in the car’s evolution, Kia decided to fit Michelin tyres exclusively so we could fine-tune the new model’s ride and handling characteristics very precisely”. Mr Lugert added that “this collaboration included creating tyres that improve fuel consumption and reduce CO2 emissions – without reducing grip.”

The creators of the new Kia cee’d were dedicated to forming a solid partnership with Michelin in order to hone the car’s performance with a specified brand of tyre. Once the partnership with Michelin was established, Michelin utilised its Technology Centre in Ladoux, France, while Kia focused on the expertise of its research and development centres in South Korea and Germany. Michelin has praised the Asian-European technical network for its responsiveness and the effective management of inter-cultural issues, which Michelin believes to have been key factors in the successful establishment of this Kia-Michelin project.

Having supplied the tyres for the imported Kia Sorento, Magentis and Carens models in Europe, as well as supplying tyres for executive and SUV models made in South Korea for export to North America, Michelin is proud of the established relationship it has with Hyundai and Kia.

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Auto Express has awarded a commendation to the Premium Contact 2 tyre by Continental. The car review magazine Auto Express described the Continental tyre as “among the best in the wet, particularly curved aquaplaning”, adding that the tyre “managed unlike most rain masters, to match that in the dry and in rolling resistance tests.”

Continental has been recognised in previous years by Auto Express, with the ContiEcoContact 3 being awarded a product honour in 2006.

The Product Manager at Continental, Peter Robb, commented on behalf of the company: “We are delighted to have been commended by Auto Express” he said. Mr Robb also added that “the ContiPremiumContact 2 is a popular choice with car manufacturers as an original equipment fitting to their latest generation cars. This test result is proof of its outstanding performance. ”

The ContiPremiumContact 2 tyre has proved a popular choice with car manufacturers…having been approved for the Audi A5, the Toyota Auris, the Fiat Bravo and the Mercedes-Benz C Class. A self-supporting run flat version of the tyre has also just been approved for the BMW 1 and 3 series.

The leading car magazine Which? also recommended the Continental Premium Contact tyre as a “best buy” in its 205/55 R16 V test in the February issue.

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Goodyear has announced plans to invest $125 million into rejuvenating one of its oldest plants. The 80 year-old passenger and light truck tyre plant in Gadsden, Alabama, will be offered new equipment and upgrades over a three-year investment period, as well as aid from the local government.

Gadsden City Council has reportedly approved tax abatements for the $125 million Goodyear investment, and the recent contract with United Steelworkers has ensured that the plant will stay operational through 2010. Gadsden tyre plant was one of the twelve Goodyear plants granted “protected status” in the company’s agreement with the United Steelworker of America (USWA).

The manager of the Gadsden plant, Jim Davis, spoke to the Gadsden Times about the investment, stating that: “The capital that we’re investing here will bring process capability and production capability that just do not reside here at this time.”

Mr Davis concluded: “The investments in our plant will definitely help improve our plant’s viability and competitiveness.” The Gadsden tyre factory opened in 1928, and has the capacity to produce 15,000 passenger tyres and 10,000 light truck tyres per day.

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In response to the growth of energy and raw materials costs, Pirelli Tyre has announced that it plans to implement price increases. Consumer tyre prices, for cars and motorcycles, are set to increase between 4 and 9 per cent, while industrial vehicles will be subject to between a 3 and 7 per cent increase. The increase will become effective between April and June 2007 in European, Middle East and African (EMEA) markets.

Pirelli claims that the price alterations come in response to the increased cost of natural rubber. The company announced that the planned changes will not only affect Consumer tyre prices, but industrial vehicles destined for the EMEA market. Pirelli added that the price increase for industrial vehicles will come into effect in April 2007 and will affect all brands in the segment.

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The new Michelin X One MaxiTrailer Tyre has been put to the test for the first time. Lincoln-based Dick Denby Transport became the first haulier in the country to fit the Michelin MaxiTrailer tyres, fitting the tyres to a Schmitz Cargobull tri-axle curtainsider. The Michelin MaxiTrailer tyres are said to deliver up to 50 per cent more mileage than standard 385/65 R 22.5 tyres and are the first trailer tyres to utilise Michelin Durable Technologies.

The Infinicoil architecture of the new 455/45 R 22.5 X One MaxiTrailer tyre is one of the key innovations of Michelin Durable Technology, consisting of a 400 metre elastic steel cord coiled continuously around the crown. The architectural design delivers increased longevity and durability, and has 35 per cent more rubber in its compound than a 385/65 R 22.5 XTE2. The tread band is 120 millimetres wider than the 385/65 R 22.5 XTE2 tyre, which can aid the mileage of each tyre by up to 50 per cent.

Chairman Dick Denby explained the importance of the trailer tyre test: “We fit a lot of Michelin tyres across our fleet and will be monitoring the MaxiTrailer tyres very closely, to carefully ascertain the benefits they offer in comparison with our regular trailer fitment. Any tyre which claims to offer such a massive leap forward in mileage performance is certainly worth putting to the test, as the pay back across the fleet could be significant.”

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A recent study has found Michelin to be best for customer satisfaction in the winter tyre market. The J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2007 Japan Winter Tire Customer Satisfaction Index (W-TSI) Study produced results which indicated a high level of satisfaction with Michelin Tyres from vehicle owners in Japan.

3,540 responses were taken for the 2007 Japan Winter Tire Customer Satisfaction Index Study. The survey was completed by customers who had purchased winter tyres for their new or used private passenger vehicles and used the tyres during last winter.

J.D Power has been running the study for four years, employing five different elements of criteria in order to determine overall customer satisfaction in the winter tyre market. The study targets tyre performance in icy, snowy and regular road conditions as well as the appearance and durability of the winter tyre. Scores for the customer evaluations are taken on a 1,000 point scale in order to determine an overall winner for customer satisfaction in the winter tyre market.

Michelin scored a total index score of 636, coming out on top for all five areas of assessment. Bridgestone followed closely behind with 606 points and also performed strongly in terms of individual criteria. The French manufacturer Michelin was successful in earning the highest marks for tyre performance on icy road conditions, as did the Japan-based Bridgestone. The two companies were far ahead of their competition, a total of seven tyre manufacturers, and were the only competitors to achieve an overall score above the 587 point industry average.

Despite Dunlop, Yokohama and Toyo falling beneath the J.D Power marked average for the tyre industry, all three companies showed significant improvement from their previous year’s results. Falken took the lowest score, rating a total of 532 points and falling 55 points beneath the industry average.

Bemenet PLC, the authorised dealer in Ethiopia for Michelin Tyres, has completed preparations to import tubeless truck tyres to the country. Samples of the tubeless tyres were recently displayed at the fourth International Automotive Fair, where Michelin demonstrated the simpler and cheaper tyre design.

Tubeless tyres consist of just two components: the cover and the rim. This makes the system weigh less and cost less to produce. Cost per kilometre is also reduced, with 6 – 8 per cent less fuel consumption than a normal tube tyre. This is due to the increased longevity of the tubeless tyre, which produces less heat than a normal tyre and resists the damage caused by puncture.

Michelin Sales Manager to Ethiopia, Mr. Kishore Namburi, explained the advantages that the tubeless tyre implies to truck owners: “There is a refusal to accept new technology by Ethiopian customers. In Kenya, almost 80 per cent of the trucks use the tubeless tyre. Cost per kilometre is cheaper than tube tyres and consumes from 6-8 per cent less fuel, because it has the ability to travel longer. The tubeless tyre has a low profile, which defines the relation between the tyres section width and cross section height and expressed in percentage, the lowest is the preferable profile.”

Mr. Woizero Hirut Alamerew, Managing Director of Bemenet PLC, stated that the tyre “is easy to fit and remove”. According to tyre tests, the tubeless tyre takes just two minutes to fit or remove during travel, and punctures need not be attended to by a professional. Michelin Tyres has provided a glue product along with the tubeless tyre, which can be used by truck owners to repair punctures.

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The German tyre manufacturer Continental Tyres will be extending its contracts with top-class cars by supplying summer tyres for DaimlerChrysler. The company has been offered a contract to equip a share of all models in the new Mercedes-Benz C-class with the ContiPremiumContact 2 and ContiSportContact 3 in sizes 16, 17 and 18 inches.

The ContiPremiumContact 2 tyre is renowned for its short braking distances and comfortable handling. The tyre also boasts low rolling resistance, reducing fuel consumption while maintaining tyre performance. Its sister tyre, the ContiSportContact 3, has improved grip for acceleration and braking making it the ideal accompaniment for the luxury compact Mercedes C-Class.

Continental will manufacture the new tyres for the third generation W204 C-Class at its facilities in Germany, France, the Czech Republic and Portugal. The new C-Class was introduced in January this year and was released for sale in March. A high-performance AMG version with a 6.2 Litre engine is set to follow.

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