Hankook tyres are set to roll into millions of homes across Europe – thanks to a new advertising campaign to be screened by the BBC World News.

The 20-second commercial focuses on Hankook’s award-winning enfren and Optimo 4S tyres, the first of which is due for its European launch next year.

The advert, produced by the BBC Worldwide Client Solutions, will run on the BBC World News’ European feed from April to December 2009 in conjunction with Hankook’s global TV clip.

John Williams, regional director of Global Advertising Sales, BBC World News, said: “It’s great to welcome Hankook Tyre as a first-time advertiser on BBC World News, and we hope that it will be the first of many campaigns they choose to broadcaset on the channel.”

Hankook, one of the fastest growing tyre makers in the world, received two awards for the design of its enfren and Optimo 4S tyres at the prestigious iF Product Design Awards 2009.

Katherine Clarkson, National Accounts

By Oliver Hall

The Chinese are continuing their relentless march on the European tyres market, according to industry experts.

The Boto Tyres company has revealed plans to build a new production facility near its existing tyres manufacturing complex in China.

While car tyre manufacturing investment projects in China are nothing new, the timing, investment and know-how associated with this project are “noteworthy”, according to Tyres and Accessories magazine.

Company officials told the magazine that Boto Tyres board and shareholders are confident that they can sell the up to 15 million passenger car radials the new plant is scheduled to produce.

The magazine’s online bulletin states: “Make no mistake, the company is aiming to sell its wares in Europe and is prepared to fulfil the necessary regulatory requirements in order to get there.

“In the face of turbulent times for most sectors of the world tyre market Boto Tyre have not only opted to paddle upstream in terms of investment and expansion, but are also ahead of the game as far as the law is concerned.

“While some parties at the European distribution and wholesale end of the market are still clarifying the finer details of their part in S-marking, clean oil and the future rolling resistance legislation, this little-known tyre factory has already sent tyres to the TUV Shanghai office for noise S-mark compliance testing.

“As far as the clean oil and other legislatory requirements are concerned, the company are not yet up to speed with these, but with the lucrative European market at stake, it is a challenge Boto Tyre’s research and development department are determined to beat.”

The news comes just days after the United Steelworkers (USW) union filed a petition asking President Barack Obama to restrict tyre imports from China that they said were destroying the U.S. tyre industry.

Kumho tyres have been awarded two ‘Best Buy’ recommendations by US magazine Consumers Digest.

It’s another feather in the Korean tyres manufactures cap because the Solus KH17, one of the winning tyres, was also singled out for praise by the UK’s leading consumer magazine, Which?

Which? told its readers the all-season tyre made primarily for coupes and sedans, represented ‘Exceptional Value’ in last month’s issue.

Back to the US awards, and Consumers Digest also awarded a ‘Best Buy’ recommendation to the Ecsta STX, a tyre for SUVs and light truck drivers.

The gongs were awarded in the Touring Cars and Performance SUV categories based on independent test results in addition to technical expert opinion and road-based evaluation.

Rick Brennan, vice president of sales and marketing for Kumho USA, said: “Earning Consumers Digest’s Best Buy award is a key indicator of Kumhp’s pledge to value and performance.”

He added that “all of us at Kumho are excited about the recognition these tyres have received.”

Oliver Hall, Operations Team

By Denna Bowman

Work has been suspended at the troubled Continental tyres factory in northern France after angry employees went on a wrecking spree after losing a court battle to stop its closure.

Tempers have run high amongst workers since it was announced that the Clairoix plant is set for closure in 2010 due to plummeting tyres sales caused by the recession.

But the staff erupted in anger yesterday after a court rejected a motion brought by factory employees to block the closure.

They smashed windows and destroyed equipment at the plant which employs 1,120 workers, and also the regional administration officers in nearby Compiegne.

On Wednesday, factory management distributed fliers reading: “We have no other choice but to suspend production as well as the whole of the site’s activities until further notice.”

The rampage prompted fresh concern about the increasingly violent French worker protests.
The French government condemned the action. Budget Minister Eric Woerth branded the sacking of the regional administration “unacceptable”.

He told Europe 1 radio: “To go ransack the state’s property when the state is the only recourse for all of these employees, it’s rather paradoxical.

“This needs to stop.”

However, there are reports that the workers at the Clairoix site have booked 14 railway cars and will travel to the German city of Hanover to protest at Thursday’s Continental general shareholders’ meeting.

Katherine Clarkson, National Accounts

By Alex Kapadia

With the new slick tyres remaining at the centre of the Formula 1 action this season, Bridgestone reveal what challenges lay ahead of Bahrain this weekend.

Hirohide Hamashima, director of motorsport tyres development for the Japanese company, said: “Bahrain is a technically interesting circuit. The layout means a lot of braking and a lot of accelerating out of low speed corners.

“Maximising traction out of the corners is the key to a good lap time, but if a car has less than ideal traction, additional unwanted heat can be created, and this will make matters more difficult for competitors.

“There is a lot of heavy braking here too, and it will be interesting to see how the different braking characteristics between the KERS and non-KERS cars affects lap times, and also the racing.”

Medium and the controversial super-soft compounds have been allocated for the fourth race of the season.

Mr Hamashima said: “Tyre management and minimising unnecessary tyre heat in what could be very hot conditions are very important considerations here.

“We have the medium and super soft tyres and we expect the medium tyre to be very durable.

“The super soft should present more of a challenge in terms of durability than the medium, however the data from the Bahrain pre-season tests show that this tyre can be managed well on this track if the correct set-up is found.”

By Oliver Hall

Pirelli tyres are delighted to have scored top marks in three out of four online consumer surveys carried out in the US.

In a tough market where every sale counts, customer praise and coveted awards offer a big boost for tyres manufacturers.

So Pirelli has scored a triple whammy by coming tops in three of the four online surveys carried out by Tire Rack, one of the largest tyre dealers in the US.

Consumers and customers of the online retailer were asked to give their opinions in the April questionnaire which addressed 12 separate areas, including hydroplaning resistance, wet traction, cornering stability, dry traction, noise/comfort, steering response and other parameters such as light or heavy snow traction, ice traction.

Pointedly, the customers were also asked whether or not the customer would consider purchasing the tyres again if given the opportunity.

The top scoring Pirelli tyres were the Scorpion Ice and Snow, the 210 Sottozero and the Winter Carving.

The survey data was tabulated from the responses of customers and website visitors, with performance traits rated on a scaled from 0 – 10, with 10 being superior.

Admittedly, “Inflate Your Car Tyres Properly!” doesn’t have the same macho ring to it as his classic line “Hasta la Vista, baby”, but the warning from the Terminator-turned-Governor of California carries the same message.

Inflate your car tyres properly, unplug your idle computer, wrap your water heater in insulation and take the bus one day a week or we can say ‘Hasta la Vista’ to the planet!

This is the Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plea to the world on the eve of Earth Day, and in an impassioned article in the Sun newspaper today he tells us how we can all play our part in reducing the damage to our world.

Here’s a taster of what he had to say: “Each of us can also be a champion of clean energy and the competition to lower greenhouse gases, but no one wins without a goal. So I urge everyone to take the “20% in 20 Days Challenge”. If everyone reduced their energy consumption by 20 per cent (and you can do that in just a few days!) we would be well on the way to solving this great climate crisis.

“How? Wash your clothes in cold water instead of hot; wrap your water heater in insulation; adjust your thermostat by two degrees Fahrenheit (warmer in summer, cooler in winter); unplug idle computers and chargers to eliminate “vampire” energy consumption; walk, bike or take the bus one day a week; inflate your car tyres properly and drive the speed limit.

“Simple changes in our daily habits like these will reach that 20 per cent energy reduction goal very quickly and we can all be climate and energy efficiency champions! So let’s get on with it! Our economy and environment — for generations to come — are depending on us to use our imaginations, innovation and sustainable thinking. If we do, the economic and climate change challenges we face today will both soon be history.”

Denna Bowman, Head Office

Maxxis tyres have scored a sensational sponsorship deal with Premiership title contenders Liverpool FC.

The US tyres manufacturer has pulled a blinder by teaming up to the end of the season with the team most likely to give title-holders Manchester United a run for their money.

Maxxis already sponsors Everton, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, but the move to the top of the table is an inspired shot aimed at boosting its brand awareness in the UK.

The Maxxis logo will be emblazoned around the famous Anfield stadium until the end of the season for matches against Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham.

The partnership package also lets Maxxis Tyres advertise on Liverpool FC’s website – the UK’s most popular footie website with 1.6 million registered users and up to 2.9 million unique visitors each month.

Derek McMartin, UK Managing Director for Maxxis Tyres, said: “The Barclays Premier League title run-in will be very close so we are delighted to have the opportunity to raise awareness of our brand at Liverpool FC games that will not only be sell-outs, but which will also be the main focus of TV’s football coverage for the remainder of the season.”

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Denna Bowman

A major US trade union is taking legal action to stem the tide of Chinese imported car and van tyres that has led to thousands of job losses at home.

The cheap imports are crippling the domestic tyres industry and have led to plant closures across the US, according to the United Steelworkers (USW).

Leo W. Gerard, USW international president, said: “American workers are struggling to make it through the worst economic crisis in 80 years. Our tyre industry is collapsing under the weight of 46 million Chinese tyres entering our shrinking market annually.”

The petition filed by the USW on behalf of its members employed in the US tyre industry was made under Section 421 of the Trade Act of 1974.

Documents submitted in the case show a huge surge of passenger car and light truck tyre imports from China during 2004-08.

Mr Gerard added: “We are aggressively using America’s trade remedy laws to help workers and their employers combat an import surge from a country not playing by the rules.

“Section 421 is a tool to redress Chinese import surges that gets us through the current economic crisis and preserves a part of America’s industrial base.”

The USW represents about 15,000 tyre workers employed at 13 plants in nine states, which accounts for nearly half of the industry’s production capacity in 2008. The domestic tire industry consists of ten producers with 27 plants in 15 states.

According to the USW petition filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), imports of consumer tyres from China increased from 2004 to 2008 by 215 percent in volume and 295 percent by value.

In 2008, China exported nearly 46 million consumer tyres with a value of more than $1.7 billion to the U.S., making it the largest source of consumer tyre imports.

Meanwhile, US domestic production of consumer tyres has dropped by more than 25 per cent.
The latest plant closing was announced last week by Michelin North America of the BF Goodrich unit in Opelika, Al., involving 1,000 workers.

The USW said it seeks to combat the trend by requesting the government to impose an import quota on China of 21 million consumer tyres used on passenger cars, light trucks, minivans and sport utility vehicles per year.

The quota sought by the USW, which would return China tire imports to a 2005 level, would increase five percent per year over a three-year period.

The petition says this would improve domestic job security, enable U.S. tyre makers to regain lost market share, increase production and sales, and allow investment in capital equipment to better compete in the long term.