By Denna Bowman

Tyres manufacturers in India are expected to start investing heavily to meet product demand during the coming year, according to industry experts.

A healthy pick up in demand in auto sector in the face of a visible economic recovery is likely to have the knock-on effect of boosting growth in the country’s tyres industry by around 7-8 per cent in FY11.

Also, in line with the pick up in business growth, tyre companies are likely to make significant increase in their capex plans in 2010-11, to expand capacity and meet product demand, key plays forecast.

A S Mehta, director of marketing for JK Tyre & Industries, told the Press Trust of India: “The Indian tyre industry may grow at around seven to eight per cent at Rs 27,000 crore in the next financial year from Rs 25,000 crore presently, on the back of a high demand in the the automobile sector.”

JK Tyres, which is one of the leading players in the domestic market, is targeting a growth of 20% during the coming year. It has chalked out an investment plan of Rs1,200 crore over the next two years to expand production in its car and truck radial segment.

Mr Mehta said: “Year 2010 is going to be a happening year for us. We plan to invest Rs1,200 crore over the next two years to increase car and truck radial production in India.”

By Alex Kapadia

Yokohama Rubber Co Ltd (YRC) has announced that it will increase prices on its exported car, light truck, truck and bus and OTR tyres by up to 15 per cent from the start of January 2010.

The price hikes do not affect Yokohama tyres in the US where the tyre maker’s US subsidiary, Yokohama Tyre Corp (YTC) raised prices on all its consumer tyres by up to 6 percent, with effect from 1st January 2010, according to a YTC spokesman.

The YRC price increases apply to all other overseas markets, except for Japan, and a larger mark-up may be applied to specific regions and products.

The Japanese tyre manufacturer said the hikes were due to the increased costs of raw materials, including natural rubber and crude oil.

Leading tyre makers around the world, including Bridgestone, Goodyear, Continental, Pirelli, Nexen, Kumho and Hankook have already cited the same reasons for their recent announcements that they are increasing prices in the US.

By Oliver Hall

A recylcing company has taken on the task of turning 30 million tyres stockpiled in a Colarado junk yard into new products.

Magnum Recycling USA hopes to change the landscape on the site over the next five years by recycling every tyre in the landfill.

“We can make new tyres out it. We make belts, hoses, any type of rubber,” said Bryan Brammer, CEO of Magnum Recycling.

“We use it as filler for PVC piping and things along those lines making it a green product, which is awesome.”

The company shreds the tyres and then processes them down to a fine powder.

Magnum Recycling USA plans on processing 100,000 tons of tyres a year to clear out its stockpile.

“Which is about 10 million [tyres] a year, which is a pretty large amount of tyres, but we feel that the market is out there for us right and we have to strike while the iron is hot,” Brammer said.

The Big Freeze is expected to return to the UK over New Year, bringing more chaos to the roads.

With temperatures of -8C forecast to hit the biggest party night of the year, motorists should make sure their tyres are up to handling the hazardous road conditions.

An RAC spokesman said: “Severe weather conditions are creating treacherous driving conditions across the country.

“A combination of frozen rain followed by heavy snowfall is causing gridlock in many areas and creating long delays.

“Breakdowns have almost doubled and RAC Patrols have been dealing with thousands of flat batteries, frozen engines and punctures.

“Always keep yourself safe, avoid travelling if you can, but if you do need to venture out, make sure both you and your vehicle are ready for the journey.”

Flurries are due to fall across the entire UK as the new decade starts, with up to eight inches in some parts.

On New Year’s Day temperatures are not expected to get much above zero.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

With just days to go before the start of the New Year, it is good to see the iconic Pirelli tyres Calendar has survived the recession and the 2010 will be gracing some pretty exclusive walls.

Back in 1975 the tyres company calendar was actually discontined as an economising cutback in response to the world recession from the oil shock.

After 10 years it was resurrected and has retained its exclusive and iconic status ever since.

Part of its success - not just the jaw-droppingly seductive images of some of the most beautiful women in the world - must be down to its marketing strategy.

Every year only 10,000 copies are printed and it never actually goes on sale, instead it is given away to important Pirelli customers, VIPs and celebrities and the mailing list is a closely guarded secret.

For those not fortunate enough to be hanging the 2010 version on their walls, you might like to know that the latest issue features British beauties Lily Cole, Daisy Lowe and Rosie Huntington-Whitley, posing with the likes of Miranda Kerr and Catherine McNeil.

Dubbed ‘The Cal’ the 37th edition has apparently moved away from the very arty photography of recent years and this years images were shot on location in Brazil earlier this year by Terry Richardson, the outrageous American fashion photographer whose images are often sexually provocative and can border on the pornographic.

Richardson’s shots are starkly simple. He’s returned to the classic Pop Art era pin-up calendar style, with little in the way of backdrops, props, make-up – or costume, for that matter.

Oliver Hall, Operations Team

With just four more days to go before VAT rises from 15 per cent back up to 17.5 per, we are all mindful that it is prudent to get the big ticket items this week.

You could also save yourself a bit of money by ordering your tyres before VAT reverts back to its higher rate on Friday 1st January 2010.

However, if you need new tyres and you miss the deadline for the lower VAT rate don’t despair - etyres prices are always up to 40 per cent cheaper than the leading high street tyre depots, so you can save yourself a lot more by shopping with us in the first place.

The traditional bricks and mortar depots have high overheads, whereas because we have a convenient mobile fitting service - we come to you and fit your tyres at your home or work - our overheads are low, which means we can keep our prices lower too.

So you can win on two fronts - less hassle, because we come to a location of your choice to fit your new tyres, and bargain prices!

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Alex Kapadia

Excitement is already mounting surrounding the 2010 Formula One season.

The return of Michael Schumacher, the partnership of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton and the new rule changes, including the ban on refueling with drivers only pitting to change their tyres.

And yet again, tyres are expected to play a key role in racing tactics.

According to Martin Brundle, in an insightful article in the The Times about Schumacher’s return to F1: “The ban on refuelling will change the complexion of the races and demand that drivers react as events unfold.

“With full fuel tanks at the start, you must stop for fresh tyres just before your opponents, dictating circumstance rather than reacting and pitting later. Schumacher and his team principal, Ross Brawn, are masters of this.”

Racing pundits are also already predicting that reigning world champion Button will have an advantage over Hamilton, because his smoother driving style is kinder on the tyres.

We all love a bargain and the sales are great - but don’t forget you can always bag a great deal on your car tyres with etyres!

If your car needs new boots, we offer the best prices for premium brand tyres, like Bridgestone and Michelin, all year round.

We operate a convenient mobile fitting service, which means we don’t have expensive depots to run, so we can pass the savings on to our customers in the form of cheaper prices - up to 40 per cent lower than the traditional high street tyre chains.

So you win on two fronts - all you have to do is book online or by ringing our National Call Centre to book your tyres and choose when and where you’d like us to come and fit them, whether it’s your home or work.

Then you get on with your day while our fitter comes to you and replaces your tyres and takes away the old ones for recylcing.

It’s a win-win situation and this is an offer that runs all year!

Denna Bowma, Head Office

By Oliver Hall

Cooper tyres have appointed Brenda Harmon to senior vice president of global human resources and communications.

Her role will be to lead all human resource and employee relations activities for the tyres company, according to a report in the Modern Tyre Dealer.

Harmon has been chief human resources officer for both public and private companies, including Contech Construction Products, where she was vice president of human resources, and AK Steel Corp, where she was vice president of human resources and corporate secretary.

She also has held various senior management positions over the course of her 28-year career.

Her office will be located at Cooper’s global headquarters in Findlay, Ohio. Cooper is a global company that specialises in the design, manufacture, marketing and sales of passenger car and light truck tyres and subsidiaries that specialise in medium truck, motorcycle and racing tyres.

Cooper has manufacturing, sales, distribution, technical and design facilities within its family of companies located in 10 countries around the world.

Parts of the UK ground to a halt this week as blankets of snow and ice swept across the country - but our fitters did everything they could to get to their customers.

One of our tyres customers from Manchester was so impressed with his local branch that he sent us this email to show his appreciation.

This is what he had to say: “I wanted to say that I was extremely impressed with the service I got from etyres in terms of value and service. I didn’t expect the fitter to come out on time or at all in the snow, but he did! Please pass on my thanks. S Collins.”

It is not always possible to keep to a schedule when the weather is working against you, but our etyres fitters can always be relied on to do their absolute best to make sure they don’t let their customers down.

This is yet another example of why it makes sense to use etyres - when the weather is bad and the road conditions are hazardous, you don’t have to worry about battling to a high street depot, because our fitters come and fit your tyres at your home or work.

Tim, National Call Centre