By Denna Bowman

Goodyear tyres have appointed a new chief executive officer to steer the company out of the global downturn.

Richard Kramer is set to replace Robert Keegan, who will relinquish the position but remain chairman of the largest US-based tyres manufacturer.

The 46-year-old, who was appointed as Goodyear’s chief operating officer in June, will take up his new post on 13th April.

The worldwide recession and an increase in foreign competition have put the tyre manufacturer under pressure, however Keegan is credited for intensifying the company’s commitment to developing and introducing new products.

He also cut higher-costing tyre-making jobs, shut underperforming plants and sold off noncore business units, including exiting farm-tire production in the U.S.

His biggest success is regarded as Goodyear’s decision to scale back production of low-end tyres to produce larger and more complex tyres generally bought by luxury and sport-utility vehicle owners. The move helped Goodyear bypass the economic slowdown that hurt most tyre producers.

Out-going CEO Keegan said: “Rich brings to the table a deep knowledge of Goodyear, our global markets, manufacturing, finance and technology, which will lead Goodyear to the next level. Our company will be in good hands.”

Reigning Formula One World Champion Jenson Button admits that looking after the tyres is going to be one of the big challenges of drivers in the 2010 series.

After his final day of testing his new McLaren MP4-25 ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix next month, Button admitted managing the tyres and the new fuel levels will be crucial.

“There is a lot more you need to think about than last season,” he said after completing his pre season tests in Barcelona.

“In 2009 you had to think about looking after the tyres but it was over a 22 lap period. And you obviously had a lot less fuel in the car. Now it is very different because the car is very heavy, it is over twice that weight.

“It is going to be tricky, but we had a lot of useful information today. At the end we had some lower fuel runs - and there is definitely more to come from this car.”

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team

With so many gaping potholes opening up across the UK due to the harsh winter weather, motorists should take extra care to protect their car tyres.

The sharp edges and deep potholes can shred the tyres tread or the sidewalls. Rims and alloy wheels are also particularly prone to damage easily.

But drivers can take measures to avoid the pitfalls of potholes. First and foremost, avoid driving over a potholes - although this is not always possible, especially when the holes are filled with rain water and look like puddles.

Driving too close to the car infront can obscure your view of the road surface, so leave plenty of room which will allow you to see any hazards ahead.

Also, making sure your tyres have the correct pressure can reduce the impact of driving over a pothole.

If your tyres are under-inflated, there is an added risk that the tyre sidewall will be squashed and damaged. In extreme cases this can lead to tyre failure.

This is a good reason for checking tyre pressure more often than usual in order to protect the tyre and spot creeping pressure loss.

Oliver Hall, Operations Team

By Alex Kapadia

Vehicle owners who are switching to budget tyres to save money are “unwise”, according to a leading tyre manufacturer.

Continental tyres warned cost-conscious motorists who think that buying cheaper tyres saves them money that they will lose out in the long run.

The German tyre company points out that budget tyres may cost less, but they can turn out to be a more expensive option because they do not match the premium brands in durability.

Angus Smith, Continental sales director, said: “We are concerned about a recent rise in the number of motorists making the switch to budget-price tyres.

“While it is understandable that the need to cut costs has risen as a result of the recession, trying to save money on tyres is at best a questionable economy.

“Replacing covers that cost £100 with products priced at £50 might seem a good move at the time, but downgrading of this kind is unwise.

“The advantage is short term because the tests we have carried out prove these products don’t have the durability of premium tyres and they are also inferior in terms of handling and performance. And the safety element is a critical factory when you consider how often we have to drive in wet weather.”

By Denna Bowman

A campaign to promote discounts on family days out helped to lift Continental tyres out of the motoring press and into mainstream media.

Inside Media used the tyres manufacturers summer offers website “Conti Great Days Out”, which gave discounts on days out around the UK, to help extend the brand name beyond tyres.

The PR company had six months and a £3,000 budget to move Continental out of the motoring press and position it in general consumer media as a trusted family brand, according to a report in PR Week UK.

Inside Media commissioned a survey of 2,000 families and used the data to devise a formula for the perfect day out, which was used as a news peg to launch the site.

The Great Days Out formula was picked up as a story and featured in the Daily Express, The Sun and The Scotsman, as well as in Look and Best magazines.

There were 35,661 visits to the Great Days Out website during the campaign period and 4,872 discount vouchers were used.

By Oliver Hall

A single stretch of potholed road left up to 20 cars stranded or damaged yesterday, many with punctured tyres and smashed windscreens.

The severe potholes caused driving chaos after a section of the busy Brighton road was blocked due to the breakdowns.

Motorists had been forced to abandon their vehicles at the side of the road with punctured tyres and smashed windscreens after driving on the poor road surface.

Witnesses estimated one of the potholes was at least three feet wide, with another as big as two feet.

Part of the A259 Marine Drive westbound was blocked because of a number of severe pot-holes after B2123 High Street.

Police advised motorists to avoid that part of the road if possible and emergency repair work to the road surface was due to take place overnight.

Motorists who drive over large potholes are advised to give their tyres a thorough visual inspection as soon after the incident as possible.

They should look for cuts or bulges which indicate the tyre is likely to have suffered some serious internal damage making it unsafe and illegal.

Dozens of vehicle owners woke to find their cars had been targeted by tyres-slashing vandals.

The tyres of at least 40 cars which were parked on five residential streets in Rochdale had been been wrecked by the thugs.

Residents are continuing to report incidents to the police, with the number of damaged vehicles rising.

One victim said: “It’s the sheer number of tyres that have been slashed - it could be hundreds. The police need to find out who’s doing it and put a stop to it.”

Police officers are now checking CCTV footage from the area in an attempt to identify suspects.

This mindless act of vandalism can leave vehicle owners hundreds of pounds out of pocket and suffering the inconvenience of having to sort out new tyres and having them fitted.

However, etyres can help motorists save time, hassle and money. It operates a mobile service which means tyres are fitted at a location of the customers choice – in this case usually their home – at a convenient time.

And because etyres has low overheads its prices are cheaper too - up to 40% lower than the leading high street tyre depots.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

The art world is in a spin over a collection of amazing animal sculptures made from recycled tyres.

Artist Ji Yong-Ho is fashioning old car, tractor and bike tyres into a zoo of fierce creatures which are selling for up to £52,000 each.

Powerfully muscled jaguars, sharks, lions and rhinos which feature in the collection can take up to three months to create.

The 31-year-old artist from Seoul, South Korea, cuts the tyres into strips of ‘muscle’ and ‘flesh’ to create the beasts.

He said: “Rubber is very flexible, like skin and muscles. The product is from nature but here it’s changed. It looks scary.”

Whether he is creating a 28cm dog or a 3m hammerhead shark, Mr Ji uses different kinds of tread to vary the skin texture.

For example, the neck and forehead of the rhinoceros above are made from broadly treaded tractor tyres. They sit beneath a rough outer skin made of motorcycle tyres.

The artist added: “I wanted to express that tyres, which are intended for modern society, came from nature and can then be reborn as a yet another new form of life.”

Denna Bowman, Head Office

Continental tyres is continuing its successful, long-term marketing strategy of aligning itself with football by signing up to become an Official Sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The tyres company, which is all set to kick off its campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa this June, is convinced that the deal with help strengthen its brand awareness around the world.

Continental’s Executive Board Member Nikolai Setzer, who is in charge of the Division Passenger Tyres, said: “Whereas the preparations for our activities during the 2010 FIFA World Cup are in full swing, we have already set the course for the worldwide marketing communication in the next few years by renewing our FIFA-partnership until 2014.

“For us, professional football is perfectly suited as central communication platform – since 2003, we have already considerably increased the brand awareness of our premium tyre brand Continental.

“We want to continue this strategy in our core markets and, at the same time, strengthen the positioning of the premium tyre brand Continental with special focus on safety.

“As a glittering football nation and host of the next Football World Cup, Brazil is already now expected to become an exceptional festival of enthusiasm and passion and these attributes correspond perfectly to our products as well as technique, precision and teamwork.”

He added: “We are convinced that we will be able to boost our brand awareness considerably by the help of the football sponsorship of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, especially in the currently growing regions South America and Asia.”

If there was an award for who could dump the most tyres, Malcolm Regan would probably be a strong contender for the gold medal.

A persistent fly-tipper, he dumped hundreds of thousands of used tyres around the borough of Newham - even the river next to the Olympic Park didn’t escape his criminal activities.

But 44-year-old Regan’s reward was a 10-year anti-social behaviour order for masterminding dumping operations which cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to clear up, a council spokeswoman said.

Regan did not attend the hearing at Stratford Magistrates’ Court where District Judge Peter Wain branded him a “serious and prolific fly-tipper” and granted the ASBO.

The court was told tyres linked to Regan had been dumped at locations in the borough over several years, including Pudding Mill River next to the Olympic site in Stratford in 2007.

Regan used false documents to claim he was authorised to dispose of the tyres, the council said.

Vehicles traced back to him were captured on CCTV at locations where tyres were found dumped.

The ASBO prevents Regan from storing, transporting or exporting controlled waste, particularly tyres, without a valid permit.

He is also banned from employing or arranging for another person to handle, transport or dispose of tyres and from possessing false documentation relating to the transport or disposal of controlled waste.

Regan faces a £5,000 fine or up to five years in prison if he breaches the ASBO.

Oliver Hall, Operations Tea

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