News from Notch Consulting, Inc.

April 16, 2019

BKT Tires Inaugurates New European Headquarters

Filed under: Tires — Notch @ 10:44 am

Inaugurated on April 5th, BKT’s new European headquarters in Seregno at the outskirts of Milan has been completely renovated to convey the company’s goal of achieving the “Next Level.”

“Creating our new headquarters is more than just an architectural project. For us, it also has an underlying strategic meaning,” explains Lucia Salmaso, CEO of BKT Europe. “We are constantly striving to increase our presence and market share in Europe and, above all, to get closer to our European OEM customers. Our goal is to permanently strengthen the presence of the BKT brand with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), and we know how to achieve it. We have already opened many doors with our Aftermarket references and continue forging ahead with new opportunities. Our new headquarters has a key role in this regard.

The European market has proven to be essential for the company, representing 50% of BKT’s turnover, which surpassed $900 million at a global level last year.

Referenced article found here.

Pyrolyx working to secure 5-year supply deal with Continental

Filed under: Carbon Black — Notch @ 9:20 am

Recovered carbon black producer Pyrolyx A.G. has signed a non-binding letter of intent with Continental A.G. to set up a supply agreement for its recycled product.

The value of the contract, which calls for the supply of up to 15,000 metric tons per year of Pyrolyx’s rCB over five years to Conti, was not disclosed. Conti did not comment independently on Pyrolyx’s news release.

Pyrolyx’s USA CEO, Thomas Redd, said: “This LOI is an extremely positive development for Pyrolyx and validates Pyrolyx’s process and products. Pyrolyx is a world leader in assisting the carbon black industry to decrease its environmental footprint and this agreement, once implemented, will eliminate the need to burn or dump four million scrap tires annually and reduce CO2 emissions by over 32,000 tons annually, as compared to current carbon black manufacturing techniques.”

Read the full press release here.

Munich-based Pyrolyx A.G. is in the process of moving its headquarters to the U.S., into facilities under construction in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Nexen to begin trial production at Czech tire plant

Filed under: Tires — Tags: — Notch @ 8:49 am

Nexen Tire Europe is ready to begin trial production at its $1 billion greenfield tire plant in Zatec in northeastern Czech Republic, pending permission from “appropriate authorities.”

Nexen broke ground on the project in October 2015. Start-up of the first phase of the factory, producing roughly 15,000 units a day, was scheduled for 2018. Nexen plans to increase the plant’s production capacity gradually to over 12 million units a year.

Zatec is Nexen’s second tire plant outside Korea; the other is in Qingdao, China.

Reference article found here.

April 9, 2019

Linglong tire factory begins construction in Serbia

Filed under: Tires — Tags: — Notch @ 12:59 pm

China’s Shandong Linglong Tire Co. Ltd. has laid a ceremonial corner stone for its greenfield tire factory project in Zrenjanin, signaling the start of construction for the $994 million project in northern Serbia.

“Linglong’s arrival in Serbia is a great opportunity given by the openness and win-win of times. We will live up to our expectations, ensure the rapid and high-quality construction of the project, strive for early production, and at the same time, Linglong will strengthen cultural exchanges and integration with Serbia, aiming to contribute to the establishment of a healthy, stable and sustainable economic and trade cooperation between China and Serbia,” said Wang Feng, Chairman and CEO of Linglong Tire.

Construction will be in three phases over six years and will span 4.24 million square feet, Linglong said.

Operated by Linglong International Europe d.oo. Zrenjanin, the plant is rated at 13.6 million tires per year, comprising 12 million car tires, 1.6 million truck/bus tires, and 20,000 off-the-road tires.

Press release found here.

Sumitomo Rubber truck and bus tire production begins in Brazil

Filed under: Tires — Notch @ 8:52 am

Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.’s Brazilian subsidiary has initiated production of radial truck and bus tires at its plant in Fazenda, Brazil following a $133 million, three-year expansion project.

SRI opened the 5.38-million-sq.-ft. plant in Brazil’s Parana State, southwest of Sao Paulo, in late 2013 after an investment of $345 million. Adding capacity for truck tires necessitated a physical expansion of the plant by about 144,000 square feet, SRI said.

Read the full press release here.

Continental adding ContiSeal, ContiSilent production to South Carolina plant

Filed under: Tires — Tags: — Notch @ 8:33 am

Continental Tire the Americas is expanding its plant in Sumter, South Carolina to accommodate production of the company’s ContiSeal puncture-sealing and ContiSilent noise-absorbing passenger tire lines.

The project will add about 29,0000 square feet to the approximately 2 million square feet of manufacturing space. Conti did not disclose its investment in the expansion but said the project should create up to 50 jobs dedicated to the new production lines.

Producing these tires in the U.S. will increase the supply of tires on hand and reduce the turnaround time from order to delivery to customers throughout the region. Conti produces the ContiSeal and ContiSilent tire lines at plants in Otrokovice, Czech Republic, and Lousada, Portugal.

“We have listened to the needs of our customers and are excited to offer products and solutions designed to ensure a quieter and more comfortable ride, which undoubtedly will become increasingly important as we see more electrification and autonomous vehicles in the market,” said Ahmed Boualam, Sumter plant manager.

Continental plans to begin installing equipment in September, and is targeting the start of production for May 2020. The new lines will be rated at 1 million tires a year full production in 2021, Conti said.

Referenced article found here.

April 5, 2019

Construction of Nokian’s Tennessee tire factory on schedule

Filed under: Tires — Notch @ 11:34 am

Eighteen months after breaking ground on its first North American tire facility, Nokian Tyres P.L.C. is on schedule to begin producing tires commercially by early 2020.

“It’s amazing to see what the construction team has accomplished in such a short time,” said Nokian Tyres Dayton Factory Operations Director Peter Chia. “Our rapid progress is a result of tremendous collaboration between several important partners.”

“When we were recruiting this project, our goal was to strengthen the community and our economic base,” said Dennis Tumlin, Executive Director of the Rhea Economic and Tourism Council. “It has exceeded our expectations with how quickly we have seen economic growth as a result. We couldn’t be more pleased.”

Four hundred workers at the Dayton Factory will produce approximately four million tires per year once the facility reaches full capacity. The company expects to hire as many as 200 of them by the end of the year.

Read the full press release here.

Prinx Chengshan breaks ground for Thailand factory

Filed under: Tires — Tags: — Notch @ 11:03 am

Chinese tire company Prinx Chengshan (Shandong) Tire Co. Ltd. has broken ground for its new manufacturing plant in Thailand. Production is projected to begin in mid-2020.

The tire maker is investing nearly US$300 million in infrastructure and production equipment for the first stage of production. The plant will adopt leading tire industry design philosophy and be set up according to artificial intelligence manufacturing standards. When the facility’s first stage is completed, it will be capable of producing 4 million passenger car tires and 800,000 all-steel truck and bus radials per year.

Prinx Chengshan expects the new facility to consolidate and expand its global production capacity, boost its international competitiveness, and better meet the needs of overseas customers.

“The establishment of the first overseas production base in WHA ESIE 3 in Thailand is a major step for the expansion of Prinx Chengshan,” said Che Hong Zhi, chairman of the board of directors of Prinx Chengshan (Cayman) Holdings Co. Ltd. and chairman of the board of Prinx Chengshan (Shandong) Tire Co. Ltd. He said investment in Thailand, “is an important step in forging Prinx Chengshan’s internationalized brand. It is also a favorable exploration to deepen the good-neighborly and friendly relations between China and Thailand, and promote the friendly economic exchanges between China and Thailand.”

April 4, 2019

Cabot increases prices for specialty carbon blacks in North America

Filed under: Carbon Black — Notch @ 10:07 pm

Effective May 2, 2019, or as contracts allow, Cabot Corporation will increase prices for specialty carbon black products by up to 8 percent in North America.

This price increase is necessary to offset rising raw material costs and invest in technology to enhance supply reliability and comply with environmental regulations.

Read the full press release here.

March 25, 2019

Birla announces carbon black price increase for North America

Filed under: Carbon Black — Notch @ 12:16 am

On March 22, Birla Carbon announced that effective May 1, 2019 it will increase base prices for all carbon black products in North America by $170/MT. All shipments made on or after this date are subject to the price increase. Adjustments for customers with supply agreements will be implemented as agreements are renewed. According to the company, this increase is made necessary by capital requirements and increased operating cost associated with meeting emission limits in the United States and the increasing cost of compliance elsewhere in North America.

Here is the announcement.

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