News from Notch Consulting, Inc.

January 30, 2018

ETRMA reports overall stability for tire sales in 2017 with the exception of the agro segment

Filed under: Tires — Notch @ 1:52 pm

According to the recent ETRMA report, the overall performance of the tire industry in 2017 is generally stable with the exception of agricultural tire sales, which performed badly for the fourth year in a row. In the last quarter of 2017, only consumer tires showed a positive variation.

OE truck tire sales increased 7 percent to 6.1 million from 5.7 million. This compares with a slight dip in replacement truck tire sales, to 9.73 million from 9.76 million.

Replacement agricultural tire sales fell 10 percent to 1.28 million from 1.43 million, according to the association, which provided no information regarding OE agricultural tire sales.

Replacement consumer tire sales declined 1 percent, to 204.8 million from 206.7 million, while OE consumer tires increased by the same percentage, to 86.8 million from 86.2 million.

Summer consumer tire sales dropped 4 percent, to 112.1 million from 116.3 million, the ETRMA said. Winter car tire sales rose 1 percent, to 57 million from 56.1 million.

Replacement motorcycle and scooter tire sales increased 2 percent, to 9.1 million from 8.9 million.

Agricultural tire imports to Europe increased 13 percent in the first 10 months of 2017, the ETRMA said. The greatest increase in imports came from China and India, with the latter country now holding almost 40 percent of agricultural tire imports to Europe.

Read the full report here.

Cheng Shin investing in India & Indonesia

Filed under: Tires — Notch @ 1:30 pm

Cheng Shin Rubber Industry Co. Ltd. is planning to boost capital investment at its Maxxis Rubber India Pvt. Ltd. and P.T. Maxxis International Indonesia subsidiaries.

Maxxis Rubber India is to receive $15 million “for the procurement of feedstock and as a supplement for operational funding,” according to Cheng Shin, which takes the India unit’s total investment to $92 million. It runs a plant in Gujarat province that came on stream in mid-2017 with a daily capacity of 20,000 motorcycle tires in phase one.

P.T. Maxxis International is to receive a $30 million investment, putting its total investment at $110 million. The funds will be used “for the procurement of production equipment and as a supplement for operational funding,” Cheng Shin said.

Referenced article found here.

World Rubber Summit 2018

Filed under: Conferences, Rubber — Notch @ 12:49 pm

Registration is now open for the ISRG World Rubber Summit 2018. IRSG in collaboration with the Ministry of Plantation Industries of the Government of Sri Lanka will host the World Rubber Summit (WRS) on 7-8 May 2018, in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The World Rubber Summit is an unique and exclusive opportunity for the global rubber industry to discuss the current challenges that the industry is facing but also the future opportunities that might arise from the disruptive trends that are transforming the automotive industry and the extensive use of innovative solutions to improve rubber quality and productivity.

This Summit will bring together some 300 delegates from around the world, granting enormous networking and information sharing opportunities to attendees. The WRS 2018 will be combined with the IRSG’s inter-government and industry meetings.

For more information and to register for the World Rubber Summit 2018, visit the conference website.

European new car sales hit 10-year high, UK declining quickly

Filed under: Auto — Notch @ 12:33 pm

New passenger car registrations in Europe increased by 3.4 percent in 2017. This marked four consecutive years of growth and the best result since 2007 when 16 million units were registered. Registrations rose in the majority of the largest EU markets: Italy (7.9%) and Spain (7.7%) were followed by France (4.7%) and Germany (2.7%). In the UK the market declined by 5.7%.

“The EU new car market is expected to stabilize in 2018, but with rising employment levels and an increasing appetite for new cars across not only the large but also the small and medium markets, new car registrations in Europe are likely to remain at high levels,” said Sue Robinson, director of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA).

Referenced article found here.

Eastman adds insoluble sulfur to aid tire makers

Filed under: Rubber Chemicals, Tires — Notch @ 12:22 pm

Eastman Chemical Co. has unveiled a new insoluble sulfur that it said will help tire manufacturers improve the productivity of their compounding operations.

Crystex Cure Pro was introduced during the ACS Rubber Division International Elastomer Conference in Cleveland. Compared to traditional insoluble sulfur materials, Eastman said the Crystex Cure Pro line offers superior dispersion, improved thermal stability, enhanced flow, less oil and more sulfur.

“It’s a unique insoluble sulfur vulcanization aide that has been demonstrated to have the potential to enhance the productivity of tire plants in reducing the number of mixing steps,” said Lucrece Foufopoulos, vice president and general manager for Eastman’s rubber additives. “In shortening the time on the calender unit, it generates productivity improvements and cost savings as a result of that.”

Besides product differentiation, Eastman also wants to ensure a reliability of supply around the globe. To that end, the firm is on track to open a new factory in Kuantan, Malaysia, that it claims will be the world’s largest producer of insoluble sulfur. Eastman didn’t disclose details on the Malaysian project, but expects to open in during 2018’s first quarter. The plant is on the site of an existing Eastman facility, and rubber additives is one of three company businesses that are expanding there.

Eastman has four rubber chemicals factories in the U.S., two in Europe, two main locations in Asia and one plant in Latin America.

Referenced article found here.

Yokohama to increase OTR tire capacity in India

Filed under: Tires — Tags: — Notch @ 11:55 am

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., will expand production capacity for OTR tires by adding new facilities at ATC Tires Pvt. Ltd., the Indian tire manufacturing and sales subsidiary of the Alliance Tire Group (ATG), which Yokohama Rubber acquired in July 2016. Construction of the new facilities will begin in February at ATC Tire’s Dahej Plant in the state of Gujarat.

Total planned investment is $45.5 million. The investment will boost annual production capacity from the current 57,000 tons to 91,700 tons by the end of 2019.

Read the full press release here.

Magna commissions OTR tire production at Dutch plant

Filed under: Tires — Tags: — Notch @ 11:41 am

Magna Tyres Group has announced the start of the production of Magna Tyres at the OBO Tyre factory in Hardenberg, The Netherlands.

“Our efficiency, lower transport costs and lower import duties make it very cost-effective to produce locally and to invest in more production capacity. From now on Magna MA02, M-Terrain and AG24 are available as a made in Holland product and we are very proud on this achievement,” said Michael de Ruijter, CEO Magna Tyres Group.

Read the full press release here.

January 18, 2018

Evonik launches new silica product

Filed under: Silica — Notch @ 9:57 am

ULTRASIL® 7800 GR is a custom-tailored silica made by Evonik for use in particularly large SUV tires as well as high-mileage all-season tires. By developing ULTRASIL® 7800 GR, a silica with a customized surface area that meets the extreme demands of SUV and all-season tires, Evonik has now taken the next step in innovation.

“The challenge for SUV tires is to give the tires sufficient stiffness in spite of their size,” explains Dr. Hark-Oluf Asbahr, Marketing of Rubber Silica. “With ULTRASIL® 7800 GR, we managed to find the right mix to combine joy of driving, road safety, and resource efficiency in a single product.”

Since the United States is the largest sales market for SUVs, ULTRASIL® 7800 GR will be produced there for now. Evonik has responded to the rising demand for silica by building a new production facility in Charleston, South Carolina. The new silica plant is expected to become operational in mid-2018.

More information about the Silica/Silane technology of Evonik will be available at the stand of Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH (Stand C 240) at the Tire Technology Expo in Hanover from February 20-22, 2018.

Read the full press release here.

Saudi prince backing $1 billion tire plant in Saudi Arabia

Filed under: Tires — Tags: — Notch @ 9:43 am

National Tire Co., a company owned by a member of the Saudi royal family, is planning to build a $1 billion tire plant in Jubail, an industrial city in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, according to Farid Dudin, general manager of Victoria Trading FZCO and head of the tire plant project.

NTC is an initiative of Fahad Bin Abdul-Rahman Bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, a Saudi prince and former Saudi government official.

NTC said it had signed an agreement on the turnkey concept design with Finnish engineering consulting firm Black Donuts Engineering Inc., covering both the design of the factory itself and the design and development of the plant’s products.

The project will create one of the “biggest and most modern individual tire factories in the world,” the company stated. The plant, to be built on a 247-acre site in Jubail, will be engineered to produce 16 million passenger tires and 6 million radial truck/bus tires a year.

Production is expected to start by the second half of 2020.

Sourced article found here.

January 10, 2018

Notch updates report on Insoluble Sulfur

Filed under: insoluble sulfur — Notch @ 5:33 pm

Notch Consulting has updated its report World Markets for Insoluble Sulfur. The report provides a detailed analysis of the global market for insoluble sulfur, a vulcanizing agent used primarily in radial tires, belting, and hoses. The 51-page report includes 13 tables detailing IS demand by region, market, and grade, as well as pricing, production capacity, expansion projects, annual sales by company, and profiles of leading competitors. Companies profiled in the report include China Sunsine Chemical Holdings; Eastman Chemical; Oriental Carbon & Chemicals Limited; Sennics Co., Inc.; Shanghai Jinghai Chemical; Shikoku Chemicals Corp.; Weifang Jiahong Chemical; and Wuxi Huasheng Rubber Technical. Contact Notch as info @ notchconsulting.com for more info.

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