12 Tyre Asia April/May 2018
NEWS SCAN
Maxxis opens Indian plant
M
axxis Rubber India, a subsidiary of Maxxis Group, has
inaugurated its first manufacturing facility in Sanand,
Gujarat, India. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has
inaugurated the plant. Tsai-Jen Lo, Chairman, Maxxis Group,
Cheng-Yao Liao, President, Maxxis India and Jia-Ciao Liou
(Gary), Spokesperson, Maxxis India were present. Maxxis
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cheng Shin Rubber Ind. Co.
Ltd., the largest two-wheeler tyre manufacturer and the ninth
largest tyre company in the world.
The plant, spread across 106 acres, will be set up with an
investment of over $400 million (Rs 26.40 billion). It is
dedicated to manufacturing Two-Wheeler tyres and tubes, with
a capacity of around 20,000 tyres and 40,000 tubes per day, and
has an employee strength of 600. The company is targeting a
market share of at least 15% of India’s tyre market within five
years.
Cheng-Yao Liao, President, Maxxis India stated “That
Maxxis Global is targeting to become one of the top five tyre
manufacturers in the world by 2026 and the Indian market will
play a vital role in our growth. We are fully committed to thegovernment’s Make In India initiative and our intent is to Make
In India for the world. We monitored the market for over two
decades and then devised the strategy for entering India. The
manufacturing plant in Sanand is only the first step of Maxxis’s
full range appearance in the country.”Maxxis currently serves as an OEM tyre supplier to Honda
(Two-wheelers), Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra, Tata and Jeep in
India. Apart from catering to the domestic tyre market, exports
will be done to South Asia, and will further expand to Africa and
Middle East countries in the coming years.Michelin tops in
US customer satisfaction
survey
Goodyear, Bridgestone
in joint distribution venture
A
ccording to a customer satisfaction survey
conducted by JD Power in the US, Michelin
has got highest ranks in all four vehicle segments,
scoring 765 in luxury, 753 in the passenger car,
774 in performance sport and 731 in truck/utility.
The run-flat tyres are closing the satisfaction gap
with conventional tyres, it further said. The annual
study measures tyre owner satisfaction in four key
areas- tyre wear, tyre ride, tyre appearance and
tyre traction/handling, media reports said.
The JD Power 2018 US Original Equipment Tire
Customer Satisfaction Study reports that the
customer satisfaction with original equipment
tyres has improved significantly since 2015. The
JD Power Study is based on responses from 30,
owners of 2016 and 2017 model-year vehicles and
was fielded in October-December 2017.“The rise in satisfaction helps validate tyre
manufacturers’ efforts to meet the demands
of OEMs while simultaneously improving the
customer experience. The fact that there is little
difference in satisfaction between run-flat and
traditional tyres is a great example. Many OEMs
have been replacing spare tyres with run-flats
to help reduce vehicle weight and improve fuel
efficiency. Just a few years ago run-flat tyres
were a detriment to customer satisfaction but
the experience is much more positive now,” said
Brent Gruber, Senior Director, Automotive Quality
Practice at JD Power.T
he Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and Bridgestone Americas
are forming one of the largest tyre distribution joint ventures in the
United States. TireHub, LLC, will provide US tyre dealers and retailers
with a comprehensive range of passenger and light truck tyres from two
of the world’s leading tyre companies, with an emphasis on satisfying
rapidly growing demand for larger rim diameter premium tyres.
TireHub, to be based in Atlanta, will combine Goodyear’s company-
owned wholesale distribution network with Bridgestone-owned Tire
Wholesale Warehouse (TWW). The transaction will enable Bridgestone
and Goodyear to grow their respective tyre businesses and capture
enhanced value for their brands. The transaction is subject to
customary approvals and is expected to close mid-year.TireHub will be a 50-50 joint venture between Goodyear and
Bridgestone and will be managed by an independent management team
led by CEO Peter Gibbons. Gibbons is a veteran business and supply
chain executive, with 25 years of experience leading manufacturing
and supply chain activities in the consumer, retail and specialty
chemicals industries. While in senior leadership roles at both Mattel
and Starbucks, Gibbons led customer-centric efforts to transform both
companies’ supply chains, improving fulfillment and speed to market.Both Bridgestone and Goodyear expect that TireHub will provide
enhanced fill rates and turnaround times to ensure dealers can
quickly access the products they need. TireHub will deliver a best-
in-class customer experience through a single sales force and new
online ordering portal that integrates easily with dealers’ point-of-sale
systems.
TireHub also will help Goodyear and Bridgestone customers manage
growing complexity in the tyre business, driven by SKU proliferation.
The new distributor will provide on-demand access to the full array of
products from both companies, which is critical for their customers,
who typically have limited inventory space at their locations.