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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Andrew Moffatt Appointed as Head of Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand
Having gone through the pain of closing its Salisbury South tyre-making factory, Bridgestone is now reaping the benefits in the retail arena of being more female- friendly and aims to open 40 more outlets over the next two years.
Andrew Moffatt, managing director of Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand, comes to the top post with 20 years' company experience behind him and a love of motoring running deep in his family's veins.
Mr Moffatt was appointed managing director in January, the first non- Japanese head of Australian operations since Bridgestone took over the Adelaide company Uniroyal in 1980. He believed it was a vote of confidence in local expertise as the Japan- headquartered company reinforced its position as a global entity.
Although Bridgestone no longer manufactures tyres in Australia or New Zealand, it does operate a network of Bandag franchises that offer retread tyres to Australian truckers and the mining sector.
Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand is part of Bridgestone Asia Pacific operations based in Singapore and the ultimate parent company is Bridgestone Corporation in Tokyo, Japan. "Historically it's been male dominated but we're seeing a definite shift because more females are coming into our stores," Mr Moffatt said.
Texas Plays
Catch-up
on Used Tyres
By a 29-1 vote, the Texas Senate recently passed SB 459, a bill that sets strict guidelines for the sale, handling and transport of used tyres within the state. The bill was approved April 15 after being passed unanimously April 3 by the Texas
Senate Transportation
Committee.
SB 459 forbids the sale of
any used tyre that is visibly damaged, has an improper
repair, has a tread depth of
less than 1/16 inch, has no
clear Department of
Transportation identification number, or is subject to a
safety recall.
It also sets strict regulations
for used and scrap tyre transporters, including a requirement that registered haulers file a bond of at least $100,000 with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
The Rubber Manufacturers Association and Liberty Tire
Recycling support SB 459 as common-sense legislation to protect both consumer safety and the environment. However, the Texas Tire Dealers Association and the Texas Automotive Recyclers Association say the bill is both unnecessary and prohibitively expensive for its members.