Page 62 - RB-66-13-3

EURO NEWS
Audugé.
The decline in sales of tyres is a logical consequence of the economic crisis: the purchasing power of affected motorists and buying a tyre is neither necessar y nor a purchase that can give pleasure - during crisis times people postpone the replacement of their tyres.
"As a result, demand is sawtooth, linking peaks and ver y irregular pits," Regis Audugé analyses. In addition to the mass market, the commercial sector (30% of total market) also suffers. Most economic activity is slowing, the less heavy traffic there is, the less their tyres
wear.
Retreading of tyres is both cause and consequence of the crisis
To reduce costs, transport professionals have turned to retreading. With the economic crisis ongoing since 2010, this technique has increased, further weakening the entire industry. In 2012, 50 per cent of truck tyres were retreaded. "It's green, but in return, the new tyre sales dropped," says the director general.
The year 2012 was a pivotal year, for the first time, the number of retreaded tyres was equal to that of new tyres.
An Italian View on Developing Passenger Retreads
Retreaded car tyres help save raw materials and energy, but their benefits, mainly environmental, still have a little grip on the Italian domestic market. TRIB (Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau) analysed the causes, asking people what they think of the major manufacturers of retreads.
This global survey was launched to try and understand the expectations and concerns of the major players in the international tyre sector. According to the study, there is little interest among motorists on the economic and environmental benefits to the point that a good percentage of producers do not consider it beneficial to enter the market in the near future.
If we add the fact that the economic benefit to the customer is marginal to the point of not justifying a change of direction with respect to retreaded tyres, it becomes easy to explain why the "retread" only works for fleet- company cars and commercial vehicles. Although the non-profit industry association has not released details of the survey, the final picture highlights factors against which they find themselves faced with new tyres they cannot recycle.
The investigation identified the key factors, which the retread market can leverage for growth.
1) cost savings, 2) growth in export markets, and 3) the ecological benefits. However, the barriers to the development of quality retreads are: a) the lack of trust from motorists (since it lacks labeling), b) the proliferation of sizes, c) the burgeoning market of cheap new tyres of Asian origin.
In Italy, the rebuilding of tyres has allowed the economy to achieve an overall saving estimated at 297 million euro, 33 thousand tons of tyres were not released into the environment, saving 40 thousand tons of CO2, 32 thousand tons of raw materials and 114 million litres of oil. All this according to data from AIRP for 2011. However, apparently, the investment required for equipment and moulds of different tyre sizes is too high where there is a relatively flat market. Outside of postal fleets, taxi, winter tyres and off-road tyres, the consumer is still not well motivated by simple environmental spirit. When we consider that during the economic crisis there are many more cars on the road running with worn, or even illegal tyres, it is clear that a better price can push the market to the retread market growth.
Source:Claudio De Luca - www.primonumero.it
French Tyre Industry in Crisis
Marangoni has signed an agreement with the provincial government to stabilise its workforce until 2016. Local media in Rovereto reported that the company had pledged to retain its operations in Rovereto – manufacturing, commercial, administrative and production will all remain based in Rovereto until at least 2024. The agreement also contracts that there will only be between 30 and 70 redundancies before 2016, thus saving some 320 jobs at the retread specialists’ headquarters.
Local councillor, Alessandro Olivi who was personally involved in the agreement said, "This agreement has a special meaning as it concerns one of the 'historical' companies of Trentino. It is a program of innovation, shared by the union and the entrepreneur, which commits the company to continue to operate in the city, to improve their production and to inaugurate a period of consolidation and development, which has a significance for the whole community of Rovereto. "
Olivi added, “Maintaining the size of the workforce has a wider benefit to the Province. It is a positive and unique experience for targeted application and un-bureaucratic provincial policies to incentivise local business. This is even more relevant in a time when the economy is in difficulty. This is a really important step made possible thanks to the responsible involvement of social partners and gaining firm commitments by the company with regard to the improvement of technological and product quality." The agreement was signed by the commissioner Alessandro Olivi. Marangoni SpA was represented by the Director Mario Balzarini and the trade union with Mario Cerutti Filtem of the CGIL, CISL and Corrado Dalvit of Femca Alan Tancredi Uiltec the UIL. The agreement involves a negotiation procedure for an applied research project on "the use of new technologies in the process of
retreaded tyres for trucks and for the adaptation to new environmental standards and safety of new tyres", in which the ' company will invest € 4,860,000 resulting in a contribution of EUR 1,633,500. Complex negotiations between the company and the unions have ended with a responsible agreement on the objectives of the project and the subsequent maintenance of employment in the Rovereto plant. The company is also committed to addressing any unforeseen crisis situations that may arise in the future through the use of solidarity contracts. "With this agreement, we have not solved all the problems of Marangoni but surely this is an important step for the next 24 months there will be no layoffs," says Cerutti. She continues,
Alessandro Olivi welcomes the settlement at Marangoni
"At last, and it was not absolutely obvious, it passed the principle of solidarity with the province that supports the project of employment. After the extraordinary layoffs in November, there is now a formal commitment to apply the solidarity contracts from a minimum of 30 up to 70 redundancies”.
After Continental and Goodyear, Michelin then announced job cuts at its site in Joue-les-Tours (Indre-et- Loire). While France used to be the premier tyre manufacturer in
Europe, the industry is going through a crisis. Regis Audugé, the Director General of the Union of Tyre Professionals, explains why.
The Continental Clairoix plant (Oise) was the first to close in March 2010. Three years later, the French Goodyear prepared to stop in Amiens (Somme), while Michelin recently announced a restructuring of its plant in Joue-les-Tours (Indre- et-Loire). Only Bridgestone continues to make tyres without experiencing economic difficulties. "There is an undeniable decline in the sale of tyres," admits Regis Audugé. However, the French market is not the worst in the continent. "In France, we have the oldest fleet in Europe. Exchange is therefore more about parts, including tyres. Overall, the market is fairly stable," said Regis
Marangoni Stabilises Workforce
Regis Audugé, the Director General of the Union of Tyre Professionals