Damaged Riken Factory Not a Tyre Plant

(Staffordshire, U.K./Tyres & Accessories) The Riken factory in Japan knocked out of production by the July 16 earthquake is not, despite the name, in any way affiliated with tyres produced by the Michelin Group.

Published: July 23, 2007

The automotive parts plant, owned by the Riken Corp. and located in the Kashiwazaki region of Japan, suffered minor damage, and a number of employees were injured.

Due to the severance of gas and water supplies and the necessity to check plant equipment, supply of auto parts to a number of major Japanese carmakers including Toyota, Mitsubishi and Suzuki has been severed, causing disruptions to their production schedule.

Part of Michelin’s Riken tyre line, sold in the U.K. through Kwik-Fit, is produced in Japan; however, production at Michelin’s Japanese facilities was not affected by the earthquake. Riken tyres are also produced in Romania by Michelin Silvania.

LT tire segment trends and growth expectations

There are some key trends dealers need to be aware of across the different LT tire categories when selling to customers.

By Christian Hinton

Published: April 29, 2024

The light truck (LT) tire market is shifting to meet ever-evolving demands from drivers and vehicle designs. While core requirements like tougher construction and higher load capacities remain, there are some key trends dealers need to be aware of across the different LT tire categories. In this video, we talk about LT tire trends and growth expectations for the market.