Tire growth pegged at 1.6%.

Tire production in North America is projected to grow an average 1.6% annually to nearly 334 million tires in the year 2002, according to a new study by the Management Consulting Group at Smithers Scientific Services, Inc.

Expect about the same 1.6% average annual growth rate in the North American non-tire rubber products manufacturing sector which includes belts, hoses, other mechanical rubber products, wire and cable, footwear and other molded products.

Presently, more than 55 tire factories in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. produce 300 million automobile and commercial vehicle tires each year, according to Smithers market researchers.

Original equipment tire sales are forecast to grow 2.2% annually to almost 97.4 million units in 2002, while sales of tires to the replacement market will see an average annual growth rate of 1.6 percent to 264 million units in the same five-year period.

Overall production of tires in North America should increase through 1998, then decrease in 1999 due to reduced demand for original equipment tires, the Smithers study indicated. A rebound of vehicle sales by 2002 will generate an increase in tire production.

The level of new-vehicle production in North America is projected to grow at about 2.8% annually to nearly 17.8 million cars, light trucks, buses and trucks in the year 2002. About 97% of vehicle production will be automobiles and light trucks.

"Due to an anticipated decline in sales, production is expected to decrease to 15.5 million vehicles in 1999, before increasing to almost 17.8 million vehicles in the year 2002," the Smithers study stated.

The study points out that the economic and demographic factors and trends, which are the driving forces in the tire and rubber markets in North America, are different for the 1997-2000 study period than what the automotive industry has experienced in the recent past.

For example, for the first time in 15 years, more young drivers are entering the vehicle market. This is due to the first of the children of baby boomers reaching the legal driving age. This "baby boomer shadow" effect is likely to continue over the next 15 to 20 years and temper the expected low point of the traditional automobile industry cycle, the Smithers study said.

The report, "The Tire and Rubber Industry in North America 1997-2002," forecasts supply and demand through the year 2002.

RMA, USWA release video on mill safety

The Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) have released a video to help make rubber industry employees more aware of the safety procedures related to mill operations, and to help reduce the potential for injuries.

The video premiered at the USWA-sponsored 1997 Joint Labor-Management Health, Safety and Environment Symposium, held October 6-8, 1997, in Nashville, TN.

"This video was designed to supplement the safety and health programs already in place at rubber manufacturing facilities and to encourage managers to implement regular mill rescue drills as part of their ongoing work-safety programs," said RMA President and CEO Donald B. Shea.

The 21-minute video, "Mill Safety and Rescue," reviews mill operation safety procedures and two different mill rescue methods, known as "breaking the mill" and "mill reversal." The need for trained and equipped mill rescue teams at every rubber manufacturing facility is strongly emphasized.

The video was filmed at Continental General Tire's Bryan, OH plant, and includes a union version with a brief introduction by USWA Executive Vice President John Sellers and a nonunion version introduced by the RMA's Shea. Video participants included members of USWA's Local Union 890L and management representatives employed at the Bryan plant,

"We were pleased to have the support of the USWA, our member companies, and other associates who contributed to this important safety project," Shea added. Contributors included, Cooper Tire, Bando Manufacturing, Bridgestone/ Firestone, Continental, Gates Rubber, GenCorp, Goodyear, Goshen Rubber, Eagle-Picher, Freudenberg-NOK, Pirelli Armstrong, Uniroyal Goodrich, and Yokohama.