IN BRIEF

Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (YRC) will build a car tire plant in western Russia, in the Lipetsk Economic Zone, by 2011 with start-up capacity of 1.4 million units a year…. Pirelli Tyre S.p.A., Brembo S.p.A. and Magneti Marelli S.p.A. have agreed to work together to develop “leading-edge” corner module systems for the world's vehicle makers…. Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. plans to establish sales companies in Santiago, Chile, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, later this year to sell replacement tires in Central/South America and the Middle East, respectively…. Continental A.G. has agreed to supply Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. with Yokohama-branded car tires from its plant in Bahia, Brazil, under terms of an off-take agreement the two firms signed recently…. Bridgestone Corp. has opened a $100 million synthetic rubber plant in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, its first SR plant in China. The facility will have annual capacity of 50,000 metric tons of styrene butadiene rubber used in tires…. Pirelli Tyre S.p.A.'s British unit has sold its 56-store Central Tyre retail chain to Stapleton's (Tyre Services) Ltd., a subsidiary of Japan's Itochu Corp.…. Pirelli Tyre Co. Ltd. (China) has opened a Pirelli Tire Campus, an education and training center dedicated to improving the firm's interactions with its customers, in Yanzhou, China.… Group Michelin has postponed until 2010 the next edition of its Challenge Bibendum environmental road mobility gathering. Michelin said it plans to stage the 2010 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil…. Bridgestone is planning to rationalize its wholesale and retail structure in Japan, combining 18 wholly owned retail subsidiaries into two units, one for wholesale and one for retail, in order to improve efficiency and speed. The process should be completed by 2012.