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This case seeks to illustrate the specific problem of excessive defects in radial tyres produced in a renowned tyre manufacturing company in India. This paper aims to show how lean Six‐Sigma methodology can be used to tackle the specific issues like defects reduction.

The management took this problem on top priority as it is eroding their brand value and financial performance. A Mumbai‐based lean Six‐Sigma consulting group was approached to tackle the issue. One of the authors, who is pursuing research on determinants of successful lean manufacturing implementation in Indian industries, joined this project as a part of his field study and he spent considerable time in discussing and observing the issue with people of different hierarchical levels of the company. Lean Six‐Sigma methodologies were incorporated and the problem was evaluated with root‐cause analysis. This case is formulated on the basis of the initial findings of the study in an Indian tyre manufacturing organisation keeping the actual name of the company in disguise.

On the basis root‐cause analysis of the radial tyre manufacturing process, it was found that presence of foreign particles in the manufacturing environment, under‐ageing and over‐ageing of tyre components, and inefficient bead winding process, were the main culprits of defects. It was confirmed that lean Six‐Sigma methodology can serve as a major tool to reduce defects in the tyre manufacturing process in India.

This paper provides some key insights to the successful adoption of lean Six‐Sigma tools in an Indian industrial environment, where lean practices are still in the very nascent stage and very little literature is available in this context.

The purpose of this study is to assess the lean performance of a tyre manufacturing firm in India. The key objective is to find key strategic and operational decision‐making dimensions for developing effective lean manufacturing environment in a tyre manufacturing organization.

This research is empirical in nature where the opinions of a group of experts of an Indian tyre manufacturing firm were consulted to formulate an interpretive structural model (ISM) of the critical success factors of lean manufacturing implementation in a tyre manufacturing organization. The authors have developed an Excel‐based template for quantitative assessment of lean performance indicators on the basis of feedback from the operational staff.

This research work suggests that financial capability of an organization drives the top‐management commitment for incorporating lean manufacturing practices in a tyre manufacturing organization. Organizational culture and human resource management are the important enablers for developing change management paradigm, which in turn leads to performance improvement. This study also reveals that over‐processing as well as excessive defects are the most detrimental wastes in radial tyre manufacturing, which accounts for high manufacturing cost of radial tyre manufacturing in India.

Since this study is carried out in a single (case) organization, a relatively small sample size restricts the outcome from being considered for generic industrial application. This study none the less is useful for practicing managers and academicians for the development of lean manufacturing strategy in context with the tyre industry since it encompasses insightful views of experienced lower to upper middle level managers.

This paper provides some key enablers for the successful implementation of lean tools in Indian tyre manufacturing, where lean practices are still in the early stage and little literature is available in this context with tyre manufacturing. Also an attempt has been made to develop a simple Excel‐based template for lean assessment in the tyre industry. This template can be used in other industries by simply modifying the key attributes.

This paper aims to use 3D laser sensors to collect high‐density data that are required for defect detection and localization at high‐production rates in manufacturing facilities.

The high‐speed sensors use Ethernet communications to transport large amounts of data and resolve any synchronization issues.

Modern laser sensor technology provides the ability to detect and quantify defects in high‐volume manufacturing, wherever defects are located. Laser line sensors provide high speed, high‐density data for full surface inspection. Synchronization and communications issues are simplified by the FireSync™ platform, making system integration straightforward, and maximizing reliability.

This paper provides detailed 3D data at high speed and uses multiple (binocular) scanners to overcome problems of occlusion.

The purpose of this paper is to formulate a benchmark to increase the tyre curing press production rate while minimizing tyre curing press downtime and maintenance cost with the help of a maintenance management technique based on overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

The methodology is based on determining the OEE of tyre curing press before and after rectifying the causes of failures. The failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) technique is used to find out the root causes of repetitive failures in tyre curing press by using the risk priority number.

A significant change in the value of OEE is observed after rectifying the repetitive failures, which were determined using the FMEA technique. Thus, it is concluded that the OEE and FMEA assist in improving the industrial performance and competitiveness of the production equipment studied.

This study is limited to determining the OEE of single equipment only, not the whole production system. Manufacturing facilities are dependent on the operating environment; therefore a comparison of two different manufacturing plants based on the OEE value would not be justified.

This study can be applied in any tyre manufacturing industry in order to take competitive benefits, such as reduction in equipment downtime, increased production and reduction in maintenance cost.

The angle from which the paper approaches the bottleneck problem in a tyre production line is original for the studied company and shows positives results. It allows the company to apply the same approach in its other production equipment, lines and factories to achieve improvement in industrial performance and competitiveness.

The tendency for communication researchers in the area of crisis management to limit data collection and analysis by national borders consequently limits practitioner understanding of the dynamics of crisis planning and response. The Firestone/Ford tyre recall crisis of 2000‐2001 presents an opportunity to mine data on a massive, global scale in an effort to better understand and explain media and public response at that level. The author analyses media reports gleaned from around the world to suggest ways to incorporate potentially determining factors into crisis planning and response matrices. Those factors include media structure and function, as well as cultural syndromes.

FOLLOWING its acquisition by BTR the aerospace activities of Dunlop have been reorganised and now include the Aviation Division in Coventry the Aircraft Tyres Division in Birmingham, the Precision Rubber Division and Serek Aviation. All manner of design and development work can be undertaken relating to tyres, wheels, brakes, brake management systems and the many hydraulic, pneumatic and electronically controlled systems manufactured by the company. This work is greatly helped by the comprehensive range of testing facilities available and the instrumentation and analysis equipment for a wide variety of aircraft components.

THE major problems concerning aircraft tyre design are the high ground speeds involved, very high braking torques which have to be transmitted, high temperatures which can be generated in the brakes and transferred to the tyres, as well as the stringent weight and space limitations imposed. These problems have all been magnified many times through the years with the great increases of aircraft speed and weight: modern jet airliners having ground speeds of up to 250 m.p.h.

This paper gives a review of the finite element techniques (FE) applied in the area of material processing. The latest trends in metal forming, non‐metal forming, powder metallurgy and composite material processing are briefly discussed. The range of applications of finite elements on these subjects is extremely wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore the aim of the paper is to give FE researchers/users only an encyclopaedic view of the different possibilities that exist today in the various fields mentioned above. An appendix included at the end of the paper presents a bibliography on finite element applications in material processing for 1994‐1996, where 1,370 references are listed. This bibliography is an updating of the paper written by Brannberg and Mackerle which has been published in Engineering Computations, Vol. 11 No. 5, 1994, pp. 413‐55.

Unlike the traditional approach to quality control that is administered by quality inspectors at the end of the production process, the Japanese approach to quality control focuses on building superior quality in the production process through the development of team‐oriented human resource management (HRM) practices. Develops a conceptual model on how HRM functions are integrated into the production system in Japanese firms. The theoretical discussion is supported by empirical reports of how Japanese plants in the USA use team‐oriented HRM policies to control product quality.

Suggests that declining product quality and manufacturers′ social responsibility is of increasing concern to consumers and to manufacturers, who must bear the cost of such faulty practice. Reviews documented cases of poor quality products and matches them with the ethical theories of utilitarianism, universalism, rights, justice and Natural Law. Obligations to stakeholders are examined, and future research suggested.