Westlake elevated to flagship Hangzhou ZhongCe brand

At a gala dinner held during the week of the Reifen 2012 show, Ge Gurong, vice-president of ZhongCe Rubber, unveiled the tyre maker’s short-term plans for the Westlake brand. Mr. Ge told European Westlake dealers the decision has been made “with immediate effect” to end pattern sharing amongst Hangzhou ZhongCe’s different tyre brands, and from this time forward Westlake will be promoted as the company’s flagship brand.

“Future developments – including those already on the way to accommodate the requirements of the European tyre labelling – will favour the Westlake brand,” said Mr. Ge. “It will favour it not only in terms of product performance, modernity and quality, but also in enhanced distribution channelling and marketing. New technology will first be applied to Westlake tyres before it is used in other Hangzhou ZhongCe brands.

“Through active marketing and a selection of distributors, which are not only leaders in their respective markets, but adhere to a strict distribution model, Westlake is set to become a brand that guarantees a respectable profit margin for the whole food chain,” the vice-president continued.

Mr. Ge concluded by commenting that Hangzhou ZhongCe “needs to be more than a source for cheap tyres” and that the company’s investments in “a modern and somewhat westernised corporate culture” will lead to the tyre maker developing a “distinct corporate identity with a well-recognised brand identity” based on social and environmental responsibility.