Reifen China opens in Shanghai

The sixth Reifen China show has opened at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, with two neighbouring halls housing RubberTech China 2012 simultaneously. It is expected that the show will attract around 10,000 visitors over its three days, before wrapping up on Friday 16 November. Large stands near the entrance for leading Chinese manufacturers such as Double Coin, Shandong Linglong, Hangzhou Zongce and Cooper Chengshan greet the visitor, while less familiar and almost brand new names mingle with visiting stands from India (Apollo) and Europe (Deldo, Interstate and Profil) in the rest of the hall. Joint organisers Messe Essen – responsible for Germany's market-leading Reifen show – and the China United Rubber Corporation welcomed visitors on the first day; the latter's general manager Ma Junhua said that Reifen China's "six years of previous success" was "inseperable" from the support of visitors and exhibitors.

Chairman and CEO of Messe Essen Frank Thorwirth said that the increasing support for the show from Europe is a sign of its “growing internationality”, though Tyres & Accessories noted the high proportion of domestic visitors, while the vast majority of exhibitors T&A spoke to suggested the primacy of Asian market interest. Nevertheless, as Thorwirth noted, Reifen China takes place “in the middle of one of the most attractive markets in the tyre sector”, and – as a visitor to the show from a major UK wholesaler put it – interest in upcoming Chinese factories’ developments in Europe has been further piqued by the surprising label ratings claimed by some very new players in the sector.

Alongside the stands in the halls, the RubberTech China 2012 Forum helped to provide an outlook of the latest developments of the market, including expert speakers such as Hui Jing, product manager at Bekaert, talking through general trends of steel cord development in radial tyres and VMIchairman and CEO Harm Voortman, who focused on tyre production methods.