Work begins on Marangoni-equipped Sri Lanka tyre plant

Tomorrow the foundation stone will be laid for a new tyre making facility in Sri Lanka that utilises Marangoni technology. The plant belongs to Rigid Tyre Corporation (Pvt.) Ltd. and will be built at a cost of LKR 11.25 billion (£60.1 million). The company says the factory to arise on a 100 acre site at the BOI Industrial Zone in Horana will be “commissioned to manufacture the whole gamut of tyres that roll on the roads, and off it.”

In a statement, Rigid Tyre Corporation states that its “main business intention is to capitalise on the European market,” adding that “the impetus to do so and the head start comes from Marangoni, the technical collaborators of this venture.” The company says all Rigid Tyre products will bear the “Licensed by Marangoni” tag. In addition to passenger car and truck/bus radials, Rigid Tyre Corporation has expressed an intention to produce tyres for two and three wheel vehicles as well as off-the-road tyres. Other rubber products, such as conveyor belts for the mining industry, are also under consideration.

Rigid Tyre Corporation is a venture driven by Ceylon Steel Corporation chairman Nandana Lokuwithana. The Marangoni connection follows the Italian manufacturer’s cessation of car tyre production in Rovereto in 2014. Last July, Marangoni described the project in question as a “transfer of technology to a Sri Lanka-based investor – Ceylon Steel Corporation – discussed as part of a possible joint venture in the passenger car tyre sector.”