China’s Haohua Tire building export-oriented plant in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan newspaper Daily FT reports that Chinese tyre maker Shandong Haohua Tire Co. Ltd. intends to build a factory in the country and produce both car and truck tyres there for export markets. The plant will be located on a 121 acre (49 hectare) site near the major port of Hambantota. Haohua Tire anticipates exporting its first tyres from the plant within three years.

According to Daily FT, Haohua Tire aims for annual production of nine million tyres in the project’s initial phase. We can thus assume that first-phase plans centre upon passenger car tyre production capacity. The project will directly create almost 2,000 jobs.

Haohua Tire describes itself as “one of the largest private tyre manufacturers in China” and employs around 6,000 people at two TBR factories and one PCR plant. These factories in Weifang have the capacity to manufacture 20 million car tyres and 5.5 million truck tyres a year, with output sold under the Lanvigator, Aplus, Compasal and Royal Black brand names.