Now one of the largest tyre-producing countries in the world, China has an indisputable influence on the direction of global tyre trade. The home of both fast-growing up-and-coming brands as well as a burgeoning domestic market, this tag chronicles China’s involvement with the tyre business.
In recognition of the company’s global commitment to road safety, Michelin has received the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award at the inaugural Decade of Action for Road Safety Policy & Donor Forum, which was held in New York on 2 May.
Triangle Tyre Company has become the latest company to join Europe’s Imported Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ITMA). The association offers timelier access to technical, legislative and market information, helping tyre-makers to operate more effectively within the region. The company’s membership means that ITMA’s 16 members include the top five tyre manufacturers in China in terms of turnover. Triangle is the association’s sixth new member in the last year and a half; a fact ITMA says reflects the growing weight of regulations.
Fan Rende, chairman of the China Rubber Industry Association, shares that China has launched a plan to develop ‘green’ tyres. The plan calls for half of China’s tyre makers to be capable of manufacturing fuel-efficient tyres by the end of the country’s current five year guideline in December 2015, and for half of these tyre makers’ output to be green tyres by the same date.
Sales at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company during first quarter of 2012 were a record for the period, the US tyre maker claims. Announcing the company’s results for the opening three months of the year, Goodyear chairman and CEO Richard J. Kramer commented “I'm pleased with our results as our businesses posted solid operating income.”Our teams delivered these results in the face of a difficult volume environment and high raw material costs, with a strong focus on price/mix.
If you were to look back on the rising presence of Chinese tyres in recent times, you’d be mistaken for thinking manufacturers in the People’s Republic view the world as their oyster and the future as all good. Yet tyre makers in China are not insulated from the economic troubles we’ve experienced since 2008. Last year, China’s economic growth slowed and imports are currently increasing at a greater rate than exports. On top of all this, China is now home to more than 500 tyre manufacturers. And while the top ten Chinese tyre makers together hold 30 per cent of the domestic market, most companies are small and many have product mix and quality issues. In light of these economic conditions and a crowded playing field, a number of larger Chinese firms realise they need to adapt in order to continue prospering. Specifically, they recognise the necessity of investing in quality.
The organisers of Singapore tyre and equipment show Tyrexpo Asia have reported a fast start to exhibitor bookings for its 2013 exhibition. By mid-April, 11 months before the show gets underway, more than 62 per cent of space in Hall 2 of the Singapore Expo Centre has been reserved as regular exhibitors and new suppliers attending the bi-annual event for the first time confirmed their presence. Tyrexpo Asia veterans Stamford Tyres, YHI Corporation, Elgi Rubber, Omni United and BKT have secured prominent gateway stands in the main entrance area. Joining them will be Indian tyre manufacturer CEAT, who return to the show for the first time since 2007. The show will take place at the Singapore Expo Centre on 19-21 March 2013.
Yokohama Rubber is participating at Auto China 2012, which opens to the public in Beijing on 25 April. At the show it will emphasise the company’s new slogan for China – Drive Transformation – and will attempt to improve the recognition of its various brands. Yokohama will also display its BluEarth AE-01 passenger car tyre for the first time in China; the AE-01 will be released there in China in July.
Great Wall Motor Company reports that it has become the first Chinese marque to get its cars on sale in UK. The first from the firm to land on these shores is the Steed pick-up on sale now, priced from £13,998 (CVOTR) and it comes with 16-inch alloy wheels as standard. Earlier this year another Chinese OEM, Geely, announced its plans to market vehicles in the UK.
Infinity has announced that it will hold the European launch of its new tyre range at Reifen 2012. The tyres will be unveiled to a select international audience of dealers and journalists in May during Infinity’s Partners Day celebrations, taking place in Beijing, China, before Infinity takes its new tyres – details of which have yet to be revealed – at Europe’s largest tyre expo, held at Messe Essen in early June.
Goodyear's 2012 annual shareholder meeting was held on 17 April at the company’s headquarters in Akron, and chairman and CEO Rich Kramer told those in attendance that he was “pleased” with the tyre-maker’s 2011 performance, outlining the company’s “strategy roadmap”, Tire Review reports. Pointing to record sales of $22.8 billion and record segment operating income, Kramer said, “What is most gratifying is that our record results across all global businesses were achieved in the midst of continued economic uncertainty around the world through successful execution of our strategy. Our ‘strategy roadmap’ is the foundation for decisions on every aspect of the business, from marketing and product development to investment and team building.”
The greatest environmental impact associated with the tyre life cycle occurs during the tyre’s on-road use, and therefore rolling resistance and the role it plays in fuel consumption is an increasing focus for tyre makers and consumers. Yet important as it may be, rolling resistance is only one of a number of factors that require consideration during the development of a ‘green’ tyre.
Recent growth in European market sales across both the passenger car and radial truck tyre sectors has led to an upgrade of the Sailun’s tyre logistics strategy.
According to the company, in order to meet increased demand and to maintain service level agreements and delivery standards, Sailun has opened a new enhanced warehousing facility next to its Qingdao research, development, testing and manufacturing centre.
According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, last year the country spent RMB 861 billion (£85.7 billion) on research and development, a figure equal to 1.83 per cent of its gross domestic product. One area of investment was work towards establishing around 100 ‘National Engineering Laboratories’ that will specialise in facilitating innovation in a range of industries. The interests of China’s tyre industry will be served by a dedicated laboratory, and in August 2011 China’s government appointed the Triangle Group the host company for a joint-funded facility, the National Engineering Laboratory for Radial Tire Design and Manufacturing Technologies (NEL). At the Triangle Group’s 2012 Global Automotive and Tire Industry Forum & Business Summit, held in Beijing on 11 April, NEL associate director Harry Gong explained the laboratory’s purpose in greater detail.
Nico Rosberg has stamped his name on the 2012 Formula One season with a dominant weekend in China, during which Pirelli says the Mercedes driver managed his allocation of the P Zero White medium tyre and P Zero Yellow soft tyre perfectly. With Ross Brawn behind him – as he was for teammate, Michael Schumacher’s seven Championship titles – Rosberg is now firmly marked out as a contender, claiming pole position by half a second, and taking his debut victory over 20 seconds ahead of the pursuing McLarens of Jensen Button and Lewis Hamilton. Both British drivers showed masterful use of pit stops and tyre compounds as Button, Hamilton and Mark Webber all passed defending champion Sebastian Vettel, who used a two-stop strategy, on fresher sets of P Zero White medium tyres.
Pirelli has taken its P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero White medium tyres to China for the forthcoming Grand Prix weekend, and it looks likely that the softer tyre will provide drivers with around 0.6 seconds per lap following Friday practice. Mercedes driver, Michael Schumacher used the P Zero Yellow to set the fastest time of the day during the second session, setting a time of 1:35:973 on his first flying lap. Pirelli said this display underlines the rapid warm-up of the soft compound.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
