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.
More than a third of the world’s natural rubber supplies go to meeting demand in China, so it is perhaps fitting that the fourth annual Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) conference is being held there. The one-day conference will take place on November 2 in Haikou City, Hainan Province and will be co-hosted by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and the China Natural Rubber Association.
At Autopromotec Corghi officially announced the opening of the firm’s new school for lifting equipment at the company's plant in Prato di Correggio. The school occupies an area of 2000 square metres where the complete new lift range is on display.
"The school is just one of the steps we have taken as a group to meet the target we set ourselves; to become a leading player in the lifting equipment sector," Cinzia Corghi told Tyres & Accessories. She went on to say that; "To achieve this goal, in the last two years we have taken several opportunities that have presented themselves, which have provided the highly skilled professionals at Corghi with the opportunity to innovate and develop exciting technologies and production methods in order to expand our range of lifting equipment."
A three-day strike at a Kumho tyre factory in China has reportedly ended. Workers allegedly downed tools at Kumho Tire’s Changchun City plant in northeast China in protest against low wages. More than 400 workers agreed upon a return to work last Saturday, a Kumho official told the Shanghai Daily.
Recently Kumho announced the recall of more than 300,000 tyres in China; now it is Hankook Tire’s turn, albeit on a far smaller scale. The Korean manufacturer has recalled 246 Chinese manufactured tyres after national safety authority, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, discovered a fault on June 10. It was found that due to a design or manufacturing fault steel cord protruded through the seams of a number of inspected tyres – a defect that increases the risk of rupturing.
Pelmar Engineering Ltd has announced that its annual conference will take place Israel between 19 until 23 June 2011. The last conference was held from 12 – 13 February 2010 in Koln, Germany; held just after the Tire Technology Expo Cologne. The conference also marks the 45th Anniversary of the Pelmar Group and the change in management with Hagai Peled taking over as CEO from his father, Jacob Peled, who will remain as executive chairman of the group.
The Falken Tyres brand is owned by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, the sixth largest manufacturer in the global tyre ranking with manufacturing facilities across Asia including plants in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and China. It was created in 1983 and was first sold in the US and Europe some years later. While the brand has an active motorsport presence in events such as the prestigious 24 Hours at the Nürburgring, it argues that its knowledge acquired in that arena is transferred immediately to its road tyre R&D team in Japan. Tyres & Accessories interviewed Satoru Ushida, marketing director at Falken Tyre Europe.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber has agreed to sell its global wire business to Hyosung Corporation, pending government and regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The Korean company will pay Goodyear and its affiliates approximately US$50 million for the business, subject to post-closing adjustments. Included in the deal are the tyre reinforcement wire manufacturing plants in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg and Asheboro, North Carolina, which together employ some 600 people. In addition, upon closing the deal Goodyear and Hyosung will sign a multi-year supply agreement. The sale is expected to close in the third quarter of 2011; Goodyear says it doesn’t expect the sale to result in a significant gain or loss.
Less than a month after breaking ground on its Liang Jiang Xin Qu factory in China’s Chongqing region, Hankook Tire has held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new plant in Indonesia. This facility, in Lippo Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java, will become the Korean tyre maker’s seventh global plant. Four production facilities on a 60 hectare site will cater to North American and Middle East export markets and serve as a regional business hub for the emerging Asian market.
At the start of June, Heuver Tyrewholesale began acting as exclusive European distributor for a new private label, the Athlete Wheels truck range. The Chinese-produced brand is initially available in a number of high-demand sizes, such as from 6.75×17.5 to 14.00×22.5-inch, with truck and trailer wheels available for delivery from stock. Company director Bertus Heuver states that further sizes will be introduced during the course of the year. In all, 500 different designs are produced at the factory where Athlete Wheels are produced, a total of ten million units per annum. All Athlete steel wheels are TÜV approved and are ISO9001 certified.
During last month’s 55th China International Trade Fair for Auto-Aftermarket (Automaintech), in Beijing, Corghi’s Artiglio 50 was awarded the best tyre changer exhibited at the show. Automaintech is the most important exhibition in China for Automotive Service Equipment and Corghi participated with its own stand, showing its most technologically advanced machines.
Infinity used the opportunity of the Autopromotec 2011 fair held in Bologna in May to announce that it is developing a new pattern for its UHP range. According to the company, the new design has been in development for the last six months following consultation with what the tyre brand calls “the Infinity family” (its network of dealers and partners) with the aim of getting product feedback. This information is said to have been “fully incorporated in this new size and pattern development.”. The pattern is also said to feature a number of new sizes.
China’s Aeolus Tyre Co., Ltd will reportedly enter a joint venture with four other parties. The tyre maker is said to be investing RMB 40 million (£3.8 million) in the joint venture, a figure that will give it a 40 per cent share. China National Tire & Rubber Corporation will hold a 35 per cent share while a Shanxi-based tyre company, a Guilin-based rubber company, and a Qingdao-based conveyor company will respectively have a ten, ten and five stake in the joint venture company. According to Reuters, the joint venture will deal in the international trade, processing, import and export of products, technologies and equipment.
According to news from Asia, Pirelli intends to develop its factory in China’s Shandong Province into the largest facility it operates anywhere in the world. Singapore’s The Business Times quotes Pirelli Asia-Pacific CEO Giuseppe Cattaneo as stating “China is going to become the main production plant for all our Asia-Pacific markets. This is absolutely confirmed. It (the Yanzhou factory) is getting bigger and bigger. I believe in a short while, it will be the biggest Pirelli production plant in the world.”
In pursuit of the Italian garage equipment brand’s international intentions, Corghi has released details of the development strategy the firm is pursuing. According to Corghi representatives, the plan centres on so-called BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India and China) as the main guideline for growth. And for this reason the company reports it is making “significant investment in both the manufacturing and commercial side” of the business, investments that are said to be “already starting to bear fruit.”
GITI Tire has appointed Richard Lyons to the position of general manager Europe as part of a series of moves that sees the firm implement a new organisational structure for its European operations. The structure, which took effect 1 May 2011, has been established following the departure of Michael Andre in March. Andre previously held the role of marketing director for passenger car tyres Europe and was managing director of the company’s Giti Tire Germany GmbH Deutschland subsidiary. Hervé Richert, GITI’s executive director, international sales and marketing described the new-look team a “direct consequence of GITI Tire Europe’s growth of business over recent years.” Writing in a statement detailing the reshuffle, he explained that it also follows the company’s “clearly defined strategy of building on strong relationships with its partners and customers with a focus on key markets in Europe and emerging markets” such as CIS and Russia.
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