China Archives - Page 139 of 240 - Tyrepress

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.

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Indian Tyre Shortage Non-Existent, say Tyre Makers

An article printed by India’s DNA indicates that the country’s alleged tyre shortage is actually non-existent. In introducing the topic, DNA comments that while vehicle manufacturers such as Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland have blamed domestic market tyre shortages for their increased reliance upon tyres imported from China, the tyre makers themselves see the situation differently – DNA states that officials from Apollo Tyres, JK Tyres and Ceat all say there is no tyre shortage in India whatsoever. Instead, the issue centres on the vehicle manufacturers’ unwillingness to pay more for domestically produced tyres than they would for those imported from China.

12th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Hosts China Football League Medical Exchange

Football sponsorship, as was witnessed during the World Cup, can give a tyre maker extensive exposure and media coverage. Pirelli is one of a number of firms that has decided to lend its support to the beautiful game, and the Italian company sponsors teams or associations in Italy, Switzerland, South America and China. Its involvement in the last of these regions is through a three-year title sponsorship agreement to Chinese Super League (CSL) – now known as Pirelli’s China Super League – which began in 2009. Recently, to boost the CSL medical team’s competencies in the area of sports injury treatment and rehabilitation, Pirelli arranged for doctors from 16 CSL teams travelled to Italy for a week-long exchange tour.

12th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Shares Rebound on Improved Second Quarter Outlook

Shares in automotive supplier Continental AG “jumped” in response to the company upgrading its predictions for second quarter results on 2 July. While the full audited results for the second quarter and first half of 2010 are not due to be released until 29 July, according to first preliminary figures, unaudited sales for the first half of this year increased by about 38 per cent to approximately 12.5 billion euros compared with 9.063.2 million in 2009. On this basis, adjusted EBIT is expected to amount to at least 1.2 billion euros (2009: 248.8 million).

8th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Deldo Strengthens Budget Portfolio

The frigid winter we all experienced was good news for Deldo Autobanden NV. The Antwerp, Belgium based wholesaler was inundated with requests from unprepared dealers for cold weather tyres, and even in these balmy summer months the memory of Jack Frost is helping propel sales. “We are already having a great winter season,” confirms Deldo’s international sales and marketing manager, Rutger Veerman. “As of June 1 we had already sold 70 per cent of all our winter tyres. This is the first time we have seen people ordering this early in the season; they are doing so because the last winter season was of course cold and people had difficulties finding enough tyres. People are therefore ordering as early as possible to secure some of their winter business.”

8th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

NTDA: Tyre Shortages Mean Price Rises

The National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) and its wholesale arm, the Tyre Wholesalers Group (TWG) have warned that "substantial" price rises are imminent. The core raw material price increase reasons for the shortage are nothing new, but the fact that a number of tyre manufacturers closed factories in recent years means there is now insufficient capacity to make up the shortfalls. In addition the fact that last winter was particularly severe across much of northern Europe led to unprecedented demand for winter tyres. With this year's winter selling season due to begin shortly, manufacturers are replenishing stocks of winter tyres in preparation.

8th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Anti-Dumping Pressure Mounts on Chinese Tyre Makers

Editorial/Comment, International News

While most of the rainbow nation was preparing to welcome people from far and wide to the first World Cup on African turf, the country’s legal eagles were deliberating over whether or not to kick certain Chinese tyres out of the country with an anti-dumping investigation. On 4 June 2010 the South African press reported that the High Court of Pretoria’s Judge Willie Hartzenberg set aside an earlier ruling made in 2007 by the Trade and Industry Ministry (Itac), to terminate anti-dumping probes against Chinese tyre exporters. He further ordered that (Itac) complete an anti-dumping investigation within four months. The judgement was duly lauded as bringing "fair competition" to the tyre manufacturing industry by those who brought the case, namely Bridgestone South Africa, Continental Tyre South Africa, Dunlop Tyres International and Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Holdings through their representative body South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference.

Whether or not the Chinese tyre imports in question can accurately be described as dumping – and it would be prudent to let the courts decide that – the ruling is another sign that products manufactured in the People’s Republic are not the quick and easy sell they once were. As far as tyres are concerned, the combination of increasing natural rubber, oil and steel input prices, combined with an unstable shipping cost context and added to the increasingly inhospitable international trade climate mean the latest decision in South Africa may force some Chinese factories to rethink either the delivery strategy or destinations of their tyres.

7th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

MAI International ‘Guarantees’ Performance

At the recent Reifen tyre show in Essen, Italian company MAI International showed examples of its Maxam range of all-steel radial OTR tyres, designed to cope with the requirements of vehicles working in today's construction, mining and civil engineering industries. And all this comes with the backing of a five-year warranty against manufacturing defects.

The range of tyres consists of a variety of sizes and tread patterns to suit different applications. For example, the MSV01 is designed primarily for on- and off-road use and its construction means minimal road noise and reduced vibration for enhanced operator comfort. The MS201 features an off-road directional tread design and it is said to offer low noise and reduced vibration too. For more demanding and winter/snow applications, the Maxam MS202 SnowXtra tyre is available in 24 and 25-inch rim sizes, suitable for loaders and articulated dumpers. The self-cleaning tread provides excellent winter traction and the cut-resistant compound prolongs service life.

6th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

First Phase of Conti’s China PCR Plant Completed

Some 21 months after breaking ground, Continental has completed the first project phase at its Hefei, China passenger car tyre facility. This milestone was celebrated at a ceremony on July 4, held following the installation of plant machinery. The 70,000 square metre plant has been established through an investment of more than 185 million euros, and Continental states this investment represents part of the company’s Asia growth and expansion strategy.

6th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Work Begins on Nexen PCR Plant

Construction work on Nexen’s newest passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyre factory in South Korea’s Gyeongnam Province has begun following its groundbreaking ceremony on June 24. The 500,000 square metre Changnyeong facility is being built with a 1.2 trillion won (£646 million) investment and Nexen anticipates its output will boost the company’s South Korea and China total to 60 million pieces per annum.

6th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

AP Loader Tyre Launch Sees Starco Move to Include Larger Range

Starco has decided to move further into the industrial segment and onto larger tyre sizes with the launch of its AP Loader XT product. In the past the company has mainly focused on handling tyres and complete wheels for the smaller end of industrial applications – but now, say company representatives “it is time to move on.” The strategy is to become an important player in the market on all industrial tyres – expanding the program from forklift and dumper tyres into the OTR segments with Starco tyres.

As the general trend in the market for OTR tyres continues to move from bias to radial products Starco has opted to develop its range of own brand Starco radial OTR tyres. The first tyres to be introduced were the treads with the most versatile applications otherwise known as the AP Loader XT – AP being short for all purpose, and XT indicating the type of tread pattern.

5th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Alliance ‘Well Placed’ for Global Growth

Between establishing a new factory in India and acquiring assets from GPX in North America, the Alliance Tire Group (ATG) has been busy in the last couple of years. And in terms of new products, this momentum is continuing. At the Reifen 2010 show Tyres & Accessories learned the company originally intended to bring along all the new tyres it’d released in the previous four months. “But then we realised there’d would have been no space on our stand for anything but tyres,” said an Alliance representative. “Our range is growing very fast.”

2nd July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Origo Partners Invests in Chinese Tyre Recycling Company

Investment house Origo Partners Plc paid US$6.65 million for a 20 per cent equity stake in Jinan Eco-Energy Technology Co. Ltd on 25 June. Jinan Eco-Energy, a Chinese waste plastic and scrap-tyre recycling systems provider, designs, develops, markets and operates pyrolisis-type recycling systems that convert scrap tyres into fuel oils and other by-products. According to Origo, the company benefits from proprietary technologies that are either protected by international patents or have patents pending and an experienced management team with significant industry and technical experience. Eco-Energy's systems are provided as turn-key solutions to third party project developers or operated in joint-ventures with selected local partners.

Eco-Energy's technology is already successfully deployed in a commercial scale recycling plant in Taiwan with a processing capacity of 20,000 tonnes of scrap tyres per annum, and the company reportedly has orders from customers in Europe, South East Asia, and China for the delivery in 2010/11 of recycling systems with an aggregate annual processing capacity of 90,000 tonnes of tyre and plastic residue. In addition, Jinan Eco-Energy is said to be co-developing two plants with joint venture partners in China and Germany with an initial aggregate annual production capacity of 30,000 tonnes per annum.

2nd July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Evonik to Close Botlek Carbon Black Plant on 31 July

Evonik has announced that it will close its Botlek, Netherlands carbon black plant on 31 July 2010 as part of a production “realignment” programme. Plans are said to be in place for the site to continue as a supplier of energy to businesses located in the vicinity for the news few years. "While the Botlek facility has always excelled in quality and efficiency, the market has moved away from Northwest Europe. Botlek’s great performance is, unfortunately, not enough to overcome the logistical disadvantage", said Jack Clem, Evonik’s head of Carbon Black.

According to the company, the guiding principle behind the realignment of Evonik's European carbon black production capacities is “closer to the customer.” Their view is that, with the carbon black market in Western Europe is increasingly shifting towards Central Europe and that the main drivers of this change are the major tyre manufacturers and producers of mechanical rubber goods.

2nd July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

“It is not difficult to define CITExpo as a very internationalised show compared to other industry shows”: Fong

With Shanghai's CITExpo 2010 fast approaching, Wilko Fong – managing director of event organiser Reliable International Exhibition Services – gave a question and answer session covering the make-up of the show's exhibitors, its visitors, the focal theme of this year's show, and related events such as the massive Shanghai Expo 2010 and the Automotive Testing Expo, which takes place in the week following CITExpo in Beijing.

1st July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Eighth CITExpo to Open with Chinese Tyre Exports Continuing to Rise

Wilko Fong, the managing director of Reliable International Exhibition Services, is buoyant about the upcoming CITExpo 2010. Suggesting that the recent economic turmoil has come to an end, Fong believes the worldwide economies are on the up and one of the areas in which this has been most prevalent has been the tyre industry, especially in China, which has become the top ranked tyre exporting country. According to export figures released by Chinese customs, Fong continues, in the first quarter of 2010 the quantity and value of exported tyres to Latin America, Europe and Asean has risen from 20 to 40 per cent from the major ports, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin. “We can also observe the recovering market from the enthusiasm of the exhibitors and pre-registered visitors of CITExpo 2010,” he continued.

30th June 2010/by Tyrepress Editors