China Archives - Page 183 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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Update: TGI Opens China Office

Tire Group International (TGI) has just opened a new office in Qingdao, China. Heading it will be Jing Dong Ling, formerly a quality and mixing engineer with Yellow Sea Tire. Mr. Ling brings over 10 years of experience and knowledge from the quality control side of the tyre building process and will be overseeing all of TGI’s private label production coming out of China (Cosmo, Luna and Industar).

“We are now building three private labels in China. The addition of Mr. Ling will ensure that TGI’s quality standards are being met and that our supply chain is being supervised directly at the source,” said Tony Gonzalez, Tire Group International Chief Executive Officer. “We expect this move will help us better serve our distributors throughout the world with more consistent quality.”

4th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Over 170 Exhibitors Confirmed for Automechanika Thailand

Automechanika Thailand, the leading international trade fair for the automotive parts, components and aftermarket industry in Thailand, opens next week from 6 – 9 March 2008 at the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Centre, Bangkok. This year’s event will be officiated by Mr. Chakramon Pasukvanich, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Industry, Thailand. The presence of national government officials emphasizes the strong support the event has received from a number of organisations throughout Thailand and from around the world, mainly as it is being held in one of the fastest growing regions in the world for the automotive sector.

Over 170 exhibitors from 14 countries and regions have confirmed their participation, including Australia, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the USA. A number of the international brands will be showcasing parts & systems, accessories & tuning, repair & maintenance, IT & management and service station & car wash equipment products at the fair.

4th March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Rhodia Forms Company to Build & Operate China Plant

Rhodia has formed a new company to manage the construction and subsequent operation of the new silica facility it has planned for China. Details of the Qingdao facility, the second Rhodia will operate in the city, were initially disclosed last November.

The new legal entity is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rhodia, to be known as RSQC (Rhodia Silica Qingdao Chengyang). The company will have an initial share capital of approximately 16 million euros. The Qingdao plant is expected to commence operations in July 2009, and will focus on producing highly dispersible silica for the rapidly growing energy-efficient tyre market. The facility will be constructed using a modular design to enable its easy expansion.

Rhodia already operates seven precipitated silica plants around the world. These are located in France, Italy, Venezuela, Brazil, Korea, China and the USA.

3rd March 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Tire International Ops Up 29% in Record 4Q Results

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has reported net income of $51 million for the fourth quarter of 2007, ended 31 December. Income from continuing operations increased $67 million from a loss of $28 million for the same period last year. The substantial earnings improvement was accompanied by a new record of $765 million in sales for the quarter, a 7 per cent increase over the same period last year. During the quarter, the Company reported a $26.5 million gain on the sale of the operations of the Oliver Rubber Company and explained that it received net cash proceeds of $66 million.

The Company’s International Tire Operations reported sales of $228 million in the quarter, an increase of 29 per cent compared with the fourth quarter of 2006. The segment’s operating profit improved by $8.6 million to $3.8 million from a fourth quarter loss of $4.8 million the previous year. This increase was said to have been driven by higher unit volumes and pricing. For the total year, operating profit for the segment improved to $29 million, a $19 million increase over the same period last year.

29th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook Europe Names Hee-Se Ahn VP Sales & Marketing

Hankook Tire Europe has elected Hee-Se Ahn (48) as Vice-President of Sales & Marketing for the tyre manufacturer’s European regional headquarters, located in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt/Germany. He succeeds Byeong-Jin Lee who has moved to a new management position at the group’s headquarters in Seoul/Korea. Mr Ahn’s responsibilities will include successfully integrating the company’s new 500 million euro Hungarian production plant into its future European marketing strategy.

29th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear to Invest $1 Billion Dalian, China Tyre Plant

Goodyear is reportedly close to investing over $1 billion in the construction of a tyre manufacturing facility near Dalian. The mayor of Dalian, Xia Deren, told the Reuters news agency that the city’s government had finalised an investment plan and would sign an agreement shortly.

According to the report, Goodyear is planning to build a plant in the Beishan area and hire more than 2,000 employees for a factory that would sell both domestically and for export. Goodyear representatives told Tyres & Accessories that they were aware of the reports, but didn’t give any further details.

28th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear: Dalian $1 Billion Tyre Factory Report ‘Inaccurate’

Following reports that Goodyear was about to sign an agreement to invest a 10-figure sum in a production plant in Dalian, China, Goodyear has responded to Tyres & Accessories with the following statement. According to Keith Price, Goodyear’s National Media Relations Director: “Dalian is already an important location for Goodyear and further investments in that location are possible, however we continue to explore opportunities in Asia and Dalian is one of them.”

According to Price, Goodyear is not currently in a position to invest the huge figure Reuters reported: “$1 billion in one plant in less than several years is an impossibility for Goodyear. We will make the appropriate announcements once any decisions have been finalized.”

“We also are continuing to evaluate strategic investments in high-value-added and low-cost capacity in Eastern Europe and Asia,” the statement continued, adding: “As indicated in Goodyear’s fourth quarter investor conference call, the company remains committed and on track to reduce our net debt, improve our cash flow and achieve our next stage metrics.”

28th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Chinese Court Enforces Bridgestone Patent Infringement Ruling

On February 27 Bridgestone publicly released details of a recent patent infringement case in China. A Beijing court has ruled in favour of Bridgestone Corporation in a patent infringement case against Chaoyang Long March Tyre Co., Ltd, the Liaoning Province based manufacturer of the Long March brand of truck tyres.

After it came to Bridgestone’s attention that the design of certain Long March truck and bus radials may infringe the tyre major’s patented intellectual property, the company commenced legal action against Long March in December 2006. The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court presided over the proceedings, and upon deliberation, ruled in favour of Bridgestone in March 2007. Long March Tyre was ordered to stop manufacturing and selling the infringing products, and to pay damages to Bridgestone. As Long March Tyre did not file an appeal, the ruling became effective.

27th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Wins Right to Block Counterfeit Tyre Sales in Japan

Yokohama Rubber has won the right to prevent a particular tyre bearing more than a passing resemblance to its DNA S.drive high performance tyre from being sold in Japan. On January 18 the Tokyo Customs Office accepted Yokohama’s application for an import injunction against the counterfeit tyres on the basis that these products infringed Yokohama Rubber’s design rights. As a result, all customs offices in Japan will henceforth prohibit the import of any such product.

27th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Martin Krämer New Lanxess CFO for China and Hong Kong

Martin Krämer, currently head of the Lanxess Group Function Treasury, is to be the specialty chemicals group’s new CFO for Greater China. Krämer, aged 41, will begin the Shanghai based position on April 1, 2008. In this function, which in future will also include responsibility for Hong Kong, Krämer will continue to report to Lanxess CFO Matthias Zachert. The successor to Krämer as head of the Group Function Treasury, effective March 1, 2008 is Christoph Koch, currently head of the Corporate Finance department within this Group Function. The present CFO in China, Marc Horn, is returning to Group headquarters in Leverkusen to take up new duties.

27th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Smuggled Tyres ‘Don’t Impede’ Premium Tyre Sales

The market for smuggled car tyres in Pakistan, particularly in the city of Lahore, is said to be “considerably expanding,” according to local news reports. However, contrary to earlier news coverage, The International News reports that this business is not affecting sales of branded tyres. Instead sales of branded products are said to be “increasing at the same pace as that of smuggled tyres.

The smuggled tyres are being sold side by side with branded tyres in the biggest market in the city, the Bahadur Shah Market, near Urdu Bazaar. Here, dealers generally make 20 to 30 per cent profit on each smuggled tyre.

25th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

GPX To Close Canada Factory

OTR, industrial and specialty tyre manufacturer GPX International Tire Corporation has disclosed its intention to cease operations at its solid tyre production facility in Mississauga, Canada and “consolidate its solid tyre manufacturing operations in Gorham, Maine and Xingtai, China.” This planned closure and consolidation is part of the company’s overall plan to rationalise its wholly owned manufacturing facilities, said GPX in a statement. These plans will see North American operations focusing on specialty products whilst the plant in China will produce the “longer run commodity type” products.

22nd February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Aircraft Starts Work on China Retreading Facility

Dunlop Aircraft Tyres, the world’s only specialist aircraft tyre manufacturer, today announced it has begun preliminary ground work investigations and held a traditional stone-laying ceremony on the site of its new retreading facility in China. The move follows the agreement of terms and signing of a contract between joint venture partners Dunlop Aircraft Tyres (63%), Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO) (28%) and Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (TAECO) (9%).

Birmingham, UK-based Dunlop Aircraft Tyres will be the majority partner at the new facility in Jinjiang, Fujian Province. It is due be operational early next year as Dunlop Taikoo (Jinjiang) Aircraft Tyres Limited.

21st February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

First Pictures Inside Nexen’s $170 million China Factory

The first images of the new Nexen factory in China, which started production at the end of 2007, have now been revealed. According to company representatives, the new plant is one of the largest single tyre factories in China and follows a commitment by Nexen to invest £87 million ($170m) over three years including the construction of a new R&D centre which is now underway. State of the art technology has been selected for the new plant, which is designed to increased productivity through improved workflow.

21st February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

CMA States its Case on Duty Investigation

Double Coin/CMA issued the following statement regarding the preliminary determination of the US Department of Commerce in its the investigation of potential countervailing/anti-dumping of OTR tyres manufactured in China.

“Double Coin/CMA feels strongly against the recent ruling as it pertains to their Radial OTR products. We have been involved in the investigation since its inception, presenting data as a manufacturer and an importer of record to the ITC/DOC. We did so because Double Coin adamantly knew that it does not dump product into the US or any country. We knew the facts would be revealed. After the ITC’s initial phase of investigation, Double Coin was not selected as a mandatory organisation to be reviewed by the DOC.

20th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors