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.
On 6 March, the authorities of Hefei City, Anhui Province, released reported that they they had reached a consensus with Giti headquarters on relocating the Hefei factory. The chairman of Giti Tire will go to Hefei soon to inspect the address of the new factory.
Zodo Tire recently acquired Kaixuan Rubber. An employee of Zodo Tire confirmed the acquisition to Tyrepress China but did not disclose the specific amount of the transaction.
Tyre cord manufacturer Xingda and Continental Group recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement at Xingda Steel Tyre Cord (Thailand) Co. Ltd. Details of what is involved in the agreement remain to be seen at this stage, but Xingda representatives report that the cooperation includes improving the supplier management services in Europe.
Sentury Tire confirms that Xu Huashan no longer holds the positions of chief financial officer and director within the company. The decision to dismiss Ms Xu was taken during a meeting of Sentury’s Board of Directors on 20 February.
In recent years, authorities in many regions of China have put waste tyre recycling on their agenda. Recycling waste tyres is a reusable resource that aligns with China’s current green and sustainable development policy and can bring profits to tyre companies. Tyrepress China notes that ZC Rubber, Linglong, Doublestar and other tyre manufacturers have begun to lay out their plans in this industry. For example, in December 2022, Linglong Anhui Manufacturing Base announced that it was preparing to launch a project to recycle 30,000 tons of waste tyres annually and its feasibility study provides numerous insights into the development of the wider Chinese tyre recycling business.
The new, full-electric Smart #1 is the first Smart model developed by the joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Chinese carmaker Geely. Launch photos released by Smart Europe last year let the Continental cat out of the tyre supply bag, and Continental has now confirmed worldwide supply for the SUV in 18” & 19” tyre sizes.
On 20 February 2023, Michelin held the opening ceremony for its new China headquarters office building in Shanghai. Joan Valadou, Consul General of France in Shanghai, Ye Fei, President of Michelin China, and others attended the event. The new headquarters of Michelin China is located in Changning District, started construction in September 2022 and was completed in January 2023.
Following the departure of Sentury’s Spain factory project’s general manager, Warren Rudman, Sentury’s senior executives have taken up the reins of Sentury Tire (Spain), according to local business publication Economia Digital Galicia.
Sentury’s revenue and net profit in 2022 increased year-on-year. The tyre manufacturer’s annual report shows that last year’s revenue was 6.29 billion yuan (about £760 million; €860 million), an increase of 21.53 per cent. Net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies was 800 million yuan (approximately £97 million; €1.1 billion), an increase of 6.3 per cent.
On 16 February, Marco Polo International Italy S.r.l. (Marco Polo) stated that “Sinochem does not have any plan to sell its stake in Pirelli”. Marco Polo is Pirelli’s largest shareholder, holding a 37.01 per cent stake in the tyre maker. The ownership of Marco Polo belongs to China National Tyre & Rubber Co., Ltd (CNRC) under Sinochem Holdings.
ZC Rubber has launched a line of passenger car tyres developed for electric vehicles. Initially available only in the tyre maker’s home market of China, EV Pro products feature “notably reduced rolling noise” and “increased fuel efficiency” as well as “improved grip performance” for EVs. The tyre maker says it will soon introduce more EV tyre options for global markets.
The European passenger car and light truck tyre (PCLT) import market recovered substantially from its bout of Long Covid in the second half of 2022 as the benefits of local versus remote production took an unexpected hit. A perfect storm of significantly lower freight costs and high European energy costs nudged the dial on the relative competitiveness of imports and domestic PCLT tyre production in the second half of 2022. Looking at the European PCLT tyre market through the prism of imports, leading sector analyst Astutus Research shares with Tyres & Accessories its data demonstrating the effects of a rapidly changing market context. The latest Astutus Research briefing, ‘Supply Dynamics in the European PCLT Tire Industry to 2028’, priced at £995 is available now on Tyrepress.
At the end of January, three Chinese tyre companies released their 2022 performance forecasts, which show that Aeolus and Linglong are in profit, but reveal huge losses at Doublestar.
On 13 January, Huai’an Customs issued an administrative penalty decision to Jiangsu Hankook Tire Co., Ltd. The subject of the penalty involved 271,000 yuan (approximately £32,500, €36,900) in tax underpayment. The penalty document issued by Huai’an Customs shows that Jiangsu Hankook failed to truthfully declare the price of bonded materials during the process of declaring to the customs.
Russia and its friends within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will soon extend the scope of anti-dumping duties applied to truck tyres from China to counter instances of duty avoidance. The EAEU’s Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) issued an announcement to this effect on 1 February 2023.
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Anhui Giti
Zodo Tire
Xingda
Imthaz Ahamed; Unsplash
Michelin
Narcisa Aciko; Pexels
Sentury
Astutus Research
Austin Diste; Unsplash
Hankook