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 22 February Mesnac signed a strategic agreement with Rockwell Automation in Beijing. Yu Mingjin, vice president of Mesnac, and Bob Buttermore, managing director of Rockwell Automation Greater China, signed the agreement on behalf of the two respective companies.
At the beginning of November Sailun Jinyu International (SJI) appointed Gareth Passmore as its president for Europe. He replaced Martin West, who has been appointed global president of the SJI Speciality Tire Group. Passmore, who started on 1 December 2016, is now responsible for all operations throughout Europe across all of the Sailun Jinyu Group brand portfolio – Sailun, Jinyu, Black Lion and Rovelo. Passmore brings with him over 25 years of tyre industry experience, including time with Continental, Apollo (in South Africa) and latterly with Sumitomo Rubber Industries where he headed up the Falken brand’s European export operations. During a recent brand and winter tyre product demonstration event in Sweden, Tyres & Accessories caught up with Passmore and at the same time we were introduced to Sailun’s ambitious goal of becoming a top 10 tyre manufacturer in the years to come.
ExxonMobil has started construction on a multi-million dollar expansion of its Shanghai technology centre in China. The expansion is expected to be complete in early 2018 and will include a new R&D facility.
Following the US International Trade Commission (ITC)’s decision not to place import tariffs on China truck tyres, Chinese officials have welcomed the news. The ITC determination was made on 22 February 2017 on the basis that tyres from China “did not materially injure or threaten to damage the US industry”, and that no anti-dumping or countervailing duties would be imposed on those products.
In a 3-2 vote, the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) yesterday determined that the US tyre industry hasn’t been materially injured by imports of truck and bus tyres from China, nor is it threatened by these imports. The US Department of Commerce previously determined that these imported tyres are subsidised and are sold in the United States at less than fair value.
Tyrexpo Asia’s organisers have welcomed China Rubber Industry Association (CRIA) as its official supporting association. Established in 1985, CRIA has over 1,200 existing members in the Chinese tyre and rubber sector. CRIA describes itself as “an industrial organization that is trans-regional, trans-department and trans-ownership.
The European Commission has chosen to maintain the 22.3 per cent anti-dumping duty applied to aluminium wheels imported from the Peoples’ Republic of China, a decision that has been criticised by Chinese authorities.
Sailun is increasing prices of its commercial truck, passenger and light truck tyres by between 5 and 8 per cent in North America. The increase went into effect 1 January 2017.
Trelleborg is a Deutz-Fahr China ‘2016 Excellent Supplier’. It gained this accolade on 13 January at a meeting of suppliers organised by Deutz-Fahr Machinery Company Ltd in Linyi, China. The award was received on behalf of the tyre maker by Sandy Luo, senior sales and marketing manager at Trelleborg Agricultural and Forestry Tire in China.
Titan International’s final injury hearing before the US International Trade Commission (ITC) took place on 4 January, and today the company will file a post hearing brief. The off-road tyre specialist says it “remains optimistic” that the ITC will issue a final affirmative determination in these cases.
The Arlanxeo synthetic rubber joint venture opened a new facility in China last month. Called the Rubber Technology Centre, the premises within the Changzhou National Hi-Tech District contains five labs and brings together its testing, mixing and production capabilities under one roof. With the new facility, Arlanxeo aims to position itself as an end-to-end technology platform leading the industry.
Qingdao, China-based Doublestar Tire recently announced that it has launched an aramid-reinforced puncture-sealing passenger car tyre under the Crossleader brand.
Qingdao Doublestar’s machinery division is a regular exhibitor at the RubberTech exhibition in Shanghai and the 2016 edition was no different for the factory equipment supplier. However, while the Reifen China exhibition was taking place in the neighbouring hall to RubberTech, Doublestar’s tyre manufacturing operation was hosting its “PCR Tire Industry 4.0 Intelligent Factory Completion & Safe Tire Global Strategy Conference” on 3 December in Qingdao, Shandong Province.
When Reifen China 2016 opened the doors of the Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre on the 1 December, it was immediately apparent that several significant changes are afoot in the Chinese tyre show sector. As the name suggests, Reifen China has always been organised by Messe Essen in partnership with China United Rubber Company (CURC) and co-located with CURC’s always-well-attended RubberTech. But next year that will change and the Reifen name has been licensed to Messe Frankfurt for use alongside its Automechanika Shanghai show. This move, which began as a ripple-effect emanating from the Reifen versus The Tire, Cologne competition that has been going on in Germany, has caused repercussions as far away as China. As a result CURC (the exhibition firm behind RubberTech and Messe Essen/Reifen China’s former partner) will also be launching a new tyre event in 2017.
Dongying Fangxing Rubber Co., Ltd. was founded in 2000 in Shandong Province’s Guangrao county. According to the company, Fangxing is one of the national top 100 companies in Shandong Province. The firm’s tyre factory covers an area of 600,000 square metres and has over 2000 employees, including 200 technical personnel. The firm describes itself as “a new enterprise specialising in tyre research and development, manufacture and sales -with 2 billion yuan of fixed assets”.
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