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.
Dr Hongwei Li, general manager and chief engineer of the Tire Technology Alliance, has a history of working with premium brand tyres, and the labels displayed on her relatively young company's tyres at Reifen China seem to suggest an advanced level of tyre technology. Dr Li was promoting two relatively new brands belonging to Qingdao-based TTA; Primmax and Arcron at the show, alongside two "world premieres" for the company.
The sixth Reifen China show took place at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre on 14-16 November, with two neighbouring halls housing RubberTech China 2012 simultaneously on an exhibition area of 11,500 square metres in total. Representing an increased number of nations, exhibitor stands included large displays near the entrance for leading Chinese manufacturers such as Double Coin, Shandong Linglong, Techking, Hangzhou Zhongce and Cooper Chengshan, while less familiar and almost brand new names mingled with visiting stands from India (Apollo) and Europe (Deldo, Interstate and Profil) in the rest of the hall. Joint organisers Messe Essen – responsible for Germany's market-leading Reifen show – and the China United Rubber Corporation welcomed visitors on the first day; the latter's general manager Ma Junhua said that Reifen China's "six years of previous success" was "inseparable" from the support of visitors and exhibitors. Overall, 112 exhibitors from 15 nations – newly including Poland and Russia – were present at Reifen China showing tyres, wheels and garage equipment.
Yokohama Rubber’s Suzhou site in China’s Jiangsu Province has been given the ‘Forever Forest’ treatment. As part of the Forever Forest Project, which was first launched in 2007, some 5,000 trees were planted at the Suzhou site. Around 250 people, including Koichi Tanaka, chairman and president of Yokohama Rubber (China) Co., Ltd., and Shigeru Nakano, president of Suzhou Yokohama Tire, took part in the planting activities.
Maxxis International has held a grand opening ceremony attended by nearly 400 domestic dignitaries and overseas partners for its new Maxxis Proving Ground in Kunshan City, directly adjacent to the company’s Shanghai manufacturing plant. The 860,000sqm comprehensive testing facility is estimated to have cost more than US$150 million, and is thought to be the first proving ground on such a large and all-encompassing scale in China. Cheng Shin Rubber Ind. Co., Ltd., doing business as Maxxis International, calls its new testing facility the country’s “first international standard proving ground”. Backing up this claim, Tyres & Accessories/Tyrepress.com was informed at the opening that at least one European original equipment manufacturer – Mercedes – had given Maxxis input into the facilities required at the proving ground to continue to build its OE supply, while a construction firm from Japan was consulted, though it was built by the Chinese.
British automotive success story Jaguar Land Rover is to produce Jaguar and Land Rover branded vehicles in China via its joint venture with Chery Automobile Company Ltd. The two companies laid the foundation stone for their new manufacturing facility in China on 18 November 2012 following formal approval from the Chinese Government for their joint venture and a licence to manufacture Jaguar Land Rover vehicles and new models for a partnership brand in China.
Qingdao's Fullrun Tyre Corp is spending its time at Reifen China 2012 introducing new models to its range of tyres, some of which are distributed in the UK through Micheldever, Kings Road Tyres and Malvern Tyres' King David Tyres. The latest Fullrun-branded products on the stand are the F6000 passenger car high performance tyre, which it says it plans to distribute to King David, and the new TB1000 truck pattern. Autogrip also has the AG66 PCR, which Fullrun says will be distributed by Micheldever in the UK. According to the company's representatives, 90 per cent of its Fullrun tyres are rated "either EC or CE".
Exhibiting its latest passenger car and commercial vehicle tyres from a large central booth at Reifen China, Shandong Jinyu Tire brand Evergreen's Global Sales Division representatives told Tyres & Accessories/Tyrepress.com that the company's second PCR production line is nearing its completion date in 2013 as it ramps up manufacture of the brand. The company's current PCR capacity of 13 million units will rise as the reported US$445 million total investment comes on line. By 2015, Evergreen estimates having a PCR and LTR capacity of 21 million pieces, with truck products pushing that figure to an estimated 26 million overall.
Tyres & Accessories/Tyrepress.com reported from CITExpo 2012 that Danish tyre and wheel supplier Nordisk Dæk Import A/S (NDI) had made its decision to establish a location in China to distribute its products from this market to the world rather than re-exporting from Europe. While this eminently sensible move is still going ahead, NDI China general manager Gregers Lindvig informed T&A at Reifen China that the location of the operation is undergoing a change of plan.
The sixth Reifen China show has opened at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, with two neighbouring halls housing RubberTech China 2012 simultaneously. It is expected that the show will attract around 10,000 visitors over its three days, before wrapping up on Friday 16 November. Large stands near the entrance for leading Chinese manufacturers such as Double Coin, Shandong Linglong, Hangzhou Zongce and Cooper Chengshan greet the visitor, while less familiar and almost brand new names mingle with visiting stands from India (Apollo) and Europe (Deldo, Interstate and Profil) in the rest of the hall. Joint organisers Messe Essen – responsible for Germany's market-leading Reifen show – and the China United Rubber Corporation welcomed visitors on the first day; the latter's general manager Ma Junhua said that Reifen China's "six years of previous success" was "inseperable" from the support of visitors and exhibitors.
While many markets in Europe continue to prove challenging for Italian brake manufacturer Brembo, Germany and the USA have continued to provide the company with enough growth opportunities to keep the company's revenues ahead of those at this stage in 2011. Overall, the company registered net profit up 59.8 per cent in the first three quarters (49 million euros), with sales up 10.5 per cent (1,045 million euros). Chairman Alberto Bombassei said he remained “convinced that the ability to innovate, along with a constant focus on quality, are the foundation of company’s success, even in a crisis scenario."
Continental, in collaboration with Safe Kids China, has launched the Youth Safe-Driving Program 2012/2013 at Tongji University in Shanghai.
Under the motto, "Be a Responsible Young Driver", the two-year program aims to enhance road safety awareness and promote safe driving behaviour among young drivers as well as reduce road injuries. Representatives from the Shanghai Municipal Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the Automotive Studies School at Tongji University joined student ambassadors at the opening ceremony.
Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., is to supply Advan racing tyres to the 59th Macau Grand Prix which will take place in Macau (China) from 15-18 November. Doing so for the 2012 event represents the 30th consecutive year that Yokohama has been sole tyre supplier. The final rounds of the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) and GT ASIA will be staged concurrently. Yokohama also supplies tyres to these series.
Italian truck manufacturer, Perlini Equipment SpA has delivered the first 14 of its 90 ton dump trucks fitted with Eurotire rubber from its manufacturing facility in Drobeta Turnu Severin, Romania to the Brazilian port of Santos. The partnership between the two companies is part of a joint program created to promote Eurotire products and Perlini machines. One of the largest steel makers in Latin America, Usiminas will use the trucks at its iron ore mining operations.
Solvay has inaugurated its newly expanded Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or site in France, which produces highly dispersible silica. The investment follows a similar volume expansion last year in the US and the start-up in 2010 of a new plant in China. According to the company, these three investments required 74 million euros in total.
“Our worldwide highly dispersible silica production capacity now exceeds 400,000 tons,” commented Tom Benner, president of Solvay’s Silica Global Business Unit. “Demand for highly dispersible silica is pulled by a growing need for safer and more energy-efficient tyres and the new European tyre labelling legislation applicable from 1 November,” he added. “We can now meet our customers’ needs globally as this new legislation takes effect.”
Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has appointed Mike Askew as chief executive officer. He joins the firm from APPH Group, a company that designs and manufactures hydraulic systems and landing gears for commercial and military aircraft. Askew had been managing director at APPH for almost three years and before that he held senior positions at Doncasters and GKN Westland Helicopters.
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