ZC Rubber subsidiary Yonggu is expanding its capacity to produce rubber tracks and other rubber products. On the site of the former Hangzhou Taihong Rubber Track plant in Jiande, in China’s Zhejiang Province, Zhongce Yonggu Rubber (Jiande) Co. will establish a facility that will ultimately have a capacity to make 1 million tracks a year.
On 29 March, the Arab Organization for Industrialization strengthened its international partnership with “major Chinese companies”. Major General, Engineer Mokhtar Abdel Latif, Chairman of the Arab Organization for Industrialization, said followed President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi directive to “strengthen partnerships with international expertise, increase local manufacturing rates, localize modern technology, increase added value, and open new areas for investment, in light of Egypt’s vision of sustainable development 2030.”
Yokohama is investing US$82 million in expanding the annual passenger car tyre production capacity of its Yokohama India Pvt. Ltd. (YIN) from 2.8 million to 4.5 million tyres. The new capacity will be installed within premises of the Visakhapatnam plant in eastern India and is scheduled to start production in the fourth quarter of 2024. At that point, the factory will be capable of building passenger car tyres up to 22 inches.
Yokohama has announced plans to add 100,000 tyres-worth of production capacity to its existing factory in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, Japan.
Off-highway tyre specialist BKT has quantified its growth ambitions, and the figures are ambitious. Tyrepress reported yesterday that the manufacturer’s capacity across all manufacturing facilities will reach 360,000 tonnes later in 2023. But BKT has big plans for its “most strategic plant” in Bhuj and has announced its goal of harnessing this facility to achieve annual tyre production of 600,000 tonnes in 3 years. It also intends for turnover of US$2 billion a year by the end of this period.
Luo Yongli, deputy general manager of the company, recently told a briefing that he is optimistic about the operation of Cheng Shin in 2023. In the past, Cheng Shin has reportedly significantly reduced capital expenditures to combat adversity in the operating environment. But with the overall situation expected to improve, the tyre maker will start expanding production capacity, including launching a 40 million tyre capacity expansion plan at factories in mainland China.
To meet demand driven by the rapid growth of its retread business, Bridgestone is investing US$60 million to expand its Bridgestone Bandag manufacturing plant in Abilene, USA. The project includes new mixing operations as well as an immediate shift to six and seven-day production schedules. The mixing facility will be operational by January 2025 and, together with the revised production cycle, will increase plant output by 16%.
Phase 2 of a US$100 million production capacity upgrade at the GRI specialty tyre factory in Sri Lanka is now complete, and GRI reports being in a position to increase capacity by almost 100 per cent from the present level, up to a daily output of 60 tonnes. This elevated capacity will satisfy the increased demand for farm tyres that GRI has enjoyed since launching agricultural ranges across key markets such as Europe, the USA and Australia in 2018.
On 31 January 2022 Kelani Tyres PLC announced plans from the Kelani Tyres/Ceat joint venture to invest up to 3.2 billion Sri Lanka rupees (£11.637 million; 13.915 million euros; US$15.801) in increasing its tyre manufacturing capacity via machinery upgrades.
During January 2021, Jiangsu Seyoun Tire Co. Ltd.’s phase 2 Suqian City, China factory construction project got underway. According to industry association CRIA, the new tyre production base is expected to manufacture 3.2 million sets of “high-performance all-steel radial tyres” and become an “all-steel radial tyre production base for heavy trucks”.
Various news sources are reporting that South Korea’s Kumho Tire signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia-based Blatco (Black Arrow Tire Co. as part of the Saudi-South Korean Business Forum on 18 January 2022. As many as 13 agreements were signed during the Saudi-South Korean Business Forum, of which 10 were signed by oil major Saudi Aramco.
Prometeon announced plans to increase production at its Gravatai, Rio Grande du Sul, Brazil at the end of September. According to several local news sources, the expansion plans were announced during a meeting with local Governor Eduardo Leite at the Piratini Palace.
Kumho Tire Co., South Korea’s second-largest tire maker, said Tuesday it will sell its natural rubber processing plant in Vietnam to focus on its core business. According to an official statement published on 23 March 2021, Kumho Tire said it has struck a deal with a joint venture between Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and Thanh Cong Group of Vietnam to sell its rubber factory.
Kumho Tire Co is planning to invest some 340 billion won (£217 million; 255 million euros; US$298 million) in expanding its tyre production facilities in Vietnam. The planned investment aimed at bracing for an increase in demand from North American markets and mitigating tariff-related price pressure, according to local news sources.
Iranian tyre manufacturer Yazd Rubber Industries has completed a capacity expansion project at its tyre manufacturing facility in Yazd.
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Arab Organisation for Industrialisation
Yokohama
Yokohama
Cheng Shin
Seyoun Tire
Aramco
MohammadAli Dahaghin; Unsplash