Aeolus recently decided to increase the production capacity of giant tyres again. The tyre manufacturer said it will invest about 1.464 billion yuan (about £160 million; €180 million) to add 20,000 giant engineering radial tyre production capacity. Through the new project, the tyre manufacturer is trying to “further optimise the product structure, seize the high-end market, and increase market share.”
Bridgestone Corporation today announced an investment of ¥25 billion (£136 million) to upgrade equipment at specific facilities within its Kitakyushu Plant in Japan, which employs approximately 575 people and produces tyres for mining and construction vehicles. The company aims to complete the upgrade by the end of 2027.
Haian Group, a Chinese manufacturer of all-steel giant OTR tyres (engineering tyres with rim diameters of 49 inches and above), has commented on the market situation in response to questions from the stock exchange.
Globally, Michelin, Bridgestone and Goodyear are described as the first echelon of giant OTR products. Chinese tyre manufacturers capable of producing all-steel giant tyres include Haian, Sailun, Xingyuan, Triangle, Zhongce, Aeolus and Doublestar. In early January, Linglong’s Jilin plant had the first 49-inch all-steel OTR tyre, also entering this field.
Following the production of the first giant tyre in its plant in Vietnam on 18 November, Sailun Group says its factories outside China are now equipped to manufacture a full range of PCR, TBR and OTR products.
Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group reports that its mining tyre recycling plant in Chile has gained International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certification, verifying it meets the circular materials standards for reclaimed oil, carbon black and syngas using a mass balance chain of custody approach. It thus becomes one of just a handful of mining tyre recycling facilities in the world to generate outputs that are 100 per cent ISCC PLUS compliant.
Aeolus’s first batch of 63-inch OTR tyres was shipped from the company’s Jiaozuo manufacturing base on 11 March. The specification model of this batch of tyres is 59/80R63. Aeolus said that these giant tyres were sent to key overseas markets. The manufacturer said that a giant tyre weighs nearly 6 tons with a diameter for more than 4 metres and is mainly used for mining dump trucks, around 400 tons.
On 18 January, Sailun Group announced an 833-million-yuan (£99.63 million) investment to upgrade OTR tyre production at its plant in Qingdao, China. The upgrade will allow Sailun to produce OTR tyres in sizes up to and including 49-inch. The tyre maker intends to complete this upgrade and adjust its production portfolio within a period of ten months.
On 11 October, a 59/80R63 radial engineering tyre rolled off the production line at Aeolus’s Jiaozuo manufacturing base. This giant OTR tyre has a diameter of over four metres and a weight of nearly six tons. It is mainly used for giant mining weighing about 400 tons.
According to local news sources, the Michelin earthmover tyre factory in Starr, South Carolina will reopen today. The Anderson Observer writes that the facility’s reactivation will be made official at an event held at the plant today.
The entry of Belarus-based tyre maker Belshina into the giant tyre market comes another step forward with the successful testing of the 57- and 63-inch tyres at quarry sites. The tyres were fitted to 360 and 450 tonne payload BelAZ dump trucks; Belshina has been approved as an original equipment supplier to the manufacturer, whose BelAZ 75710 is said to be the highest capacity haul truck in the world. Belshina reports that the results of these operational tests are a prelude to volume production.
The 63-inch OTR radial is a standard fitment on many large mining vehicles, yet the limited customer base for these behemoths and the complexities involved in their production means only a handful of tyre makers deal with this particular tyre size. The list of 63-inch OTR tyre manufacturers may be a short one, but one further name has now been added – Triangle.
The northwest region of India’s Gujarat state is home to large areas of desert where you may encounter thorny shrubs, packs of wild animals – and a state-of-the-art US$500 million tyre factory. On a 312 acre site, Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) has erected one of the largest off-road tyre plants in the world, a facility capable of producing 325 tonnes of tyres per day. Tyres & Accessories visited in early December.
Citing “weak market conditions that are not expected to improve during 2016,” Titan International has given word of layoffs that will take place at its Bryan plant in the US state of Ohio. The layoffs will begin on 8 February 2016 and affect at least 130 employees. The tyre maker anticipates these layoffs will be temporary and last a minimum of six months, however some may become permanent should market conditions fail improve.
Every year, Indian off-road tyre specialist Balkrishna Industries Ltd. invests three to four per cent of its turnover into research and development, and through this focus the company is able to bring 60 to 80 new types of tyre to market annually. The reported average development time for these tyres is six to eight weeks.
Michelin North America says operations at its giant earthmover tyre factory in Starr, South Carolina will be suspended by the end of this year in response to a slowdown in global demand for these products. The decision to put production at the relatively new factory on hold will effect some 100 employees; Michelin says they will be offered jobs at other Michelin facilities in the area.
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