Continental Malaysia reports that it is pioneering its intelligent in-tyre sensor in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) market. Announcing the news, Continental says it is committed to “creating the best holistic solutions [for] customers by enhancing its value chain through digitalization [and] connecting intelligent products, systems and services.”
On 27 February 2018 TecAlliance officially opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur. 40 guests accepted the invitation to the one-day event to visit the premises and meet the employees of TecAlliance Malaysia. Attendees also obtained information about the strategy and solutions offered by TecAlliance in Asia.
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co has achieved rapid fuel efficiency savings in its truck and bus tyre line-up through its Nano Balance Technology. The manufacturer has been advancing its indigenous rubber material development technology since 2011; the latest step forward is a new process development technology Toyo says will contribute to significant reduction in fuel consumption from “nano processing.”
Point S has opened what it calls its flagship retail outlet for the Southeast Asia region. The centre in Petaling Jaya is the tyre retailing group’s third branded site in Malaysia – Point S entered the country with the opening of its first retail centre there last October. The 20,000 square foot (1,850 square metre facility) has eight service bays, a showroom featuring a Pirelli Performance Centre and BFGoodrich corner, and the site will also act as a terminal for car rental company Gocar Malaysia as well as for Uber competitor Grab Malaysia.
On 5 October (the day after Chinese mid-Autumn festival) Point S auspiciously opened its first store in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia a short 30 mins drive from Kuala Lumpur city Centre.
The news comes barely after Malaysia’s public listed GIIB group signed on as a licensee of Point S Malaysia. GIIB group, is known for its “Supercool” brand of retread rubber.
A total of around 35 billion yen (£234.2 million) will be invested in increasing production capacity at Toyo Tire & Rubber tyre plants in Malaysia and the USA.
While all the frontrunners at the final Malaysian Grand Prix used a similar single-stop tyre strategy, changing from Pirelli P Zero Red supersoft to Yellow soft tyres, Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari reversed the order to support his bid for points from the back of the grid. The German chose to start the race on the soft tyres to try and gain track position, switching to the faster supersoft tyres on the same lap that Red Bull’s Max Verstappen pitted from the lead to change from supersoft to soft. Verstappen won the race from the second row of the grid.
On 11 June, the PremiumContact 6 was launched into Singaporean shores. The PremiumContact 6 was launched in Europe in November 2016 and is designed to combines “comfort, precise steering response, maximum safety and good environmental properties”. To this end, the development engineers have come up with new compounds and a tyre design that borrows from Continental’s high-tech SportContact 6 tyre. The outcome is a product that delivers up to 15 per cent improvements in handling performance, rolling resistance, mileage and comfort compared to its predecessor.
Toyo Tire and Rubber has announced that tyre production volume at its subsidiary in Malaysia has exceeded 10 million units. The plant was established in 2013 and is one of the production hubs supporting Toyo’s global tyre supply structure, which covers Europe, Japan and North America in addition to Southeast Asia.
Malaysian news site Utusan Online reports the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Chinese tyre maker Shandong Wanda Boto Tyre Co. Ltd. and government agency the Malacca State Development Corporation (PKNM). The MoU, signed on 11 April, will see Wanda Boto invest Rm 1.2 billion (£213.5 million) to set up a tyre factory in Lipat Kajang, near the town of Jasin, some 100 miles southeast of Kuala Lumpur. The plant is expected to be operational by mid-2018.
Setting up factories abroad is not only encouraged by China’s Belt and Road initiative, it is also provides a means of avoiding the tariffs on China-made tyres charged by the USA and a number of other countries. Qingdao Fullrun Tyre Corp. Ltd. recently shared that, after numerous visits from company president Liu Zijin and a team of managers, on 28 September an agreement was signed for the company’s first overseas production facility. The plant will be built in Malaysia and is expected to enter operation in May 2017.
ZC Rubber made its debut in Malaysia through its Westlake Marketing Malaysia subsidiary on 14 November. Hangzhou ZhongCe Rubber, to give the company is more formal name, said it is offering consumers premium quality tyres at an affordable price.
ZC Rubber has opened its first Westlake store in Brunei. It is also the first one in Southeast Asia and comes as part of an expansion strategy targeting Southeast Asia.
On 1 August Continental Tyre PJ Malaysia Sdn Bhd (CTM) launched its Generation 3 truck tyres; the Conti Hybrid HS3, the Conti Hybrid HT3 and the ContiUrban HA3, each individually designed to suit different axles and developed with the unique Asian road conditions in mind.
Apollo Tyres Ltd has inaugurated a new office in the ASEAN region’s third largest automotive market. Satish Sharma, president of the tyre maker’s Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA region), inaugurated the company’s Malaysian office in the presence of select business partners and company officials.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.