Nankang introduces new products and ‘brand’ new chapter at Reifen
On its Hall Three stand and during an evening event at Essen’s central Mövenpick Hotel, Nankang unveiled its new logo at Reifen 2012 alongside two new products. The Taiwanese company’s staff also presented the array of new lines it has recently introduced, in addition to previewing its latest asymmetric tyre, the AS-2, which is in the “final evaluation” stage of its development. Manufactured in Taiwan (“14,000 pieces per day”) and China (“25,000 pieces per day”), Nankang turned over 461 million euros in 2011, and with 40 per cent of its sales, Nankang said that Europe is by far its biggest market (comparing favourably with 18 per cent in North America and 15 per cent in Asia). The company also presented its comparative sales figures in Europe over the past five years, which showed a dip from 120 million euros in 2007 to a nadir of 97 million in 2009 – having ascended significantly in 2010, the figure now stands at 184 million euros in 2011. The company also noted the growing demand for its winter tyres in Europe, which has climbed from 0.336 million in 2008 to 1.215 million in 2011. It is, according to the company, “the main line we are focusing on.”