For the 17th consecutive year, Bridgestone has been voted the best-selling tyre in Thailand. Bridgestone Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd. received the ‘Best Selling Tyre Award’ at the recent ‘Thailand Car of the Year 2015’ awards ceremony in Bangkok. The accolade was presented by Dr Atchaka Sibunruang, permanent secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Industry.
Linglong’s Thailand tyre factory is likely to be closed for the next 30 days as authorities investigate the cause of the recent fire. While six warehousing structures reportedly bore the brunt of the 1 February fire (which caused roughly US$40 million of damage), leaving production free to continue, it seems the size and scale of […]
According to local news sources, Shandong Linglong Tyre Co. Ltd’s consumer tyre factory in Thailand has been badly damaged by fire. Six of the 15 warehouses at the LLIT Thailand facility in Chonburi province are said to have been destroyed in the blaze, which began on 1 February have allegedly caused an estimated US$40 million of damage. The manufacturing facility at the site has been temporarily closed.
PCL has named PC Products International Co Ltd as its new distributor in Thailand. PC Products, is primarily a manufacturer of wheel balancing weights, but is now also PCL’s official local partner in Thailand servicing the automotive and tyreshop markets.
The Toyo Open Country A25, produced at the company’s Toyo Tire Malaysia factory, has been selected as an original equipment fitment on models of the NP300 Navara pickup produced in Thailand. The 12th generation Navara will receive the Open Country A25 in size 255/70R16 111H. The tyres will be delivered through Toyo Tire (Thailand), the local sales subsidiary established in April 2013. This is the first occasion that a tyre produced at the Toyo Tire Malaysia plant has been adopted as an original equipment tyre, and the first time Toyo Tire (Thailand) has supplied tyres to an OEM customer.
The Thai government is buying rubber from the market via a 6 billion baht (US$183 million) buffer fund to support prices. According to a Reuters report, a private fund has also been set up to support domestic rubber futures.
The tyre market in Thailand is forecast to grow at a CAGR of more than 12 per cent between 2014 and 2019. Anticipated double digit growth in automobile production, expanding automobile fleet size, upcoming important infrastructure developments and growth-focused initiatives being undertaken by the government are expected to propel tyre sales in the country through 2019.The two-wheeler tyre segment accounted for the largest market share in 2013, followed by commercial vehicle, passenger car and OTR tyre segments. While the two-wheeler tyre segment is expected to retain its dominance, in volume terms, in the Thailand tyre market, the passenger car tyre segment is expected to surpass the commercial vehicle tyre segment and capture the second largest market share by 2019.
On 1 December, Bridgestone Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd was recipient of a ‘Thailand Automotive Quality Award’ (TAQA) – Outstanding Satisfaction for Tyre’ award, a distinction given only to companies who have received a TAQA award for five consecutive years. The award was presented by Pramode Vidtayasuk, Thailand’s Vice-Minister for Industry, at a ceremony in Bangkok.
A group of “leading rubber processors from China” are set to visit Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar to survey sites to establish rubber plants in the next week or so. Thailand’s The Nation reports that about 10 rubber processors from Shandong province and representatives from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade are scheduled to visit Indonesia, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand between 19 and 25 November.
The group reportedly consists of around 50 representatives from both companies and government agencies. It will reach Thailand on 23 November where it will stay for two to three days with a view to considering “opportunities to invest in the South and Northeast, the country’s major rubber tree growing areas”.
More than 270 Bridgestone Corporation employees from around the world have attended the company’s fifth annual Bridgestone Group & Global Total Quality Management (TQM) Conference in Tokyo. Bridgestone reports that as has been the case since 2010, this year’s conference was held with the goal of encouraging ongoing and further improvement throughout the global Bridgestone Group. Examples were shared from various Bridgestone Group companies of activities that have led to improvements, with the aim of allowing attendees from around the world to learn from the efforts and accomplishments of their fellow employees.
It appears declining demand has prompted Bridgestone to postpone the start of production at its OTR tyre factory in Thailand. Bloomberg reports comments to this effect made by chief executive officer Masaaki Tsuya on 15 June. Tsuya said a new production start date will be announced when demand for mining tyres returns – adding that this may take “some time”.
Despite the ongoing political upheaval which has been plaguing the Thais since the start of 2014, replacement car tyre sales grew by 22 per cent in terms of unit volume in the first quarter of 2014 compared with the same quarter last year. This equates to some US$175 million in first three months of 2014.
The official opening of Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ first agricultural tyre plant outside of Japan took place on 22 April. The newly-completed Sumitomo Rubber (Thailand) factory in Thailand’s Rayong Province was host to some 150 opening ceremony guests, including Rayong regional governor Vichit Chatpaisit. Representing the tyre maker was Sumitomo Rubber president Ikuji Ikeda and Sumitomo Rubber (Thailand) president Toru Nagahata.
Following on from their European launch in February, the new series of Zeetex brand passenger car, 4×4 and light commercial tyres have been presented to 40 Africa, Middle East and ASEAN dealers. The six new models offer better road-handling and traction while delivering longer mileages, according to Zeetex distributor ZafcoTrading, and were unveiled on 20 […]
Thailand-based Stamford Sport Wheels (SSW) launched a new ‘euro technik’ alloy wheel line in 2013, which is exclusively manufactured for use in Europe. According to the company, SSW will be taking “a very active role at next month’s Reifen 2014” in Essen, Germany where the company will be displaying its euro technik range prominently on the Stamford Tyres stand.
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