Bridgestone Corporation completed the consolidation of its tyre manufacturing operation in Thailand today with the end of truck and bus radial production at its Rangsit plant. Bridgestone Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co. Ltd’s Chonburi facility has taken over this production capacity.
On 27 September, Jiangsu General’s Thailand factory held a groundbreaking ceremony for the second phase. The new production capacity project involves an investment of 1.884 billion yuan (approximately £210 million; €240 million) and plans to add 6 million semi-steel radial tyres and 500,000 all-steel radial tyres yearly.
On 30 August, the first tyre rolled off the production line in the second phase of the Thailand factory run by Huayi, which owns the Double Coin brand. Tyrepress China learned that the project’s second phase involves the production capacity of 300,000 all-steel radial tyres and officially started construction in March this year. If the second phase reaches capacity, the annual production capacity of Huayi’s Thailand factory will be increased to 1.5 million pieces.
Recently, Jiangsu General announced that it will invest 1.884 billion yuan (approximately £210 million; €240 million) to launch the second phase of the Chinese tyremaker’s Thailand factory. The expansion will add 500,000 all-steel radial tyres and 6 million semi-steel radial tyres to the Thailand production base. It is worth noting that the tyre manufacturer only disclosed that the project’s construction period is 24 months but did not announce the planned start and end time.
On 9 August, Shen Jinrong, chairman of ZC Rubber, went to the factory in Thailand to inspect the work, and discussed with the senior executives of the Thailand factory on increasing production and reducing costs.
Sri Trang Agro-Industry has joined 23 other rubber producers, processors and traders at GPSNR making the industry-wide transition to sustainable natural rubber. Sri Trang Agro-Industry Public Company Limited (STA) has specifically joined the producers, processors and traders category.
Jiangsu Xingda, a leading tyre cord supplier, registered an 11 per cent growth in sales volume in the first half of 2023. Within the overall sales increase, steel cord sales grew by nearly 12 per cent, bead wire sales grew by 6 per cent, and hose wire sales grew by 12 per cent.
Recently, the United States Department of Commerce’s anti-dumping review investigation on PCR tyres produced in Thailand has a preliminary result. Tyrepress China notes that the new developments are positive for Thailand’s tyre factories.
Isuzu Motors Co. (Thailand) Ltd. (IMCT) recently awarded Yokohama Tire Sales (Thailand) Co. Ltd. (YTST) and Yokohama Rubber (Thailand) Co. Ltd. (YRTC), which manufactures and sells hoses, its “IMCT QD Score 100 Points 3Y” award. The Isuzu Motors Limited subsidiary presented the award at a ceremony held by IMCT on 31 May.
Prinx Chengshan’s 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance Report (ESG Report) tells us that the company employs 6,144 people, manufactures tyres at plants in China and Thailand, and sells these in three main regions – China, North America and Europe. Its key brands are Prinx, Chengshan, Austone and Fortune.
Recently, Shanghai Huayi, the parent company of Double Coin, announced its operating data for 2022. In 2022, the revenue of Huayi’s tyre segment reached 10.02 billion yuan (approximately £1.175 billion; €1.338 billion), a year-on-year increase of 6.62 per cent. Regarding net profit, Huayi relies heavily on Huayi Group (Hong Kong), which is responsible for overseas business (especially the business of factories in Thailand). During the reporting period, Huayi Group (Hong Kong) achieved a net profit of 172 million yuan (about £20 million; €23 million). The Double Coin Tire Group, responsible for Huayi’s domestic tyre business in China, lost 26.4318 million yuan (about £3.1 million; €3.53 million).
The world’s largest rooftop solar panel installation on a single facility, according to Internal KEPCO Research, is being installed at Falken’s parent company (Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ – SRI) factory in Thailand.
China-based tyre manufacturer Prinx Chengshan is in the process of expanding in the wider Asia-Pacific area, having revamped its four major brands Prinx, Chengshan, Austone and Fortune for 2023.
That revamp was achieved by “relying on the company’s national-level enterprise technology innovation centre and new energy collaborative research centre”, Prinx Chengshan reports, adding that it has “vigorously conducted cutting-edge tyre technology research, created an international standard new product matrix, and achieved fruitful results.”
Tyre cord manufacturer Xingda and Continental Group recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement at Xingda Steel Tyre Cord (Thailand) Co. Ltd. Details of what is involved in the agreement remain to be seen at this stage, but Xingda representatives report that the cooperation includes improving the supplier management services in Europe.
It’s hard not to love a superlative, so thanks to Sumitomo Rubber Industries for sharing that its tyre factory in Thailand now possesses the world’s largest rooftop solar panel array. As of 1 February 2023, the set-up at the Sumitomo Rubber (Thailand) plant is the world’s largest rooftop solar panel array installed at a single facility.
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Stephen Goodchild / Tyre Industry Publications Ltd
Huayi
Xingda
Scott Graham; Unsplash
Sumitomo Rubber Industries
Chengshan
Xingda