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.
Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd. claims a world first with the commercialisation of a tyre cord that combines an adhesive that does not contain resorcinol formaldehyde (RF) with a chemically recycled polyester fibre. Test production of the tyre cord will begin next year, and the Teijin Group company aims to achieve annual production of 200,000 tonnes by 2030.
Tyre and construction reinforcement specialist Kordsa is investing US$20 million in its North American facilities with the goal of boosting its cord fabric production for the tyre industry. The company says the investment will enable it to expand the tyre cord dipping line at its facilities to meet increased demand from tyre manufacturers.
At the end of July, Chinese tyre cord manufacturer Xingda announced that it is investing 1.6 billion yuan (£200 million; 232.432 million euros; $237 million) adding 200,000 tons of steel cord annual production capacity to its Thailand factory. The planned construction period is 24 months and the project has been officially approved by China’s National Development and Reform Commission.
On 28 July, Xingda, which specialises in rubber reinforcement such tyre cord, officially released its 2021 sustainability report with a special event at its headquarters. According to the company, it is the first sustainability report released by Xingda, also the first by any Chinese steel cord or bead wire maker.
Bekaert’s newly-expanded Russian tyre cord production operation is receiving strong demand – but solely from local producers. Speaking in the company’s full-year 2021 conference call on 25 February 2022, NV Bekaert SA CEO Oswald Schmid told investors that “all the business we do is for Russian customers. There’s no export outside.” At 12 years old, Bekaert’s tyre cord-focused Lipetsk plant is one of the firm’s newer plants. It employs about 500 people.
Chinese tyre cord manufacturer Xingda has opened a European office in Luxembourg. The new European operation has been registered as Xingda Europe Limited and is a subsidiary of Xingda International Holding Company.
Kordsa has been named as one of the Global 100 enterprises. According to a study conducted by Platin magazine in association with IPSOS. Platin also gave Kordsa the Industry 4.0 award in the textile category.
Kordsa has spent roughly US$100 million buying Fabric Development Inc (FDI) and Textile Products Inc. (TPI), which provide advanced composite materials to the commercial aviation industry. With these acquisitions Kordsa aims to follow the same path that led to leadership in tyre reinforcement technologies.
In mid-June US president Donald Trump announced plans to impose 25 per cent tariffs on US$50 billion worth of Chinese goods. However, the above round of tariffs was actually an additional wave that followed as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing trade war with China. Steel is at the centre of this dispute, with President Trump suggesting that China is dumping steel in America. But now US tyre cord makers could close due to steel tariffs.
Bekaert Group is closing its rubber reinforcement entity in Figline e Incisa Valdarno, Italy and cease all activities there.
At the Movin’On conference on future mobility held last month in Montreal, tyre cord and composite technology company Kordsa made a presentation that emphasized the need to lighten vehicles for efficient and sustainable mobility.
At the end of November, Japan’s Toray Industries admitted to 149 cases of quality data falsification at a materials-making subsidiary that span eight years. According to a report by Reuters, the firm said the cheating involved tyre-strengthening cord that was sold to 13 clients by Toray Hybrid Cord.
When the 2017 edition of Michelin Movin’ On symposium started on 13 June in Montreal, Canada Kordsa’s chief operating officer of North America, Jim Del Piano gave a presentation on the opening day stressing the significance of open innovation which will be a key factor for reinforcement market. Del Piano, in his presentation, gave insights on the future of the mobility and emerging solutions. In other words, “innovation [is] long way to walk alone”.
Kordsa has announced the appointment of Ali Caliskan as the company’s new CEO. Also announced by Kordsa is the move of Cenk Alper from CEO to group president of the affiliated Sabanci Holdings Industry Group. Alper has been in the CEO position since 2013.
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CNES/Airbus; Maxar Technologies