In addition to naming Mark Turner its European Agriculture Tyre Sales Director, ZC Rubber has appointed John Ruddy European OTR Tyre Sales Director. Ruddy, who first joined ZC Rubber as European OTR Sales Manager in 2019, brings decades of experience within the European OTR tyre industry to his new role.
In 2022, several significant events took place in China’s tyre industry. These things had a profound impact on the tyre industry not only in 2022, but for a long time.
The Zhongce Rubber Group (ZC Rubber) has a new sales manager for agricultural tyres in Europe. Mark Turner has taken on the role of European sales director agricultural tyres.
Recently, China’s largest tyre manufacturer Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber (ZC Rubber) has taken an important step in the stock market listing process: The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) received the IPO application of ZC Rubber. Next, CSRC will review the materials submitted by ZC Rubber. If it passes the audit, ZC Rubber will become a listed company.
2022 has been a challenging year for the Chinese tyre industry. This year is coming to an end, but a feeling of anxiety is crossing regions and classes and spreads throughout the industry. From manufacturers to distributors, from vulcanisation workshop workers to corporate executives, many professionals are asking the question: Where is the future of China’s tyre industry?
Zhongce Rubber’s Westlake brand OTR tyres made an appearance at Bauma 2022 in Munich, Germany alongside its sales partner, Marangoni Retreading Systems Deutschland (MRSD). The two companies have also cooperated in Italy; the latest Westlake tyres manufactured by Zhongce Rubber will also appear in the Italian market via Marangoni. Tyrepress sister website Reifenpresse visited the companies’ exhibition.
ZC Rubber claims to have been the first tyre company in China to recycle, reuse and repurpose its products, beginning its journey in 2005 with the establishment of its Recycling Technology and Service Center. The manufacturer is expanding its circular economy activities in 2022 with a new 5,000 tonne per annum tyre pyrolysis processing line as well as a Zhongce Recycling Technology production line that can produce 7,500 tonnes of liquid recycled rubber a year.
ZC Rubber launched two new truck tyre products at the recent IAA Transportation 2022 event in Hannover. The WTR2 and the WTX2 tyres are being added to the existing Westlake Gen II truck tyre line.
According to the company, the development of Westlake Gen II is a crucial step toward reaching the company’s vision for sustainable logistics and will also “considerably increase benefits for customers”.
ZC Rubber has named Martin Wells as the company’s new European managing director and president of ZC Technical Center and Global OE. Meanwhile, Jörn Tietjens has been appointed as senior key account manager/senior automotive engineer of the European ZC Technical Center.
The Chinese tyre industry is not optimistic about the future following the first half of 2022, which itself was something of a continuation of the problematic situation experienced in the country in 2021. In short, the overall Chinese tyre industry has experienced severe decline in profits. Shen Jinrong, chairman of ZC Rubber, China’s largest domestic tyre manufacturer and number nine in the world, made the comments during a recent speech at the China Rubber Conference 2022.
ZC Rubber has significantly expanded its Goodride Zuper Snow Z-507 range with the addition of 22 further dimensions. It says these newcomers offer “more options for drivers seeking exceptional traction and handling during the winter season.”
Ákos Barcsik is the new deputy general manager of ZC Rubber Europe. In this role, he will oversee ZC Rubber sales in Europe as well as the development of TBR products for the European market.
Zhongce Rubber (ZC Rubber) has appointed Martin Winter technical director tire development EMEA & Americas. Winter took up the position on 1 August 2022. He brings with him more than 20 years’ experience of working in original equipment tyre development with Continental, Goodyear, Hankook, and most recently Sentury Tire, where he was global technical director OE. ZC Rubber opened its Europe Technical Center (ETC) in Hannover Germany in 2021. It will use the ETC to support the global development of its original equipment business and to work with key OE accounts in the region. In his new role, Winter will report to Martin Wells, vice president ZC Technical Center & global OE.
ZC Rubber’s subsidiary in Xindeng Town, Fuyang District, Hangzhou City, is planning to add 2.5 million all-steel radial tyres to its production capacity. ZC Rubber stated that the company plans to build a new production workshop and auxiliary facilities shared by the Xindeng Town plant in the reserved space inside the factory. The total construction investment is expected to be 700 million yuan (about £85.14 million, 102 million euros).
China’s ZC Rubber, manufacturer of the Westlake, Goodride, Chaoyang, Arisun and Trazano tyre brands, has shared news of its recent activities in the original equipment tyre supply business, a sector where it has been present for more than a decade. In recent months the company added Volkswagen and Ford/Lincoln to its OEM portfolio, joining firms such as Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo, Changan Auto, Great Wall Motor and Geely.
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