South China Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. Business Report FY ended Mar. 2013
Business Highlights
Contracts
-The Company started supplying its Wanli tires for both the Dongfeng Peugeot 301 and the Dongfeng Citroen New C-Elysee in July 2013. The company said it will provide its tires also for Donfeng Peugeot Citroen’s original G25 platform, starting in December 2014. The tires for the G25 architecture are currently in the testing stage. (From a press release on August 27, 2013)-The Company would supply its high-performance, Wanli series passenger vehicles tires for the 2013 Mazda6. The 195/65R15 AP028A tires were originally designed for the FAW Car B90 and B50. Because the tread pattern suits the Mazda6 design, the tires were chosen for its spare tires applications. Delivery is scheduled to begin in June 2013 at a pace of 8,000 to 10,000 units a month. (From a press release, June 4, 2013)
-The Company will develop a new tire for BYD’S VB platform, and will perform comparative testing based on the Nissan NV200. Vehicles based on the VB platform are scheduled to be released in June 2014. BYD is planning to produce 10,000 to 20,000 units of these vehicles per year. South China Tire & Rubber is currently supplying tires for BYD’s G6 and M6. (From a press release on May 28, 2013)
New Production Line
-On April 28, 2013, the Company, which is working on an steel tire production expansion project for Guangzhou Fengli Rubber & Tire Co., Ltd., acquired a permission from Guangzhou City’s Environment Protection Agency to construct an additional factory in Conghua City. Having already completed the foundation work of the main factory, the company is placing orders for manufacturing equipment. The company is going to increase its production capacity in steps, intending to raise the volume to 2 million units a year eventually. By 2014, the company aims to achieve production capacity of 350,000 units, while transferring operations at its existing facility in Panyu to make another 1.3 million units a year. A further expansion will be completed around 2015 to increase its capacity by 350,000 units with a goal of reaching 2 million units by the end of 2016. (From a press release, May 3, 2013)R&D
New Products
-On September 26, 2013, the Company has successfully produced prototypes of its original pink, full-color tires at its Conghua plant. The tire size is 215/55R16 H220. Designed for vehicles with a pink body, the outer side of the tires, including the side surface, is colored pink. (From a press release, October 14, 2013)-The Company announced its new wide single tires for trucks. The single tires with high load capacity can be fitted onto the drive shaft or the driven shaft. Switching to the single tires is expected to reduce vehicle weight, improve fuel economy, lower cost, and enhance driving stability. (From a press release on August 30, 2013)
-The Company announced that prototype of its new Wanli ET201 ultra lightweight tires passed the laboratory testing in June 2013. The company developed the new eco-tires with low rolling-resistance in January 2013 and completed prototyping in May. According to the tire supplier, only several companies supply this kind of green tires in the global market. (From a press release, July 25, 2013)
-On May 31, 2013, the Company announced that it successfully manufactured the first prototypes of the H220 195/55R15 full color tires at its Conghua Plant. (From news releases issued by multiple sources on June 13, 2013)