Goodyear to make truck tyres at new Dalian plant

Tire Business staff report

Akron, Ohio -- Goodyear will begin making truck tyres in China in 2012 when its new $500 million Dalian, China, plant starts production.

The company plans to relocate and expand its Goodyear Dalian Tire Co. Ltd. plant to a greenfield site about 30 miles away in Pulandian, within the Dalian municipality, where it has secured “a significant parcel” of land to build the facility.

A spokesman declined to reveal the size or capacity but said the parcel provides space for future expansion. The existing plant, which Goodyear took over in 1994, has capacity for 15,000 passenger and light truck tyres a day with 500 employees.

Goodyear said the existing plant couldn't be expanded due to the city that grew up around it. The company anticipates moving its production equipment to the new facility in 2010. The new facility will allow Goodyear to increase high-end passenger tyre capacity and produce truck tyres for the first time in China.

Passenger tyre capacity will be greater than commercial tyre capacity, the spokesman said, without providing details. Goodyear did say, though, it plans to increase its annual global commercial truck tyre capacity by 2.5 million units by 2012.

Goodyear has a 75-percent ownership stake in the plant, with Dalian General Rubber Factory owning the minority share.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)