18 Feb 2010
ERJ staff report (TB)
Washington DC -- The US Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a dozen new tyre plant identity codes-necessary for selling road-going tyres in the US-during 2009, all but one of which are for factories in China.
The latest additions bring to 268 the number of tyre factories in China with a DOT new tyre plant code, according to the DOT's database.
Among the new codes is one for the Goodyear Dalian Tire Co. Ltd. factory in Dalian, China, and one for Apollo Tyres Ltd.'s plant in Tamil Nadu, India.
Of the 10 other new codes issued for Chinese factories, Tire Business was able to find a Web site for just one of the companies identified-Weifang Huadong Rubber Co. Ltd. -and most of the others are identified on third party sites as manufacturers of bicycle or motorcycle tyres and/or tubes.
The latest list from the DOT shows 904 codes issued, including 126 issued in the past three years. Of the 904 codes listed, 140 are for plants that are closed and at least 35 are for retread plants, factories that don't make tyres or make only bicycle tyres and/or tubes.
The DOT symbol indicates the tyre maker certifies the tyre meets all US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard requirements. The manufacturer is not required to test the tyres, but if they are sold in the US they are subject to random testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with penalties assessed if the tyres aren't in compliance with federal standards.
Tyres found not in compliance with these federal standards will be subject to recall, and the manufacturer is subject to civil penalties of up to $6,000 per tyre, up to a maximum of $16.4 million for any related series of violations, according to agency documents.
Officially, the transportation department keeps codes for closed or sold plants in its active list for up to eight years after a change occurs, covering the limit of legal jurisdiction in which the DOT has to order a recall. Some of the codes, however, are for plants that closed more than 30 years ago.
The new codes issued during 2009 are as follows, with company name followed by code and factory location:
From Tire Busines (A Crain publication)
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