US distributor backing new Vietnamese tyre plant

ERJ staff report (R&PN)

Bin Duong Province, Vietnam - Vietnam's J.S.C. Southern Rubber Industry (Casumina) has secured the backing of a US investor for the $160 million factory it's building in Binh Duong Province, but for now the identity of the backer remains undisclosed.

A sizeable portion of the new plant's capacity-up to 1 million tyres a year by 2017-will be exported to the US through the unnamed investor/distributor, according to Casumina officials. Casumina did not say what brand or brands would be involved.

The plant under construction will make both passenger tyres in sizes up to 16-inch rim diameter and all-steel radial truck tyres in 20- and 22.5-inch rim diameters, Casumina said.

The company said the 732,000-sq.-ft. plant should come on stream in 2013 with an initial annual capacity of 350,000 units, move to 600,000 units by 2015 and hit full capacity of 1 million units by 2017.

Casumina did not disclose how much investment the US backer is contributing. Reports in the Vietnamese media valued the investment at $30 million.

Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, Casumina chairman and CEO, said the plant will create 1,200 jobs and represents annualised revenue of about $250 million. Casumina was among the world's 70 largest tyre makers in 2010 with sales of $135 million.

Vietnam exported more than $58 million worth of tyres in 2010 to the US, according to Department of Commerce data, including $43.5 million in light truck tyres.

From Rubber & Plastics News (A Crain publication)