Qingdao Doublestar signs licensing contract with Harburg-Freudenberger

(Jane Ho, ERJ special correspondent, China)

Qingdao, China – Rubber tire and machinery maker Qingdao Doublestar (QD) announced on 19 July its fully-owned subsidiary, Qingdao Doublestar Rubber and Plastics Machinery (QDRPM), has signed a contract with Harburg-Freudenberger Maschinenbau GmbH (HF).

Pursuant to the 10-year contract, HF will license its technology for all-steel hydraulic dual-model tire forming vulcanizer to QDRPM, and provide relevant training to the company's employees on site as well as at HF's factory in Croatia. QD refused to disclose the price of the contract.

According to the announcement, HF has been the largest rubber machinery maker in sales value in 2014, and is planning to make QD its exclusive partner in Asia.

In 2013 QD had a 32% rise in net profit to 28 million Yuan (€3.4 million) on an 11% decrease in revenue to 5.3 billion Yuan (€639 million), and 5% of its revenue came from rubber machinery.

HF added on 24 July: "The objective of this cooperation is to offer a tailor-made truck tire press to the Chinese market at an attractive price, designed by HF and produced by Doublestar with HF know-how."