Triangle Tire chairman Ding Yuhua dies

Shandong, China—Triangle Tire Co. Ltd. Executive Chairman Ding Yuhua died 13 June at age 69.

During his 28 years with Triangle Tire, Ding spearheaded efforts to make the company and the Triangle brand known globally. The company grew from a provincial tire factory in the late 1990s to being ranked among the world's 20 largest tire producers the past several years.

Among recent milestones Triangle achieved under Ding's leadership were:

-        Being listed on the Shanghai Stock exchange, making Triangle a publicly traded company — September 2016;

-        Establishing Triangle Tire USA in Franklin, Tenn. — January 2016;

-        Deciding to build a factory in the US, committing $580 million (€500 million) for a pair of plants, one for passenger/light truck tires and one for medium truck tires, to be built near Rocky Mount, North Carolina — December 2017.

According to the Triangle Tyre website, Ding also was senior vice president of the China Rubber Industry Association, and was listed as a senior economist and engineering technology researcher.

Under Ding's leadership, Triangle was awarded more patents than any other Chinese tire manufacturer, Triangle said, and the Triangle research and development were named the Chinese industry's national laboratory.

Shandong-based Triangle already has named Ding Mu, Ding's son, as its new chairman.