Wyko's parent sets up alliance with Asian firms

By Bruce Davis, ERJ staff (TB)

Cleveland, Ohio -- Davian Enterprises LLC, parent of Wyko Tire Technology, has established trading alliances with one Japanese and two Chinese suppliers of complementary equipment to expand its product scope and its reach geographically.

Davian unveiled its global alliance at the recent International Tire Exhibition & Conference in Cleveland, where the companies-Wyko, Tianyang Mould Co. Ltd., Shandong Xishui Yongyi Rubber Co. Ltd. and Nakata Engineering Co. Ltd.-exhibited under a common banner.

“Nowadays detailed engineering discussions are held with the tyre manufacturer, and customised tooling is designed to suit the individual building systems,” Wyko CEO Ian Smith said. “This in itself means that after-sales service is critical and therefore Wyko's global reach allows service to be placed at regional levels and at the various international tyre technology centers of the global manufacturers.”

Being able to tap into the sales and technical staff at its Japanese and Chinese partners gives Wyko access to native speakers who can communicate more effectively with customers in those countries, Smith said, and vice versa.

Wyko has worked the longest with Nakata Engineering, a Kobe, Japan-based producer of multiplex extruders, Smith said, and more recently added Tianyang Mould and Shandong Sishui to the fold.

Nakata, a producer of specialised production equipment for the tyre industry, and Wyko have reciprocal marketing and service agreements.

Nakata represents Wyko in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, while Wyko represents Nakata in North America, South America, Europe and Africa. Wyko also provides full customer support service from its service center in Greenback, Tenn.

Nakata also makes extruders and other specialised equipment at a plant in Suzhuo, China.

JieYang City, China-based Tianyang Mould is a Sino-foreign joint venture specialising in the production of tyre moulds, tyre building drums and other moulds for rubber products. The company consists of two subsidiaries, JieYang TianYang Molds Co. Ltd. and ShanTou TianYang Molds Co. Ltd., producing steel and precision cast aluminum radial segmental moulds. Wyko has exclusive sales representation rights for North and South America.

Shandong Xishui Yongyi makes a range of curing bladders and inner tubes at its factory in Dongying City, China. Wyko has exclusive sales representation rights to Xishui's bladders for North and South America.

Smith said Wyko's core tyre tooling business has grown significantly during 2010, benefitting from the industry's global upturn and its demands for new levels of performance in terms of size change times, tyre uniformity, tyre noise control and price.

He didn't comment on the financial impact of the alliances on Wyko's business.

Davian Enterprises acquired the intellectual property rights, assets and exclusive naming rights of Wyko in December 2009 from Eriks N.V.

From Rubber & Plastics News (A Crain publication)