Linglong launches €500m expansion plan at Serbian tire factory

Zrenjanin, Serbia – Linglong Tire has launched the phase II expansion of its tire manufacturing plant in Zrenjanin, according to a statement by the office of Serbia's prime minister Duro Macut.

During an 11 June visit to Linglong’s plant in Zrenjanin, Macut said more than $1 billion (€870 million) had been invested in the first phase of the project, while the Chinese tire maker was “planning an investment of €500 million for the second phase.”

The investment, said Macut, will make Linglong “one of the most significant foreign investors in Serbia,” noting that the Linglong facility was the country’s largest greenfield investment that “changed the economic picture of Zrenjanin.”

Also present during the visit, Linglong president Wang Feng said the company currently employs 2,100 people at the site.

With the next phase of expansion, he added, employment could increase to 2,600.

Wang also said the company was investing in automation, “green production” and environmental protection, as well as improvements to logistics and exports.

The group will also continue to focus on safety and respect for human rights, he added.

As previously reported by ERJ, Linglong announced plans in August 2024 to invest Yuan4.6 billion (€586 million) in a second-phase expansion of the Zrenjanin facility.

According to the previous reporting, phase II is intended to add an annual capacity for 1.1 million radial tires at the facility.

This includes 800,000 truck and bus tires, 150,000 agricultural tires and 50,000 engineering tires, alongside capacity for 100,000 retreaded tires and 6,000 tonnes of liquid recycled rubber.

At the time, Linglong said construction was expected to start in January 2025 and be completed before the end of 2030.