China’s Zhongding starts up automotive parts plant in Brazil

St. Paul, Brazil – China’s Anhui Zhongding Rubber-plastic Products Co. Ltd, one of the world’s largest non-tire rubber makers, started up an automotive noise, vibration and harshness damping parts plant in St. Paul in August.

This is the company’s first overseas plant and was set up to meet the requirement for local manufacturing by its client General Motors’ Global Emerging Markets (GEM) platform, said Zhongding’s website.

The GEM platform is designed to support the company’s 9 models of entry-level passenger cars and crossover utility vehicles for developing markets with a nine-year life cycle. Mass production of the models is slated to start in March 2019.

Zhongding has developed five liner bushing products for the platform in joint effort with General Motors and will provide €76 million (600 million yuan) worth of products during the life cycle, said the company’s website.

The Brazil plant will be a beachhead for Zhongding’s expansion into the South America damping parts market, said the website.