Linglong rolls out first TBR tire from fourth China plant

Hubei, China – Hubei Linglong Tire Co. has rolled out its first truck and bus radial (TBR) tire to mark a “major milestone” in the company’s growth plan, the Chinese tire maker announced 22 Nov.  

Located in Jingmen, Hubei Province, the unit is Linglong Tire’s fourth production facility in China, for which the company broke ground in July last year, according to the company statement.

Spanning over 900,000 square metres with planned floor area of more than 700,000 square metres, Hubei Linglong Tire is targeted to reach an annual capacity for passenger car radial tires (PCR) of 12 million units; TBRs, 2.4 million units; and OTRs, 60,000 units.

At full production, sales revenue of Hubei Linglong is estimated to reach RMB5 billion (€68 million), said Linglong in its release without giving a timeline.

The manufacturing base will integrate intelligent manufacturing, PLM (product lifecycle management), industrial big data application, high-end brand, added Linglong’s statement.

Helping the company overcome “regional restriction”, Linglong said that the new location will serve customers “at zero distance, improve market share and reduce logistics cost.”

In 2017, Linglong moved to a ‘5+3’ strategy, with plans to build the fourth manufacturing base in Jingmen and increase its international locations to three. 

The company is currently building its second overseas unit in Serbia to serve the European market and is mulling a third plant in the US.