Dunlop Aircraft Tyres mulling Indonesian plant

London – Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Ltd (DATL) is studying a project to establish a production plant for aircraft tires in Indonesia, the company has confirmed to ERJ.

Indonesia has been selected as a potential investment location due to its access to natural rubber and growing aviation industry, a spokesman for the Birmingham, UK-based tire maker said 29 Nov.

However, he declined to give details of the plan, saying the company was currently considering its options and negotiating with partners.

Indonesian press reported in November that DATL was planning to build an IDR1,000 billion (€64 million) retreading and production plant for aircraft tires in Karawang, West Java province.

Set for operation in 18 months, the unit is to be built with local partner PT Rubberman Indonesia, local press quoted the country’s minister of industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita as saying. 

Rubberman, according to reports, is a local retread tire company with more than 25 facilities in Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi. The company also has a truck tire production plant in Karawang.

In 2017, PT Rubberman Tire Aviation and another Indonesian tire maker PT Ciharas Avia partnered to produce aircrafts tires for domestic demand, local press reported at the time.

As part of that deal, PT Rubberman was reportedly assigned to develop large aircraft tires – for Airbus and Boeing aircraft – and to supply 40,000 units per year for national airline Garuda Indonesia.