Iranian tire maker starts up truck tire plant

Ardebil, Iran – Iranian tire manufacturer Artawheel Tire has opened a truck tire production plant at its existing facilities in the northwestern city of Ardebil.

The €260-million production hall has a nameplate capacity to produce 360,000 units per year of all-steel truck and bus radial tires and light truck tires, said the Artawheen Tire founder, major shareholder and project executive Massoud Ganji in a written statement to ERJ.

“Production lines have been installed and we are preparing for wet trial runs at the unit,” explained Ganji, adding that the plant would ramp up production in four years.

The facility, inaugurated earlier in January by the Iranian president Hassan Rowhani, employs production technology by China’s Gaoce Engineering, which according to Ganji is based on a Pirelli licenced know-how.

The tires meet European R117 standards and currently have European C & D ratings for two tire sizes and patterns, Ganji added.

The company expects the TBR and light truck tires manufactured at the plant to meet 25% of Iran’s annual demand of 1.2 million units.

Founded in 1987, Artawheel Tire currently manufactures 8,000 units per day of passenger car tire and 1,000 units of truck/bus, farm and OTR bias tires.

In 2018, the company produced 23,000 tonnes of tires and expects to register growth in 2019.