China rolls out 14th Five-Year Plan for rubber industry

Beijing – The China Rubber Industry Association (CRIA) announced on 25 Nov guidelines for the rubber industry’s development from 2021 to 2025. The guidelines set goals such as in production, technology upgrades and energy consumption for a range of segments. 

TIRES
Annual production by 2025
704 million units, of which 96% are radial tires, including
-527 million units passenger car radial tire
-148 million units truck and bus radial tire and 29 million units truck and bus bias tire
-20,000 units engineering jumbo radial tire
-12 million units agricultural tire, of which 16% are radial (currently the number is 2.5%)
-54,000 units aircraft tire, of which 15% are China-made.
Other goals
-Commercialisation of aircraft radial tires.
-Tubeless tires accounting for 70% of truck and bus tires
-Raise passenger car tire’s flatness ratio to 30% (for 55-45 series)
-At least 70% of tires on the market are green tires
 
TWO-WHEELER TIRE
Annual production by 2025
-120.7 million units motorcycle tire and 211.1 million units motorcycle inner tube
-420 million units bicycle tire and 550 million units bicycle inner tube
-363 million units moped tire and 77 million units moped inner tube
Other goals
-Commercialisation of motorcycle radial tire
-Raise the product qualification rate of ultra-thin bicycle tire (weight no more than 260 grams) to 98.5% and that of motorcycle radial tire to 98%
-Developing ultra-thin sidewall for bicycle and moped tires, and raising lightweight ratio for these tires to 30%
-Further development of TPU or other recyclable composites used in non-pneumatic bicycle tire, and expand application of such tire from shared bikes to toddler vehicles, everyday bikes and moped.
-Develop higher-end bicycle tires such as race bike tube; develop butyl rubber tubes with 0.5mm thickness.
-Develop high speed grade motorcycle radial tire
 
BELT/HOSE
Annual production by 2025
-810 million square metre conveyor belt
-Equivalent of 1.4 billion metre type-A V belt
-Equivalent of 2 billion metre type-B rubber hose
Other goals
-Curb irrational expansion in the sector; raise the level of automation and smart manufacturing
-Lower rolling resistance
-Raise the overall sector’s concentration ratio with the top ten companies accounting for 70% of the China market; raise the ratio for V belt segment to 95%
-At least 2 Chinese companies ranked among the world’s top 50, with 2 to 3 higher-end products.
-Specialty transmission belt accounting for half of total
-Increase the application of aramid, carbon fibre, EPDM and other high-performance materials
 
RUBBER PRODUCTS
Annual production by 2025
-4.5 billion units sealing products
-2.5 billion units damping products
-6 million units rubber products for engineering
-1.5 billion units rubber products for household electronics
Other goals
-Raise the concentration ratio to 40% for sealing products, to 50% for damping products, to 60% for engineering products, to 60% for automotive tubes, and to 40% for household electronics products
-Expand China’s rubber sealer market to over 40 billion yuan (€5.1 billion) as of 2025, including a €2 billion market for higher-end products
-A stronger focus on the development of high-pressure swing motor oil seal, high-pressure plunger pump oil seal and high-pressure reciprocating seal and systems
-Diversification in damping products with further development in active, high-temperature and compound types; raise product service life and reliability
 
FOOTWEAR
Annual production by 2025
-1.5 billion pairs
Other goals
-Raise the sector’s concentration ratio as well as the level of automation and smart manufacturing; make greener, safer products with more technological innovation
 
LATEX
Annual production by 2025
-8.6 billion units condom
-3.5 billion pairs of surgical gloves
-30 billion pairs of examination gloves
-800 million pairs of household gloves
-3.6 billion pairs of latex coated-fabric gloves for protection use
Other goals
-Work on reducing allergic reaction caused by latex protein
-Research application of new elastomeric materials in latex products
 
CARBON BLACK/WHITE CARBON BLACK
Annual production by 2025
-6.08 million tonne carbon black
-1.75 million tonne white carbon black
Other goals
-Energy consumption standards met by 80% companies; exhaust cogeneration employed at 90% companies
-Popularise smart manufacturing in the sector with 2 to 3 commercialised projects for green tire carbon black
-Lower the investment and operating costs for exhaust denitration and devulcanization 
-Upgrade key equipment and technology such as reaction furnace and refractories; obtain 2 to 3 patents in self-developed key carbon black technology
-Establish 10 prestigious brands for white carbon black, including 2 to 3 internationally well-known brands
-Develop at least 5 smart machines, energy saving products or advanced processes that to be promoted and replicated in the sector
 
SCRAP RUBBER
Annual production by 2025
-5 million tonnes reclaimed rubber
-5.5 million tonnes rubber pellet
Other goals
-At least 90% reclaimed rubber is can meet industry standards; at least 80% companies can meet energy saving standards
-Establish 5 to 10 exemplary manufacturing sites and green factories
-Technological breakthrough and wide usage for cold crushing machines and atmospheric continuous devulcanization machines; 
-Encourage water milling and water cutting for rubber powder production; establish exemplary factories for such processes
-Advance automation in the sector with linkage crusher employed for at least 70% facilities, continuous devulcanization equipment for at least 80% and linkage calendar for at least 80%
 
ADDITIVES
Annual production by 2025
-1.73 million tonnes
Other goals
-Average annual growth at 5.7% over the next five years
-At least 75% concentration ratio; at least 2 companies with over €382 million annual sales and at least 4 companies with over €255 million annual sales
-Advance clean manufacturing, especially for vulcanisation accelerator; at least 90% companies achieve clean manufacturing
-At least 95% factories adopt the water-free solvent method for MBT, the oxygen oxidation method for TBBS and the hydrogen peroxide method for MBTS.
 
REINFORCEMENT
Annual production by 2025
-2.77 million tonne steel cord
-1 million tonne bead wire
-250,000 tonne hose wire
-337,000 tonne nylon cord fabric
-335,000 tonne polyester cord
-3,000 tonne aramid cord
Other goals
-Upgrade product portfolio and develop new materials, especially contour bead wire, three-phase alloy coated cord; improve cord strength