ZC Rubber progresses tire factory construction overseas

Zhuhai, Guangdong – Zhongce Rubber (ZC Rubber) has made “significant progress” in the construction and ramping up of tire factories in China and overseas, according to Shen Jinrong, chairman and general manager.

Addressing a dealers conference held 10 July, the ZC leader said the tire group expected to produce the first batch of tires at its factory in Semarang, Indonesia in October.

ZC Rubber officially broke ground on the facility in Central Java in February and said the scheduled completion represented a “new speed” in overseas factory construction. (ERJ report)

Furthermore, the Chinese group will break ground on its planned €554-million facility in Coahuila, Mexico in August, according to Shen.

The project, which will employ ZC’s ‘future factory concept’, was estimated to take 12 months to complete, according to previous announcements. (ERJ report)

In addition, the ZC leader said that phase I of the group’s '“green 5G digital factory" in Dajiangdong, in Hangzhou, south east China, was set to become operational this month.

"We have plans for further development with phase II and phase III in the future," the group added in a written statement 18 July.

The Hangzhou 'lighthouse' factory is designed to manufacture high performance tires, including EV tires for OEMs.

The facility is a second iteration of ZC's "future factory" concept: building on its earlier "v1.0" factory with more advanced automation and production capabilities.

The plant will help ZC meet growing demand from China's automotive market, especially the EV sector, which is expected to see substantial growth in the coming years. (ERJ report)