ZC Rubber to start up China carbon black plant by yearend

Tianjin, China – Zhongce Rubber Group (ZC Rubber) expects to start up a carbon black production project in Tianjin, in northeastern China by the end of the year, the company has confirmed to ERJ.

The project is part of the Tianjin 'tire renovation' project, which was launched following the acquisition of off-the-road (OTR) tire maker Tianjin United Tire & Rubber International Co. (TUTRIC) two years ago.

Overall, the project involves an investment of Yuan2 billion (€250 million) in expanding the facility and covers the construction of an 85 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) carbon black facility at the site.

The carbon black plant will include two 30ktpa production lines for hard-grade carbon blacks and a 25ktpa line for the manufacture of soft grade carbon blacks.

In its 17 Oct statement to ERJ, ZC Rubber said the carbon black facility was set for operation by the end of this year, adding that more information would be made available at the time.

ZC Rubber acquired TUTRIC, which manufactures the Tianli brand tires, at a value of $200 million (€181 million) in March 2022. (ERJ report)

In July that year, the company detailed expansion plans for the site, which included adding the capacity to produce 111.4ktpa of all-steel engineering radial tires, industrial tires, and agricultural radial tires in phase I.

At the same time, the group said it would reduce the existing bias engineering tire production capacity by 16.5ktpa. 

The second phase of the project will add 114.8ktpa of production capacity for all-steel engineering radial tires and agricultural radial tires.

After the completion of the two phases of the project, the tire production capacity of the Tianjin base will stand at 267.8ktpa, making it 'one of the largest OTR makers in Asia.'