We have just published the October issue of our global tire industry newsletter, and distributed it to subscribers. This 35-page publication brings unique insights into: Impact of environmental inspections on China’s carbon black industry Our (updated) analysis of Michelin’s acquisition of Lehigh Technologies Sailun’s strategy to raise its brand-value in Europe SRI’s roadmap for smart
Tag: development
Tire Retreaders feel the East wind
This week, I want to alert you to something from under the radar: there are big changes going on in the retread sector around the world. It’s hard to get numbers on this, but I’m increasingly getting involved in conversations about the impact of imports of low-priced truck tires from China on the global retread
Where are natural rubber prices headed?
Downward. Natural rubber (NR) is in mid- to long-term structural over-capacity right now, and the situation is made worse by the short- to mid-term turmoil in China’s tire industry. I’m not saying anything new here. The trade has been awash with speculation about how far down the price of rubber can go for the last
China’s tire makers in meltdown
A perfect storm of negative conditions is driving huge changes in China’s tire industry, causing a meltdown in profitability and output among Chinese tire makers. Desperate Chinese tire makers are driving sharp price falls in almost every tire market and simultaneously forcing down prices of raw materials, notably natural and synthetic rubber. In dollar terms,
How China’s Tire sector might develop – Part 2
In the previous article, I addressed how the international tire makers’ profitability in China might be threatened by greater availability of consumer data on tires. This article looks at the situation of China’s tire makers and how that might change in the coming decade or so. Falling prices China’s tire industry is probably the most
How China’s Tire sector might develop – Part 1
I’ve spent a lot of time talking to people in China these last couple of months, and the mood is not happy. First, they are dealing with a downturn in the domestic truck market; second there is the issue of widespread tariffs against Chinese-made tires and third the question of land prices. The prospect of
Tire researchers over-loaded
R&D staff at tire makers around the world are over-loaded. This was one of the messages coming out of the Tire Technology event held this week in Cologne. The pressure of work from new product launches; labelling requirements and re-formulating is restricting tire makers’ ability to work with suppliers on new developments. If suppliers want