The Goodyear tyre & Rubber Company has broken ground on a US$485m expansion of its tyre factory in Pulandian, Dalian, China.
When completed in 2020, the expansion will increase the plant's capacity by about 5m tyres a year, enabling the company to meet the strong and growing market demand for premium, large-rim-diameter consumer tyres in China and the Asia Pacific region. By 2020, Goodyear expects tyres with rim diameters of 17 inches or greater to account for nearly
60% of its replacement tyre sales volume in China.
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"This investment in our Pulandian factory speaks to our long-term strategy of pursuing sustainable growth in the Asia Pacific region and increasing presence in high-value segments of the global tyre market that are growing at rates above the total industry where we can capture the value of our brand," the company said.
"Goodyear's latest investment in Pulandian strengthens our presence in China. As one of our most important and key growth markets, our global brand and innovative product portfolio in China will gives us a competitive edge," said Chris Delaney, president, Asia Pacific.
Goodyear was the first global tyre manufacturer to enter China when it inaugurated a tyre manufacturing plant in Dalian in 1994. The company moved production to the new Pulandian factory in 2012 and opened its new China Development Center on the Pulandian campus in 2015 to increase the speed and efficiency of developing high-quality premium tyres for China-based auto manufacturers.
