South China Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. has agreed to set up a joint-venture truck tyre factory in Hefei, Anhui Province, with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Co. Ltd., a leading Chinese vehicle maker.
According to the local government’s website, the first phase of the project is expected to result in an annual capacity of 2 million truck/bus radials with an investment of about $285 million.
A second-phase expansion will add annual capacity for 20 million consumer radials, with an investment of $587 million foreseen.
South China Tire, a state-owned company based in Guangzhou, Guangdong, which makes the brands Wanli and Sunny, claims to be China’s largest radial tyre exporter. It claims an annual capacity of 12 million tyres with more than 5,000 employees at two manufacturing centers in Guangdong province, according to the company’s website.
Jianghuai Automobile Group is the controlling shareholder of Shanghai-listed Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Company (JAC), a car maker based in Hefei, Anhui.
In 2013 JAC reported $5.4 billion in revenue.