ZC Rubber to add truck tires at Thai plant

China’s Zhongce Rubber Group Co. Ltd. has commissioned production at its first overseas manufacturing unit, Zhongce Rubber (Thailand) Co. Ltd. in Rayong Province.

The tire maker also disclosed plans to add truck/bus radial production there as well.

Zhongce Rubber Group hosted a grand opening ceremony June 29 at the plant, located in the Amata City Industrial Park in Rayong near the port city of Pattaya, with more than 500 VIPs and guests in attendance.

The plant covers an area of more than 6.1 million square feet, according to the company, and opens with a rated capacity of 5 million passenger car and light truck tires a year. ZC Rubber has as yet not disclosed its investment in the facility nor the size of the workforce.

ZC Rubber Group President Jinrong Shen, speaking at the opening ceremony, called the plant a “remarkable milestone of ZC Rubber Group’s globalization strategy…. The new plant is facing the market demands from global market, especially Southeast Asia.”

Mr. Shen also told guests that ZC Rubber plans to add radial truck/bus tire production at the plant in order to meet the quickly increasing demand on medium and heavy truck tires from Southeast Asia and South Asia. He did not give a timetable or investment for the addition.

ZC Rubber is represented in the U.S. by ZC Rubber Americas Inc. in Norwalk, Calif. That company, which concentrates on the firm’s Arisun premium truck radial brand, has assigned rights to Westlake-brand car and light truck tires to Tireco Inc.