Heuver importing LingLong agri range

Amongst the news announced at the Agritechnica 2013 show was that Netherlands-based truck and off-road tyre specialist Heuver Tyrewholesale has obtained exclusive rights in a number of European countries to distribute the agricultural range from one of China’s best-known tyre makers. Heuver will initially focus on distributing the LingLong agricultural range in Germany and the Benelux markets.

The first tyre to be launched is the 85-series R1W for tractors, harvesters and light shovels, and Heuver displayed this product at the Agritechnica trade fair. It will be followed by other series for drive axles and general equipment. The wholesaler says the 85-series R1W tyre fits on standard wheel rims and has 20 per cent more tread than comparable tyres, which helps to significantly improve lifespan and reduce operating costs. Other stated features are a self-cleaning tread pattern, high levels of grip and a modern design that complies with all European requirements. Heuver says the 85-series R1W is ideal for use on farmlands and meadows as the tyre’s rounded shoulders minimises impact upon crops, which has a positive impact on yields.

“For quite some time, we have noticed an opportunity in the agricultural tyres market for a brand capable of offering the best price/quality ratio,” commented Bertus Heuver, director of Heuver Tyrewholesale: “We have now found this brand in LingLong, which is a large and ambitious tyre manufacturer, and have utmost confidence in their products. Comprehensive testing on the tyres has confirmed our initial impression; LingLong tyres meet the high quality standards we set and will give our customers the certainty they have become accustomed to. That is why we immediately attempted to obtain exclusive import rights for the whole of Europe when negotiations started. These tyres represent a major breakthrough in the new and replacement market for agricultural tyres in Europe.

“LingLong is an extremely strong partner, which should be able to serve a third of the market in this segment”, Heuver continued. “In terms of sales, we will start off in Germany, the Benelux and France. These countries have a modern and technology-based market which, from a price perspective, will perfectly suit this new high-quality product. We will start by supplying 85-series radial tyres for drive axles, which account for around 75 per cent of the market. This will later be followed by the 65 and 70-series. Our tests did not identify any shortcomings, which means we can fully guarantee the quality of these radial tyres. This is the kind of certainty we always want to offer to our customers.”

Earlier in the year Tyres & Accessories reported Heuver’s plans to distribute the Leao agricultural tyre range. Leao and LingLong are both produced by Shandong Linglong, and this newly-announced distribution of LingLong-brand agricultural tyres and the signing of an exclusive deal for Europe represents a further evolution in Heuver’s negotiations with the Chinese tyre maker.