Chinese Boom Depletes Global OTR Markets
Recently the global mining industry has had to face a new obstacle. And it has nothing to do with a lack of demand for the raw materials that this business harvests from the earth. Far from it. In the wake of economic expansion in Asia and America, global demand for raw materials has increased rapidly. Order books are full. Despite this, without an integral component, some mining companies have been brought to a standstill. Like cars, earthmovers and other off-the-road (OTR) vehicles cannot go anywhere without tyres.
The chronic shortage of the right kind of rubber for these, often enormous, vehicles means wheel loaders, earth movers and other quarry, mine and dump orientated machines are increasingly rolled out to customers shod only with wooden bandages designed to protect the rims. Frustrated at the pace of delivery, some mine and quarry operators have even sourced new tyres from the tyre trade themselves, new tyres that are intended to fit newly bought vehicles. Although now, even the tyre trade is finding it difficult to offer anything in this respect.