Linglong Tire intends to have 35 per cent sustainable and renewable resources in its tyres by 2025 and 40 per cent by 2030. One source of such materials will be dandelions. The tyre maker established the Dandelion Rubber Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance in 2015, partnering with more than 20 universities, research institutes and rubber companies.
The recent opening of a plant in Serbia testifies that Shandong Linglong Tire has big plans for Europe. One of its key markets within the region is Germany, and the tyre maker has now found a new distribution partner for this country, as well as for Austria and Switzerland – the ‘DACH’ region. German tyre wholesaler and retailer Reifen Straub has taken on this role.
Linglong Tire has provided further details of its original equipment partnership with MAN Truck & Bus, which it first announced at The Tire Cologne in May. The world’s 12th largest tyre maker will equip the MAN TGL with the Linglong KLS200 steer axle tyres and KLD200 drive axle tyres in sizes 245/70 R17.5 136/134M and 265/70 R17.5 140/138M.
The first tyre manufactured at Linglong’s Serbian factory – an “all steel radial truck and bus tyre” – rolled off the production line at 6:58am on 27 June 2022 China time (23:58 European time). Whatever the precise time, production on 27 June fulfils Linglong Tire chairman Wang Feng’s commitment that the factory would enter its initial manufacturing phase before the end of the first half of 2022.
In October 2021, Linglong Tire established a strategic cooperation with China-based renewable resources company Cleantire. The tyre maker declares that it was thus the “first tyre company in the world to achieve a strategic alliance with a waste tyre recycling company,” and although others may contest this title, the partnership is nonetheless significant. Linglong chairman and president, Wang Feng, signed a further comprehensive strategic cooperative agreement with Jiang Young, president of Cleantire, during an online ceremony at the start of April 2022.
After passing an evaluation conducted by the executive committee of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), Shandong Linglong Tyre Co., Ltd. recently joined the platform. It is the first tyre industry member headquartered in China.
When sharing the results of both its main summer 2022 test of 50 tyres and the performance-oriented Auto Bild Sportscars tyre test, esteemed European publication Auto Bild commented that the days of Chinese-made tyres failing these tests due to outdated technology are well and truly behind us. Auto Bild spoke about one product from China in particularly favourable tones.
Michelin has once again topped the tyre table within Brand Finance’s ranking of the world’s strongest and most valuable brands. Michelin achieved a brand value of US$7.7 billion and a brand strength index score of 85.8 out of 100.
Twenty years is a long time in the tyre business. Back in 2002, products from China were still a relatively unknown quantity and European wholesalers were taking their first, tentative steps towards getting to know Chinese manufacturers a little better. It was a steep learning curve on both sides, but some relationships have endured and thrived over the past two decades. The partnership between wholesaler European Tyre Distributors B.V. (ETD) and Shandong-headquartered Linglong Tire is one such success story.
Wang Feng, chairman and president of Linglong Tire, recently attended the online renewal of the company’s partnership of well-known top-flight German football team VfL Wolfsburg with Michael Meeske, chief executive officer of VfL Wolfsburg. As a result, Linglong Tire will remain ‘Global Club of Champions/Top Partner, Official Tire Partner, and Official Jersey Sleeve Partner’ of VfL Wolfsburg. Linglong also becomes the Official Team Partner Climate of VfL Wolfsburg and the Wolfsburg United project.
Shanghai played host to China’s 11th Philanthropy Festival on 13 and 14 January, and Linglong Tire shares that it was well represented at this event. In addition to the company winning the 2021 Philanthropy Driving Force Award, its chairman and president, Wang Feng, was named Philanthropy Person of 2021.
A ceremony was held on Tuesday to mark the production of the first TBR tyre at the Jilin Linglong plant in Changchun, China, an event concluding the initial phase of work to set up truck and bus tyre manufacturing capacity in Linglong’s fifth local factory and seventh plant worldwide. Local officials and industry leaders, including management from major vehicle manufacturer China FAW, were on hand to witness this important milestone.
Linglong Tire says the start of its original equipment tyre supply to the Honda Crider represents “another milestone breakthrough” for the company in the global OE tyre market. It shipped the first batch of tyres to Guangqi Honda in September 2021, almost three years after commencing development work on OE tyres for the Crider, an exclusive to China model that sits in the Honda range between the Civic and Accord.
Shandong Linglong Tire has signed a strategic cooperation with Shandong Lingong, and no, this isn’t a typo. The Shandong, China-based tyre maker more commonly known as Linglong Tire entered into this arrangement with Volvo Group company Shandong Lingong Construction Machinery (SDLG) on 29 June. Wang Feng signed the cooperation on behalf of Linglong Tire, with Wen Degang, SDLG general manager, performing the honours for the construction equipment company.
Linglong Tire has introduced a new tyre range within its Leao Tire brand. It targets the Leao Nova Force Acro at drivers of ultra-high-performance luxury cars.
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