China Rubber Industry Association believes that no matter in order to adapt to the needs of the international market, it is still urgent to improve the research and development level of domestic tires, cultivate international famous brand products, accelerate the greening of the tire industry, and build tire testing grounds. To this end, the China Rubber Association has recently made recommendations to the relevant state departments to build a tire testing ground as soon as possible. China Rubber Industry Association Auto Parts For BMW, Control Arm Kit for X5 E53 for BMW, China Auto Parts For BMW Kapaco Automotive Parts Co., Ltd. , http://www.hz-autoparts.com
First, the urgency of building a tire testing ground
On November 1 this year, the EU Tire Labeling Act will be enforced. The labeling law requires that all tires exported to the EU must be labeled to indicate the tire's fuel efficiency, rolling noise and wet skid grip. The EU also requires that tires produced after June 30 this year must be labeled. Among the three indicators of rolling resistance, wet grip, and noise required by the labeling method, the wet grip surface grip and noise must pass the tire test field to obtain the test data. But China does not currently have a tire testing ground. The EU has become the largest export area for Chinese automobile tires. The enforcement of the tire labeling law will bring great challenges to China's tire export.
Driven by the EU's move, many countries have introduced their own labeling regulations. South Korea's 28% of tire production is sold to the EU, so the country has introduced a voluntary tire labeling system, which will also become mandatory from November 2012. In addition, Japan has implemented a voluntary tire labeling system since 2010, which mainly indicates the rolling resistance of the tire and the grip level of the wet road surface. The United States passed regulations on the labeling of tires as early as six years ago. Currently, industry groups and regulators are finalizing the regulations. Finally, it is highly likely that the tires will be graded according to their fuel efficiency, traction performance and tread wear. . Brazil is also currently developing a similar tire labeling regulation.
The EU Tire Labeling Act specifies the minimum indicators for tyres: the best performance is Class A and the worst is Class G. Tyres that do not meet the minimum limit (ie below Class F) are not allowed to be sold in the EU. At present, the rolling resistance of car tires produced in the EU is on average at E level, the wet grip is at C level, and the noise level is around 72; the rolling resistance of truck tires and bus tires is generally CE.
According to a recent sample survey conducted by the National Tire Rim Standardization Technical Committee on large tire companies, the rolling resistance of China's car tires is mostly E and F, most of which can meet the minimum requirements of the first phase of the EU, but a considerable proportion of them fail to reach Minimum requirements for the second phase of the EU. According to the survey and analysis of the national heavy-duty tires by the Tire Research Institute of Shanghai Tire Rubber (Group) Co., Ltd., about 30% of the heavy-duty tires do not meet the minimum requirements of the first-stage rolling resistance of the European Union, and 70% of them do not reach the second stage of the EU. Minimum requirements for rolling resistance. On the whole, 36% of the country has not yet met the EU's first-stage standard, and 50% does not meet the requirements of the second phase of the EU.
Despite this, the EU has given positive comments on the evaluation of Chinese tires, and they still have confidence in Chinese tire products. However, since there is no tire testing ground in China, Chinese tire companies generally use qualified dealers to find qualified testing grounds in Europe for testing, which not only greatly increases the burden on enterprises, but also seriously affects the international competitiveness of Chinese tire companies. If China's tires continue to gain a foothold in Europe and the United States, the problem of building a tire testing ground is imminent.
Second, the importance of building a tire testing ground
The tire test site is equipped with special test and test equipment to simulate the safe driving performance of tires on various special roads, as well as important driving performance indicators such as tire durability, high speed, noise, wet skid resistance and rolling resistance. To ensure the safety and stability of the newly designed tires, it is an important practical test method for the tires before quantitative production. At the same time, through the test data to analyze the causal relationship between tire structure, rubber formulation and manufacturing process and tire quality, provide experimental data for tire independent research and development and quality improvement. The data of the tire test site has the advantages of authenticity, timeliness and accuracy, which is incomparable between the indoor test and the actual use test.
Therefore, the tire testing ground is an indispensable means for the application of new tire technology and new product development, and it is also one of the important signs reflecting the level of production and development of tires in a country. Without a tire testing ground, it is difficult for China to move from a big tire country to a tire power.
For a long time, due to the constraints of testing methods, the research and development of high-end tire products in China has lagged behind the well-known brands of international tires. Especially in recent years, relying on the export of traditional products, frequent foreign anti-dumping and technical barriers. The distinctive feature of modern marketing is that the new product development cycle is shortened. No matter the software design and advanced tooling equipment, the product performance index has no actual test data and it is difficult for users to accept it. The domestic tire matching quantity is lower than that of foreign-funded enterprises. prove. Incomplete testing methods have become an insurmountable bottleneck for independent innovation of local tire companies in China, which has made it difficult for China's car tires to enter the original tire market, which can only be used as a replacement tire.
It is understood that more than 50 tire testing sites have been built and used around the world, 90% of which are built by multinational tire companies. Japan Bridgestone Company has built its 11th tire testing ground in Yixing, Jiangsu Province at the end of 2007, covering an area of ​​839,000 square meters, becoming the first truly tire test track built in China. The German mainland company officially opened its winter tire test site in Heihe, Heilongjiang Province in February this year. This is the fourth test site of the mainland company in the world. It can not only provide perfect test projects, but also can be used to develop new technologies and New product. However, the local tire enterprises have not yet built a tire testing ground. Due to the inaccuracy and hysteresis of the test data, the process of independent research and development of domestic tires has been greatly slowed down, which can not meet the needs of the rapid development of China's automobile industry, and it is difficult to guarantee the tire industry. Implementation of a low carbon environmental strategy.
Third, the time to build a tire test site is ripe
Tire testing grounds are an important means of improving tire development and creating international brands. The construction of the tire test site has been brewing in China for nearly 30 years. The country has also set up a special project for this purpose, but it has been abandoned for various reasons. The test site dream of the tire industry has not been realized. The former Ministry of Chemical Industry was approved by the former State Planning Commission in 1984 to acquire 2,500 mu of land in Langfang, Hebei Province, to build China's first tire testing ground, and was forced to dismount due to lack of construction funds. The former State Planning Commission also investigated the possibility of applying the existing automobile test site for tire testing, and was forced to give up due to the differences in test functions.
At present, China has already had the conditions for building a tire testing ground, and the time has come to build a tire testing ground. Several domestic tire companies are currently interested in building tire testing grounds. Some private investment groups are also very optimistic about this project, but they face many difficulties such as capital and land, and they are still making slow progress.
It is understood that Shandong Linglong Group started the tire test site project in 2007. The project site is 26 kilometers away from the new factory area of ​​Linglong Group and covers an area of ​​161.2 hectares. The procedures for project site selection, planning, land pre-audit, land approval, environmental assessment approval, and project approval have been completed. The Soft Controls Co., Ltd. carried out preliminary preparations for the construction of the tire test site and basically had the conditions for commencement of construction. Enterprises such as Shuangqian Group, Hangzhou Zhongce, and Guangzhou South China Tire Co., Ltd. also proposed construction intentions. However, due to the large investment in the construction of the tire test site, a large area and a long cycle, individual companies are often unable to do so. According to estimates, to build a 80-100 hectare tire test site, at least 500 million yuan; to build a 100-200 hectare tire test site, to invest about 1.5 billion yuan. Moreover, the maintenance cost of the tire testing ground is quite high, and it is difficult to construct and maintain without sufficient financial support.
According to reports, Linglong Group plans to invest 1.13 billion yuan for the construction of the tire testing ground, which is the sales profit of the enterprise for 3-5 years. Under the current sluggish situation of the whole industry, the difficulties can be imagined. Since the land is also difficult, when it is completed is still unknown.
The construction of the tire testing ground is a long-awaited event in the whole industry. It is an important means to enhance the image of China's tire brand. What's more important is that the company has a high degree of construction enthusiasm. Therefore, as long as the country pushes it, this wish can be realized as soon as possible. .
Fourth, the proposal
In summary, whether it is to meet the needs of the international market, to improve the research and development level of domestic tires, to cultivate international brand-name products, to accelerate the greening of the tire industry, the construction of tire testing grounds is extremely urgent. However, due to the huge investment in the construction of the tire test site, it is difficult for a single enterprise to complete. The following recommendations are made for this purpose:
1. Determine the construction unit, set up a share operation management company, and strive to achieve the purpose of serving the industry. Start the construction of a domestic public-type tire testing ground for the whole industry, and effectively improve scientific research and development, test and testing methods and independent innovation capabilities, and The technical barriers and trade frictions that continue to emerge in tire exports. It is possible to set up a tire testing ground stock operation management company to implement market-oriented management and serve the whole industry. At the same time, we will do a good job in preparing the work plan for tire quality inspection and export tire inspection.
2. The State is requested to support the construction of a comprehensive tire testing ground in construction funds and financing policies. It requires investment of at least 1 billion yuan in construction funds, and it will not only produce economic benefits, but also require large maintenance costs each year. There must be policy guarantees. The relevant state departments are requested to establish projects as soon as possible, and can provide support in terms of construction funds, financing policies and land approvals.
March 2012