Китайские производители шин расширили глобальный производственный след

Against the backdrop of the globalization of China's manufacturing sector, the expansion of overseas capacities in the tire industry has attracted special attention. As one of the largest tire manufacturers in the world, Chinese tire companies, leveraging their complete production chains, mature manufacturing technologies, and large-scale production advantages, have gradually established a transnational production network over nearly a decade of targeted overseas plant construction, covering Southeast Asia, Europe, and America.

This represents a transition from a predominantly export-oriented trade model to a new phase of localized production and regional supply. Among them, Zhongce Rubber, Sailun Group, and Linglong Tire stand out, whose overseas production capacities exceed 100 million units, making them significant forces in the globalization of China's tire industry.

These three companies have strategically positioned themselves based on local conditions, forming unique global production capacities. Zhongce Rubber focuses on expanding its core market in Southeast Asia to strengthen its production capacity advantages.

In addition to its existing production bases in Thailand and Indonesia, the company further increased its presence in Southeast Asia in 2026 by investing 1.04 billion yuan to launch the first phase of its tire production base in Vietnam. This further strengthens its regional production base, utilizing abundant natural rubber resources and convenient maritime communication to reduce raw material procurement and cross-border logistics costs, effectively spreading its influence across Southeast Asia and adjacent markets.

Sailun Group has adopted a multifaceted strategy, achieving steady and large-scale overseas expansion. By 2026, the company had established a production matrix in Southeast Asia, covering Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia.

Its plant in Indonesia reached its first tire production line in 2025 and entered the capacity ramp-up phase, with products adapted to local climatic and road conditions, meeting high EU standards. Simultaneously, the company's global expansion continues: the plant in Mexico is already operational, and the plant in Egypt is under construction, covering key markets in Southeast Asia, North America, and North Africa, steadily increasing overseas production capacities.

Linglong Tire was one of the first domestic tire companies to establish a production base in Europe, demonstrating strong foresight in its global expansion strategy. Its production base in Thailand is successfully operational and generating stable profits.

The Serbian base, a key facility in Europe, achieved stable capacity ramp-up by the end of 2025, with continued adjustments and upgrades to production lines in 2026 to precisely meet European market access standards and consumer demand. Simultaneously, the company is actively expanding into the South American market, planning to build a large-scale production base in Brazil to further enhance its global production capacity system.

The large-scale expansion of overseas capacities by leading companies is an important measure to overcome industry development constraints and seize global opportunities. In recent years, factors such as international trade barriers, tariff restrictions, and rising cross-border logistics costs have continuously impacted the export of domestic tire products. Localized overseas production can effectively reduce trade risks and improve supply efficiency by being closer to the end market.

Meanwhile, the continued growth in the number of vehicles in developing markets such as Southeast Asia and Latin America steadily increases the demand for tire replacements, providing extensive market space for the release of overseas production capacities.

However, the path of globalization for Chinese tire companies still presents both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, overseas markets face numerous uncertainties, including competition with local brands, geopolitical fluctuations, and adjustments to local industrial policies. Some overseas bases are still in the capacity development stage, facing significant short-term profit pressures.

On the other hand, domestic tire companies still need to overcome high-tech barriers, strengthen their brand influence abroad, and gradually change the stereotype of low-cost and low-quality products.

Overall, the global strategy of these three companies not only promotes the development model of overseas plant construction and localized production in the tire industry but also, through continuous capacity investments and strategic optimization, gradually changes the competitive landscape of the global tire industry, becoming a vivid reflection of the high-quality and globalized development of China's manufacturing industry.