From Qingdao to the world: the globalization journey of the tire industry

Do you think that Chinese tires can be found in Shandong, and Shandong tires can be found in Dongying? Wrong! In the tire industry, Qingdao is the well-deserved "leader", with a much louder name than Dongying. It is also a well-known presence in the world and can be called the lifeblood of the global tire industry!

Qingdao tires have a history of nearly a hundred years.

The predecessor of Huanghai Rubber, which is well-known in the tire industry, is Qingdao No. 2 Rubber Factory, which is one of the "four major tire families" in China (the four major tire families: State-owned No. 1 Rubber Factory, State-owned No. 2 Rubber Factory, Shanghai Greater China Rubber Factory, and Zhengtai Rubber Factory). Founded in 1933, it first produced Bridgestone rubber shoes.

In 1945, Japan surrendered, and the Kuomintang government took over the Nippon Tire Co., Ltd. and renamed it Qingdao Rubber Factory. In 1949, with the founding of New China, Huanghai Rubber truly returned to the embrace of the people; in 1950, it began to gradually expand production; by 1952, after the end of the three-year recovery period of the national economy, the tire output of Qingdao Rubber Factory increased by 12 times compared with 1949.

Not only that, the "State-owned Second Rubber Factory" also provided many technical and management talents for many domestic tire companies, and was widely known as the "Huangpu Military Academy" of China's tire industry. It is understood that the later Yinchuan Tire Factory, Qingdao Rubber Group No. 6, Dongfeng Tire Factory, the original Shandong Institute of Chemical Technology, now Qingdao University of Science and Technology, the original Qingdao Rubber Factory No. 9, and later Doublestar Group were all born from the Shandong Rubber General Factory, the early predecessor of "Second Rubber"!

Even Qingdao University of Science and Technology and Doublestar Group have a close relationship with it, which is a great influence!After talking about the history of Qingdao tires, let's take a look at Qingdao's regional advantages in tire exports.

80% of tire exports rely on Qingdao Port

The global tire industry looks to China. China is the world's largest tire producer. In addition, the domestic tire market is complex, so many tire companies have a very high export ratio. How do tire exports go?

It is understood that 80% of China's tire exports are through Qingdao Port, which means that no matter where the tires are produced, if you want to go abroad, you will most likely have to go through Qingdao. According to reports, in the first three quarters of 2024, the tire export data of Qingdao Port was 70.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.597%, ranking seventh among the province's export commodities. Therefore, the tire factory in Qingdao has a geographical advantage, and it is much more convenient to go to sea than others. It is simply the "VIP channel" in the tire industry.

Thirty thousand companies, three listed companies
It is said that Dongying is a gathering place for tire companies. However, a search for tires on Tianyancha shows that there are 9,697 tire-related companies in Dongying, Shandong, and 30,964 in Qingdao. At present, there are only 12 listed tire companies in China, and Qingdao has three seats: there are both old state-owned enterprises Qingdao Doublestar, the third largest in the country Sailun Group, and the newly listed Sentury Tire. Looking around the world, there is really no other city like Qingdao with three listed tire companies.

Qingdao Doublestar: Qingdao Doublestar has a history of 100 years and became the first state-owned holding listed company in Qingdao and the country; in 2018, Qingdao Doublestar successfully controlled South Korea's Kumho Tire. After this overseas acquisition, Qingdao Doublestar became the largest tire company in China.

Sailun: In 2012, Sailun Group took the lead in going abroad and established the first overseas tire production base in Vietnam, creating a precedent for Chinese tire companies to build factories overseas. This move not only strengthened Sailun Tire's position in the global market, but was also a key factor in its market share expansion.

Since the first release of Sailun Liquid Gold Tire in 2021, it has caused a huge response in the industry with its excellent performance and innovative EcoPoint3 technology. This technology solves the three core performance problems of tire rolling resistance, anti-slip and wear resistance, making the liquid gold tire perform well in fuel saving, safety and wear resistance!

Qingdao Sentury: Qingdao Sentury is a real dark horse in the industry. At present, Sentury Tire Company is promoting an ambitious "833Plus" strategy, aiming to build itself into a world-leading tire brand in the next ten years. According to this plan, Sentury will deploy 8 intelligent manufacturing bases, 3 R&D centers and 3 user experience centers around the world, and does not rule out the acquisition of a well-known tire manufacturer in the industry. These facilities will be spread across China, Thailand, Europe, Africa and North America to optimize the distribution of production capacity and ensure that the products maintain high quality and high performance.

Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Huangpu of the Rubber Industry

However, how Qingdao will develop depends on the accumulation of talents in the future.

Qingdao University of Science and Technology was formerly Shenyang Light Industry Senior Vocational School, which was founded in 1950. Qingdao University of Science and Technology is the first higher education institution in China to establish a rubber major, and the only university in Asia with a rubber major. It is praised by the society as "Huangpu of China's rubber industry" and a member unit of CDIO Engineering Education Alliance.

In addition to Qingdao University of Science and Technology, known as the "Huangpu Military Academy of the Rubber Industry", as well as 2 world-class laboratories, 6 national research centers and 51 provincial and municipal scientific research institutions, Qingdao also has the Rubber Valley, which builds the chemical rubber industry ecosystem with the concept of platform economy.

In 2000, Soft Control Co., Ltd., which was incubated by the auxiliary equipment project of the internal mixer that won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award of Qingdao University of Science and Technology, has developed into a leader in the rubber machinery industry since its listing in 2006. Through Soft Control Co., Ltd., one listed company, Sailun Co., Ltd. and 158 technology-based enterprises in the rubber tire industry chain have been derived.

Qingdao has the most complete tire front and rear industry chain
Finally, let's talk about this industry chain. Qingdao is so complete. Data shows that Qingdao imports more than 1.7 million tons of natural rubber a year, accounting for more than 60% of the national imports. The "World Rubber City" is not called for nothing. Not only that, the famous Bekaert Steel Wire Company has also taken root here. From raw materials to technology research and development, from production to export, Qingdao's tire industry is like a sophisticated "super machine" with every part running well.

And even in the waste tire treatment that people tend to ignore in daily life, Qingdao is also among the best. From production to export to waste treatment, Qingdao has formed the most complete industrial chain. Who can compare with this configuration in the world? It is not an exaggeration to say that Qingdao holds the "lifeline of the global tire industry".

In the future, Qingdao will continue to continuously supply the world with high-quality tire products and cutting-edge technical concepts. After all, in the world of tires, if Qingdao is second, no one dares to be first. In the future, Qingdao will continue to lead the global tire industry and write a more glorious chapter!