BOBRUISK, Belarus (July 9, 2008) — Tire and rubber products maker JSC Belshina Belarus Tyre Works plans to boost its tire output by 7 percent during 2008 by increasing its production efficiency.
Among projects Bobruisk-based Belshina said it has earmarked for this year are launching a tire assembly system, upgrading existing processing lines and expanding production of heavy-duty off-the-road tires. The company didn't reveal the cost of the actions.
In the OTR sector, the firm recently commissioned a high-capacity steel radial tire assembly system supplied by VMI Group of the Netherlands. The system uses flat-drum building technology and assembles green tires in sizes between 17.5 R25 and 24.0 R35, Belshina said.
The new equipment will be used mainly for manufacturing 21.0 R35 and 24.0 R35 sizes for rigid dumper vehicles. Belshina also plans to upgrade its existing assembly units for the production of 33.0 R51 tires aimed at the same type of vehicle.
The upgrades will allow the company to expand OTR tire output to 28,480 units per year and to introduce 37 new types of tire by 2010.
Its main customers for tires are Minsk Automobile Plant and Production Association Minsk Tractor Works, both in Minsk, Belarus. The firm said it also plans to boost domestic supply of its products by developing a retail network across Belarus.
Belshina manufactures 200 sizes of tires for cars, trucks, road construction vehicles, buses, tractors and agricultural machinery. The tire maker exports its products to markets in the Commonwealth of Independent States, across Europe, and in Africa, the Americas and the Middle East.