Witness of the years: A veteran company in the global tire industry
May I ask, who is the oldest tire company? Many people may think it is Dunlop. After all, the Scottish veterinarian who loves to grow flowers and plants invented the world's first pneumatic tire. Since then, a new chapter in the development of tires has been opened, and human travel has undergone earth-shaking changes since then.
However, it is a group of great tire companies that have truly carried forward and passed down the tire business. In the long history of tire development, there are the experience accumulation of the older generation of tire companies, and there are also new generation tire companies that carry on the past and open up the future.
Although China is currently the world's largest tire manufacturing country, there is no century-old tire company. The ones that really achieve a century are all from Europe, the United States and Japan.
Top 11 Centennial Tire Companies in the World
The oldest tire company is Continental of Germany, which was founded in 1871 and has a history of 154 years. It currently owns Continental, General (1915), Viking (1931), etc. The General brand is also a century-old brand in the United States. Viking was once the oldest tire company in Norway, with a history of more than 90 years. With the support of Continental, the brand and products of Germany's Continental can be said to be "strong and powerful". It is currently developing at a high speed, catching up with Goodyear, Michelin and Bridgestone.
Following the German Continental is Pirelli. As a tire brand with a long history, Pirelli comes from the fashion capital of Milan, which also injects lifelong aristocratic blood into it. The original equipment of a luxury brand car in Italy is Pirelli. After the acquisition by China National Chemical Corporation, Pirelli has been more determined on the road of high-end tires.
The third place may be the most surprising. This is a tire company from India. JK Tire's tire business history is not that long, but the JK Group has a long history. In addition to the tire business, it also involves papermaking, cement, agricultural seeds, dairy industry, auto parts, biopharmaceuticals, etc.
Michelin is the most well-known brand, and the radial tire is Michelin's "masterpiece". Since then, Michelin has reached the pinnacle of the tire industry and has remained so to this day.
Titan International is the oldest tire company in the United States. It should be unexpected that this mortal enemy of Chinese tires has been in this industry for more than 130 years. In the field of agricultural and forestry tires, Titan International has always maintained an international lead. In recent years, due to consecutive years of losses, it has fallen into a serious debt crisis. However, compared with those American century-old tire brands that have been acquired, Titan International's vitality is still very tenacious.
Following closely behind, Goodyear is one year later than Titan International. At present, Goodyear is already among the top three in the world. For many years, it has been the world's third largest tire manufacturer after Bridgestone and Michelin. It is worth mentioning that Goodyear's agricultural tires are produced by Titan International.
Nokian Tires from Finland was established in the same year as Goodyear. At present, Nokian Tires is the leader of winter tires in the world and is unrivaled in the field of winter tires. Its Hakkapeliitta series has been the leading brand of winter tires for more than 80 years. At the same time, Nokian Tires also develops competitive summer tires and all-season tire products, and strives to develop and manufacture high-quality tire products for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
In fact, after Goodyear and Nokian, it should be Firestone, which is 5 years earlier than Sweden's Trelleborg, but Firestone was later acquired by Bridgestone, so it will not be compared separately here. Trelleborg's tire business only accounts for about 35% of its total business. In fact, Trelleborg's most powerful business is sealing, shock absorption and protective engineering polymers. For example, our Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Shenzhen-Zhongshan Tunnel both use Trelleborg's sealing pads.
Sumitomo Rubber, Cooper, and Yokohama are all very well-known tire companies. They have been active on the tire stage for more than 100 years and are becoming more and more "superstar" radiant.
Maybe everyone will wonder? As the world's number one, Bridgestone is not qualified to enter the top 10?
Yes, because Bridgestone is too young.
Bridgestone was founded in 1931 and has only 94 years of history. Bridgestone has firmly occupied the throne of the world's number one tire company for several consecutive years, and the company's strength is evident.
The oldest tire brand in China is Doublestar, which was founded in 1921 and has a history of 104 years. Double Coin follows closely with a history of 96 years.
The oldest tire company in Taiwan is Taifeng. Although it has a long history, Taifeng's development speed is far less than that of Nangang, Jianda and Chengshin.
Chengshin's development speed is shocking. From a bicycle tire manufacturer in Changhua to a world tire factory selling in 180 countries around the world, Chengshin has successfully established the MAXXIS brand with its persistence in products and performance, precise sports marketing strategy, and global localization business strategy, and has kept pace with other international brands that have been established for a hundred years, becoming a model of rapid success in the tire industry.
Founded in 1958, Zhongce Rubber has dominated the domestic tire market for many years. Linglong, which follows closely, is accelerating its global layout. Zhongce Rubber has been firmly ranked among the top 10 in the world. The young Sailun is like a young man full of fighting spirit. It stands out in the fiercely competitive market environment and has become a rising star in China's tire industry.
The long history tells the story of the hard work and sweat of generations of tire people. The tenacious vitality shows that the old brand itself is a kind of wealth. It embodies the essence of several generations and has profound connotations. Please like the tire companies you admire and respect.
