September 11, 2000 Kenda Rubber Ind. Co. Ltd., a leading Taiwan manufacturer of bicycle, motorcycle and automobile tires, recently revealed that its mainland China plant in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, is nearly ready to begin production of automobile tires. Kenda began turning out bicycle and motorcycle tires at the plant last March, and its facilities for making automobile tires are now in the final testing stages. According to Michael Liu, a manager of the company, Kenda expects the trial runs to be completed by the end of this year, when the factory can then begin commercial production of automobile tires. In addition to the Kunshan plant, Kenda currently has two other overseas factories, one in Shenzhen of Guangdong Province, and the other in Vietnam. The initial production of automobile tires at the Kunshan plant will be for sedans and light trucks. When in full operation, Kenda’s mainland plants will supply small tires for both domestic and international demands, while bigger tires will be aimed solely at the international market. Kenda was one of the earliest Taiwan tire makers to start business in mainland China. Currently, it boasts more than 10 sales centers and 30 local sales agents there.
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