This week, Omsk Carbon, which is Russia’s largest carbon black producer, announced it expected to begin production at its new carbon black factory in the Belarusian Free Economic Zone in Mogilev, Belarus, by July/August 2016 and reach its full capacity by 2019. The project is expected to cost US$103 million and the plant will have a total capacity of 200,000 tons at full capacity. The plant will employ some 450 workers. This will be the company’s third carbon black plant.
January 29, 2016
January 25, 2016
Bridgestone moving forward with expansions in Hungary and Russia
Bridgestone Europe has denied rumors that it has delayed its previously announced capacity expansion in Tatabanya, Hungary. The project, announced in October 2012, will add capacity to about 6.5 million tires per year (18,000 tires/day) by the first half of 2017. According to Bridgestone Europe, there has been no reassessment of the project, which is on schedule. The plant’s capacity is focused on premium radial passenger car tires, including run-flat tires and UHP tires.
In separate news, Russia’s Tass News Agency is reporting that Bridgestone will open its new tire plant in Russia later in 2016. According to Tass, Bridgestone will invest 12.5 billion rubles (US$147.7 million) in the new factory. Equipment assembly and pre-commissioning is currently underway at the plant and should be complete in the second half of the year. The project broke ground in April 2014. Capacity at the plant in Ulyanovsk Oblast will be 2 million units/year by 2019, though that could be doubled to 4 million tires/year if there is adequate demand. Employment will total about 800 workers in the first phase. This project is a joint venture between Bridgestone (90%) and Mitsubishi Corporation (10%).
