Trelleborg and China take action for bluer skies

Trelleborg implements new environmental measures at its China facilities linked to the country’s “three-year action plan for Blue Sky protection” to reduce air pollution, as per the 2016 Paris Agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Paolo Pompei, President of Trelleborg, says: “With sustainability in mind, Trelleborg is continuously investing in its state-of-the-art facilities in China, which have been set up in synergy with the environment and people.

“Across its entities, Trelleborg believes that the benefits of its solutions stretch beyond functionality and business performance. Whenever possible, they should also contribute to better sustainability and support the implementation of renewable energies to meet the challenges of climate change. In fact, many Trelleborg solutions protect people and the environment, as well as infrastructure and assets. With its Blue Dimension™ approach to sustainability, for example, Trelleborg can deliver environmental benefits by saving energy, cutting emissions and protecting the soil.

“Our business area and manufacturing footprint extends over three continents and comprises 15 plants, two of which are in China. In 2011, Trelleborg inaugurated its manufacturing site in Xingtai, Hebei, China, the first of its kind in the country to produce high-performance specialty tires, primarily for the agricultural sector.

“With this establishment, we became the first non-Chinese company to build an agricultural tire production facility in China. Two years later, we enlarged our manufacturing platform with the acquisition of a solid tire plant in Hebei.

“For nearly a decade, we have been greening our facilities, revamping structures by introducing innovative, environmentally sustainable technologies. Since 2017, we have invested significantly in production sustainability in Trelleborg’s tire facilities in Xingtai and Hebei alone.

“Using proven, leading-edge manufacturing processes, these sites produce radial, bias and solid tires for farming, forestry, agro-industrial, industrial and mining applications ranging from 16 to 54 inches. Today, both Trelleborg facilities, employing about 580 people, are part of manufacturing’s top 100 cities. In addition, these production sites open up new opportunities for the many global OEMs that operate locally, and for the replacement market in China.

“Investments aimed at increasing sustainable production in the Xingtai and Hebei facilities have led to a number of key improvements: the coal boiler has been dismantled and replaced with two new gas boilers equipped with advanced systems for the reduction and online monitoring of SOx and NOx emissions; ventilation and VOC filtering systems have been installed in all production workshops; REACH compliant materials have replaced others; and in April 2020, an additional investment was done to replace the existing UV+plasma+active carbon filters with post-combustion systems that will reduce mixing emission.

“Through these transformative actions, the two Chinese facilities have set the pace for all Trelleborg sites worldwide, as they represent the highest example of innovation and models of excellence that act as a template for the whole manufacturing footprint.

“Trelleborg is playing a key role in developing the agricultural sector in China, ushering in an innovative approach to facilitate the transition from bias tires to radial tires so that famers can produce more with less, while contributing to economic growth in the country.

“For example, Trelleborg has increased end-user knowledge and skills through frequent training sessions and road shows, hosting five large field demos in Xinjiang and Heilongjiang between 2016 and 2018. What’s more, media campaigns and exhibitions have had a profound impact on Chinese farmers, who have been introduced to the advantages of radial tires, such as reduced fuel consumption, less soil compaction (for increased productivity), increased efficiency with better traction, and better sustainability overall.

“In 2016, with the acquisition of the Czech CGS group, Trelleborg became the global leader in agricultural tire manufacturing. With this move, Trelleborg leveraged its cooperation with all leading machine manufacturers – such as John Deere, CNH, AGCO, and CLASS – to develop several important projects in China. Trelleborg also supports the local economy through its partnerships with key dealers and domestic OEMs, providing radial tires to enhance product competitiveness.

“Thanks to its global reach and local presence, Trelleborg has developed a strong service team and R&D department, which works closely with its customers in China. Setting up a rapid service response, Trelleborg delivers high-performance products that have been adjusted to local conditions and to customers’ needs. In 2016, for example, the new HD series with compound products was launched in China to meet the demanding challenges of that particular market, thereby solving puncture issues in stony fields and critical applications.

“Currently, there are 44 Trelleborg-authorized service centres in China that can provide professional tire services, most of which cover a 100 to 200 kilometer range and have mobile service vehicles that can reach a customer’s location easily.

“Moreover, with the aim of supporting the local economy and communities, Trelleborg launched “Present the Future”, a childcare charity project to support neglected children in rural areas in China, together with China’s most influential childcare foundation, the Soong Ching Ling Foundation.

 “From 2019, and over three years, Trelleborg is donating 10 childcare centres to the foundation, as well as a percentage of sales to the charity, and in addition it is working with professionals to support children’s psychological counselling.  

“Since we began production in China, we believed that it was not only important to support the market with tire technology but also the users of our tires; the forklift, tractor and mining machine operators. This “Present the Future” project targets kids who cannot have the full attention from their parents. We want to support these children so that they feel they have been loved by society and can enjoy their childhood.

“By pioneering new, greener technologies and making its manufacturing processes more sustainable, Trelleborg will contribute to bringing bluer skies to China.”

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Images:

• TWS China_01: VOC filtering systems installed on workshops roofs, equipped with online emission alarming device (linked with local authorities), the filtering systems are equipped with active carbon, UV light and plasma filtering modules.
• TWS China_02: VOC filtering systems installed on mixing workshop roof, equipped with emission analyzer and online transmission device (linked with local authorities), the filtering system is equipped with active carbon and burning regeneration modules.
• TWS China_03: examples of VOC collecting points installed on production workshops, most of the points are dedicated to each emitting machine.
• TWS China_04: one of the two new burners for NOx and SOx reduction.