Tire company in production row
By Richard Fu |
March 17, 2011, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
KUMHO Tire Co has been found to be using excess recycled rubber at its Tianjin plant, a move that could lead to lower performance and safety problems, CCTV has alleged.
To save on costs, the South Korean company used more recycled rubber from semi-finished tires than was allowed under its own guidelines at the north China plant, CCTV reported on Tuesday night.
In some cases, recycled rubber accounted for half the material used in tire production, compared with the maximum allowable quarter under Kumhos guidelines, CCTV alleged.
Kumho only operated correctly when receiving car maker clients, CCTV said, citing an unidentified insider. Excess use of used and detective rubber may result in tire leaks, which could lead to serious safety problems.
In a letter to consumers yesterday, Kumho said the report was incorrect as the percentage of recycled rubber is based on weight, rather than the visible proportion they reported on.
Kumho is the largest tire supplier to car makers in China and its clients include the joint ventures of car makers such as General Motors Co and Hyundai Motor Co in China.
The tire maker insisted that all of its products meet national and industry quality standards in China and it will cooperate with the quality inspection authority in the coming days - the authority will examine the production lines at the Tianjin factory.
To save on costs, the South Korean company used more recycled rubber from semi-finished tires than was allowed under its own guidelines at the north China plant, CCTV reported on Tuesday night.
In some cases, recycled rubber accounted for half the material used in tire production, compared with the maximum allowable quarter under Kumhos guidelines, CCTV alleged.
Kumho only operated correctly when receiving car maker clients, CCTV said, citing an unidentified insider. Excess use of used and detective rubber may result in tire leaks, which could lead to serious safety problems.
In a letter to consumers yesterday, Kumho said the report was incorrect as the percentage of recycled rubber is based on weight, rather than the visible proportion they reported on.
Kumho is the largest tire supplier to car makers in China and its clients include the joint ventures of car makers such as General Motors Co and Hyundai Motor Co in China.
The tire maker insisted that all of its products meet national and industry quality standards in China and it will cooperate with the quality inspection authority in the coming days - the authority will examine the production lines at the Tianjin factory.
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