Sun Tyres Expects 25% Increase In Demand For Retreaded Tyres

SEREMBAN, June 21 (Bernama) -- Sun Tyre Industries Sdn Bhd, a leading retreaded tyre manufacturer, expects demand to go up by 20 to 25 percent for its retreaded tyres this year.It said this following the award of the MS224:2005 certification from Sirim Thursday.Its executive director, Steven Gan Seng Poe, said demand for retreaded tyres in Malaysia was always high and that the company was confident of meeting the demand as they planned to increase production at their new plant in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.The production at the plant would be raised to about 9,000 units a month by year-end compared to the current production of 2,000 units a month.He said the Seremban based company currently produced 25,000 retreaded tyres a month, which are mostly used for commercial vehicles."About 95 per cent of our tyres are sold locally. We are looking to export our tyres to more countries and are currently identifying suitable markets," Gan told reporters after the presentation of the MS224:2005 certificate to the company by Sirim president and chief executive Datuk Dr Mohd Ariffin Aton.Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Mah Siew Keong witnessed the event.He said the company started exporting tyres to Myanmar last year.Sun Tyre is the first retreaded tyre manufacturer to be awarded the MS224:2005 certificate, which is for the specification for retreaded pneumatic rubber tyres for passenger and commercial vehicles.It produces under two brand names, Suntex and Winner.Meanwhile, the director general of the Department of Standards Malaysia, Fadilah Baharin, who was also present at the event, said the Government will soon introduce regulations that will make it compulsory for tyre manufacturers, both local and foreign, to be certified with the MS224:2005 certification. She declined to give further details.