◎ Hao Zhangcheng

On November 28, 2019, the CRIA Tire Branch held the first meeting and launching ceremony of guideline compiling work of the “14th Five-Year” development plan for tire industry in Qingdao.

The meeting was chaired by Shi Yifeng, Deputy Secretary General of CRIA and Secretary General of Tire Branch. More than 30 leaders and experts from tire enterprises and related scientific research institutes attended the meeting.

CRIA President Deng Yali said that the compilation of the “14th Five-Year Plan” for tire industry is designed to promote the transformation and upgrading of the industry, achieve the change from being big to being strong, raise awareness and strengthen responsibilities. The “14th Five-Year Plan” is a period of historical opportunity for a new journey advancing a powerful modernized country, and a historical intersection period of two “Hundred-Year”. It comprehensively and objectively summarizes the “13th Five-Year Plan”, scientifically and effectively plans the “14th Five-Year Plan”, and carries forward from the past to the future. Based on in-depth research, we must rationally think, plan ahead, and meticulously lay out.
Deng Yali pointed out that the tire industry is the backbone of rubber industry. To make a good plan for the development of tire industry, we must carefully analyze the outstanding problems existing in the development of the industry such as structural irrationality, insufficient innovation ability, lack of well-known brands, etc. We must identify weak links, adhere to be market-oriented and problem-oriented, carefully evaluate the results and experience obtained, and put forward the development goals, work ideas, and key tasks targeted in the “14th Five-Year Plan” period. This is the need and expectation of the industry and enterprises.

Deng Yali requested that the compiling work of the “14th Five-Year Plan” has heavy tasks, a long time span, a strong lineup of experts, and it gathers and mobilizes external brains and think tanks in all aspects. It is necessary to conduct in-depth investigations and research, gather wisdom and strength from mass, carefully organize, clarify responsibilities, communicate and connect, and form a joint force, to ensure the openness and cooperativity of the plan; industry planning is with high degree of target, professionalization, and guidance, which will affect all aspects of decision-making, and the compiling of planning also possesses historical materials, and sense of the times, which requires compiling experts to be responsible for the cause and responsible for history, be with high standards and strict requirements, apply accurate data and in-depth examples, make reasonable analysis and judgment, and guarantee the continuity and inheritance of the content.

Chai Yongsen, Chairman of CRIA Tire Branch and Chairman of Doublestar Group, put forward requirements on how to plan well. First of all, we must do a good job of scientific evaluation of the industry development during the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, be practical and realistic about the achievements and issues, and firmly strengthen our confidence; secondly, we must closely follow the theme of high-quality development and make good planning compilation work. Specifically, we must do well five aspects of research: firstly, improving the ability to respond to changes in the market environment during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period; secondly, rely on the power of technological progress, develop with high quality driven by innovation; thirdly, enterprises in the industry must concentrate their efforts to strengthen the ability to resist major risks; fourthly, strengthen the combination of industry, university and research to make the scientific research results better industrialized; the fifth includes green environmental protection, energy conservation and consumption reduction, brand promotion, the construction of talent teams, etc. He also suggested that special attention should be paid to the purpose and role of the planning content for different audiences, highlight the role of policy orientation, and at-tach importance to the issue-oriented and strategy-oriented mechanisms.

Ju Hongzhen, former President of CRIA, reviewed the development history of tire industry and put forward valuable suggestions on the compilation of the “14th Five-Year Plan”. He said that since 2008, the economic development of China’s tire industry has entered a new stage. The most representative is the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, which has two significant characteristics: one is developing from imitation, small reform to independent innovation, and even original innovation has been achieved in some key areas; the second is the rapid improvement in development quality, which has entered the middle and advanced stages of industry development. In the “14th Five-Year Plan” development stage of tire industry, it is recommended to do well six major system projects. The first is to do a good job in innovation projects, with the theme of further technological advancement and product upgrades, to comprehensively promote original innovation; the second is to do well in environmental protection projects, with the theme of green products and clean production, and comprehensively develop a “one-stop” solution from raw materials to equipment, processes, manufacturing, and recycling of used tires; the third is to do a good job in brand building projects, to cultivate and grow with national brands, and to support the strong and the better, select the superior and eliminate the inferior; the fourth is to do a good strategic cooperation project, combining with supply-side reform, and industry-university-research cooperation, to build a modern industrial economic system; fifthly, do a good job in talent training projects, with the theme of cultivating the spirit of “great craftsmen”, abandoning the concept of employment, strengthening vocational skills training, and building an industrialized army needed to serve the modernization of enterprises; the sixth is to continue to do a good job in transnational development projects.

Qian Ruijin, leader of tire expert group and Chief Engineer of Double Coin Tyre, gave a presentation on the implementation opinions of compiling work of “14th Five-Year” development plan. He stated that according to the compiling requirements of the “14th Five-Year Plan”, the final draft must be completed before the end of Septem-ber 2020. The plan must not only reflect the problems of overcapacity, international trade frictions, sustainable and healthy development of the industry in tire industry, but also put forward suggestions and opinions on upstream industries like raw materials, molds, etc., reflecting the integration of the entire industry chain. In recent years, the rapid development of science and technology and the continuous emergence of new technologies, have a profound impact on the development of the industry, especially the recently mentioned “new four modernization” of automobiles has put forward new requirements for the development of tires. The compiling work has a powerful expert group, which has absorbed a group of experts and professors from universities. This will make the planning content more complete and systematic. Part of the content of the “13th Five-Year Plan” has been achieved, but there are still some areas that have not yet been achieved, which need to be carefully summarized. In short, it is hoped that experts will work together to do a good job of planning compilation.

Chen Zhihong, consultant of tire expert group and former chief engineer of Beijing Rubber Industry Research and Design Institute, gave a presentation on the compiling outline of tire industry’s “14th Five-Year Plan”. He said that in the period of the “14th Five-Year Plan”, the target should be clear, and problems in ten aspects are recommended to be solved: the first is market positioning, including the proportions of domestic demand, supporting facilities, production capacity of overseas factories, etc.; the second is to further complete and improve the product technology level of passenger car tires, commercial car tires, giant tires, agricultural radial tires, aviation tires, etc. to build a complete and advanced industrial system; thirdly, tire products continue to develop in a safe, intelligent, and green direction; the fourth is the information and intelligence in production, management, etc.; fifthly, in terms of environmental protection, focus on solving two prominent problems of odor and vulcanized smoke treatment; the sixth is to formulate and issue a number of national standards to reflect the soft power of the industry; seventhly, focus on raw material innovation and improve tire performance; eighth, foster international famous brands and strive for group development; the ninth is to strengthen talent training and exchanges, and transform the scientific and technological achievements into industrialization, concentrate manpower, material and financial resources, build a national research and development center, and solve difficult problems in the industry; and the tenth is the development problem of circular economy.