As a leading enterprise in China’s rubber tire industry, Sailun Group has always adhered to technological innovation as its core driving force since its establishment in 2002, gradually growing from a start-up into a globally competitive international tire manufacturer.
Recently, reporters visited Sailun Group to gain an in-depth understanding of its development path to promote industry transformation and upgrading through continuous R&D breakthroughs and full industry chain layout.
Milestones in the tire industry
“After more than 20 years of development, Sailun Group has established four major R&D centers and nine major production bases around the world.
There is a factory under construction in the country, and its products are exported to more than 180 countries and regions.” Gu Kai, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Sailun Group, said that in 2024, the group achieved operating income of 31.802 billion yuan, and many core operating indicators reached record highs, showing strong development momentum.
“Sailun is one of the first companies in China’s rubber tire industry to achieve deep integration of industrialization and informatization. It is also the first domestic private tire company listed on the main board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. It is also a pioneer in the Chinese tire industry that invests and builds factories overseas.” Gu Kai said that these milestones not only mark the company’s strategic vision, but also reflect its leading position in international operations and technological innovation.
Among Sailun’s many innovative achievements, the liquid gold tire is a technological breakthrough with industry-renovating significance.
The scientific name of this technology is “liquid phase mixing technology” or “chemical rubber mixing technology”, and it is hailed by international authoritative peers as the fourth technological leap in the tire industry.
Liquid gold tires have achieved a number of fundamental breakthroughs.
In terms of rubber theory, it reconstructs the traditional wear theory; in terms of actual performance, it has successfully solved the “devil’s triangle” problem that has long restricted the tire industry – that is, the industry bottleneck of rolling resistance, wet skid resistance and wear resistance.
Actual tests show that vehicles equipped with this tire can achieve an average energy saving of 7% to 12%, which is equivalent to saving about one liter of fuel per 100 kilometers.
For family car users, the fuel cost savings over the entire tire life cycle can even exceed the tire purchase cost.
In addition, Liquid Gold tires also perform well in terms of safety and durability.
According to authoritative third-party testing, its braking distance on wet roads is 5-7 meters shorter than that of international first-tier brands, significantly improving driving safety.
At the same time, the tire has a longer service life and driving mileage, which not only reduces the user’s replacement frequency, but also makes a positive contribution to global resource conservation.
Achieve integration of industry, academia and research
In addition to leading product technology, Sailun has also built a continuous innovation ecosystem through the layout of the entire industry chain.
In 2009, Sailun Group teamed up with Qingdao University of Science and Technology and Ruankong Co., Ltd. to jointly build the “National Rubber and Tire Engineering Technology Research Center” (hereinafter referred to as the “National Rubber Center”).
The center passed the acceptance test of the Ministry of Science and Technology with excellent results in 2012, becoming the only innovative model pilot unit among more than 300 national engineering technology centers across the country.
The National Rubber Center has built the world’s first complete and highly competitive rubber tire industry chain, covering more than ten sectors including basic scientific research, key materials, high-end equipment, tire manufacturing, recycling and strategic emerging industries.
Gu Kai said: “As a chain owner, Sailun has given full play to its leading role. We have accumulated deep experience in basic research, material development and equipment manufacturing, and can quickly respond to market and user needs.”
Basic research is the core source of promoting technological innovation.
It is understood that the group invests a considerable proportion of its profits in basic theoretical and applied research every year, and systematically promotes the transformation path from theoretical research to product development.
Although basic research has the characteristics of heavy investment, long cycle and high risk, Sailun has always insisted on using it as a strategic fulcrum to cultivate high-end talents and produce world-class results.
Gu Kai said: “We firmly believe that if we continue to increase basic research, more major breakthroughs like liquid gold will emerge in the future.” In the future, Sailun will continue to firmly promote its overseas expansion strategy, commit to “making a good tire”, and promote China’s rubber industry to reach a new height in the global value chain.
