The Chinese manufacturer Qingdao Sentury draws brands Sentury, Delinte and Landsail, is preparing to invest 285 million euros in the construction of a tire factory for light vehicles in the free zone of Tangier. The announcement made 2 months ago was confirmed by a press release from the regional authority. This project will allow Morocco to reconnect with the production of tires, an activity which had fallen into disuse in the country since 2000 with the withdrawal of Continental following that of Goodyear.
The president of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, Omar Moro received on Wednesday March 1 a delegation from the Qingdao Sentury Tire group led by Lanny Lin, CEO of the Chinese giant’s plant in the United States. During this meeting, the Chinese leaders formalized their project to build a tire factory for light vehicles and light commercial vehicles in Morocco, in the free zone of Tangier whose activity, particularly automotive, continues to grow. ‘importance. The industrial site should be operational within 18 months and start production in the second half of 2024. The initial investment is estimated at some 285 million euros and the plant’s production capacity will, in a first phase, be 3.6 million tires per year with, ultimately, a maximum threshold of 6 million radial TC4 casings (passenger car, van and 4×4) per year.
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According to the press release from the regional authority, this project by the Chinese Qingdao Sentury Tire will promote employment opportunities in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, and thus contribute to socio-economic development. Thus, the president of the region welcomed the interest shown by the Chinese group in the industrial site of Tangier, given the quality of the existing infrastructures and the advantages offered by its position for hosting one of the the most advanced factories in this sector, and which is promised to set itself up as a pioneer in the development of Moroccan-Chinese economic cooperation.
It must be said that the Chinese group wants to make Tangier a hub from which it intends to supply the European market, the Maghreb, in strong growth, Africa, even the United States in view of the free trade agreements in force. Morocco was chosen for its stability, its tax incentives, and the automotive fabric of Tanger Med (Renault, Stellantis, etc.). Thus, by setting up in the Kingdom, Sentury Tire is pursuing its internationalization strategy initiated in 2015, with the opening of a factory in Thailand and then in the United States, and is part of the “One belt, one road” launched by the Chinese authorities. The aim is to stimulate the industrial fabric and trade on the ancient Silk Road which covers Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
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Suddenly, the national tire industry is being reborn from its ashes. Because, Qingdao Sentury Tire, which markets the Sentury, Delinte and Landsail brands, will enable Morocco to reconnect with tire production. This activity had died following the successive closure of the General Tire (2002) and Goodyear (2006) factories, thus giving way to imports from the European Union or Quadra (also called the Agadir Agreement which brings together the Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Morocco), which are carried out with exemption from customs duties.