In 2014, Zivojin Sekulic was presenting a concept about Serbia as a future hot spot for tyre production in Shandong, in China, one of the world’s biggest tyre production province. By then, nobody was bullish on Serbia and saw the country as the next tyre production hub, but Sekulic applied analysis and research methods to support his prediction.
Sekulic has been with the industry for over a decade, and has been responsible for developing, managing and supporting operations in Europe, Asia, and the USA.
Several reasons could support Sekulic's claims. One of the reasons for that prediction was geopolitical relations between China, USA, EU and Euroasia. To de-risk trade tension, many tyre companies are exploring alternative production locations, and Serbia is emerging to be a viable place to target major markets. Also, Also, 'made in EU' effects are needed for OEM contracts which also help to brand building.
Having those reasons in mind, Sekulic forecast that Chinese tyre companies will come to the Eastern and South-Eastern Europe to setup tyre plants to avoid anti-dumping duties, apply made in EU effect to their brand and to get some OEM contracts as they need to be close enough to automotive plants due to specific logistic delivery contracts.
Five years later, Linglong Tire in 2019 started to build a tyre plant in Serbia with an investment of almost one billion USD. "Serbia is China's first strategic partner in central and eastern Europe and has a favourable environment for development and investment," said the Chinese tyre company. After the completion of the project, the annual output of various high-performance radial tyre will reach 13.62 million units, with yearly revenue of $ 600 million.
In the same year just a few months later, another Asian Tyre producer, Toyo Tire announced that it will setup a plant in Serbia. The Japanese company will invest around 3.91 million euros in the plant, which will produce tyres for passenger vehicles with an annual capacity of five million tyres. Toyo Tire will start construction of the Serbian Plant in May 2020, and manufacturing operations are expected start in January January 2022, with a capacity of five million tyres annually (based on tyres for passenger vehicles) by the summer of 2023.
Cooper Tire Serbia, a subsidiary of Cooper Tire & Rubber is also increasing production capacity at its Kruševac tyre manufacturing plant. With a strategic manufacturing footprint investment of approximately $55 million in equipment upgrades and facility expansion, the project will increase the size of the Kruševac facility to more than 882,000 square feet.
Cooper Tire Serbia will produce new, larger diameter tyres being demanded in Europe and other global markets. Total annual production capacity at the Kruševac plant will increase by approximately one-third after this expansion, which is expected later this year and will establish a footprint which could further double capacity with additional equipment and people.
"We can say that 2019 was an amazing year for the tyre Industry of Serbia. With already four tyre manufacturing plants of Michelin, Copper Tire, Mitas and Trayal, the country will have two more manufacturing plants soon. That is a huge success for Serbia as we all know that even countries with a bigger population and bigger size have lesser number of tyre plants in Europe," says Zivojin Sekulic.
A chat with Zivojin Sekulic:
Why are tyre companies showing increasing interest in Serbia for setting up plants – and generally in eastern Europe?
The reason for setting up tyre plants in Serbia is because of its specific geopolitical status. Serbia is in Europe, but not in the EU. That means particular goods produced in Serbia can be exported with 0% duty to EU, Russia, USA and countries of CEFTA and EFTA agreements and that's the market of almost one billion people. Comparing to anti-dumping duties for tyres produced in China, sounds like a good benefit, right?
Also, another reason is the label of “Made in EU” for tyre brands. The “Made in EU” effects help tyre companies to become recognisable and increase the prices, comparing to prices of tyres produced in China, and that means more significant profit.
Take the example of Hankook and their plant in Hungary. Only a few years after setting up their plant in Hungary they were selling more than 30% of their total annual production in EU and today with OEM contracts, excellent marketing strategy and outstanding R&D teams, they are in the race to become premium brand. So, imagine one day, maybe in five to eight years from today, Linglong can be close to the premium tyre brand and with the right strategy and marketing activities, if they decide to go that way.
One more reason is OEM contracts. Before setting up the plant in Serbia, Linglong signed a deal with VW and Renault, and now tyres produced in the Chinese company's tyre plant in Serbia will be delivered to these two automotive giants.
What benefits/ incentives that Serbia offers?
There are several benefits that country like Serbia is ready to offer to foreign investors. But I would like to highlight the benefits in general, not to go deeper in an analysis of specific incentives as that depends from situation to situation.
For example, the government is offering land where investors can set up a plant free of charge. There are also some tax incentives for more significant investments which are happening in the tyre industry. For instance, Cooper Tire's expansion project is supported by around $8 million in incentives provided by the Serbian government. Some investors can even get incentives per each employee that they will hire (basically like cashback card ). So, a general conclusion is that country like Serbia is really generous to foreign investors, and they should have that in mind.
Which companies are in the process of setting up?
At this moment Linglong is building the tyre plant in the city of Zrenjanin and Toyo announced that they will start building a plant in the city of Indjija very soon.
On the other side, there are major tyre companies - Mitas, Michelin, Cooper Tire, Trayal, which are producing tyres the country.
What's the future of tyre industry in Serbia?
Even I was right six years ago with a prediction that Asian tyre producers will setup tyre plants in Serbia in the near future that doesn't mean I will be right this time. But I genuinely believe that in Serbia there is a place for one more tyre plant. Specifically, I am thinking about a TBR , Agri and OTR tyre plant that can be built in a place where now Trayal's old plant is located which is still working and producing tyres for agriculture.
Going forward, the future of the Serbian tyre industry will move in another direction. After setting up plants, we will see R&D centres and Testing grounds and facilities in the country. I am predicting this because, for R&D, you need to have an excellent workforce and Serbia really has top-notch engineers and amazing developers. Currently, Continental has an R&D centre in the city of Novi Sad where several hundreds of engineers are employed.
In my working experience of 14 years in the tyre industry and 10 years in the IT sector, and having experience from Silicon Valley, I can tell you that engineers, researchers and software developers in Serbia are outstanding and not expensive like in the western EU or Silicon Valley. So, I am pretty sure that future intelligent tyres that will be based on sensors and specific software and machine learning will be designed and produced in some of the R&D centres based in Serbia.
Regarding testing facilities. Well, why should someone go to Spain or to Nordics to test summer or winter tyres if they can do it in Serbia as our climate is changed, so we have very hot summer and extreme winter, the perfect climate for tyre testing.
Q) Please share some information on your Project SMARTY?
My project SMARTY is related to the tyre industry and related to the development of smart tyres and smart trucks.
Using my vast experience from the tyre industry and IT industry, with a team of developers, I am working on the development of specific sensors, hardware and software that will be used in vehicles to optimise the costs and to prevent the accidents with tyres. We want to predict failure before it happens.
Currently, we have some working models and, shortly, we will start with sales of those models. The final goal is to make SMARTY device to become necessary in every vehicle to become smart or autonomous. Sensors for truck and OTR tyres we will unveil soon.
(Zivojin Sekulic: z.sekulic@gaj.rs)
OTR Engineered Solutions Appoints Oscar Torres As New President And CEO
- By TT News
- January 05, 2026
OTR Engineered Solutions has named Oscar Torres as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective 5 January 2026. With over 25 years of executive leadership, primarily within private equity–backed aerospace aftermarket firms, Torres possesses substantial industry expertise.
His extensive career was largely spent at Kellstrom Aerospace, where he progressed through roles such as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and ultimately Chief Executive Officer. In these capacities, he was instrumental in enhancing operational performance and fostering sustainable growth. His strategic direction included overseeing several acquisitions and divestitures, which solidified the company's position as a premier global supply-chain solutions provider for a wide range of aviation clients.
Torres's academic credentials include a Bachelor of Accounting from Florida International University and an MBA from the University of Miami. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. The organisation anticipates that his leadership will guide OTR in maintaining its commitment to delivering high-quality solutions and exceptional service to its clientele.
Hector Ramirez, Interim President of OTR, said, “Oscar’s proven leadership, collaborative approach, and deep industry knowledge make him exceptionally well suited to lead OTR into its next phase of growth. We are excited to welcome him and are confident in the value he will bring to our customers, partners and stakeholders.”
IRI-CON’26 To Focus On Sustainability Agenda For India’s Tyre And Rubber Industry
- By TT News
- January 02, 2026
The Indian Rubber Institute (IRI), a not-for-profit professional body focussing on the tyre and rubber industry, is set to host ‘IRI-CON’26’, a two-day conference aimed at addressing the sector’s evolving technological and sustainability priorities.
The event scheduled on 30th January 2026, will be held in Vadodara, Gujarat, underscoring the state’s growing importance as a hub for elastomers and rubber-related manufacturing.
Led by eminent technocrats and industry leaders, IRI has played a pivotal role for decades in advancing technical education, skill development and professional excellence across the tyre and rubber value chain. A large proportion of technical professionals in these industries are lifetime members of the institute, contributing through voluntary service, knowledge sharing and technical engagement.
IRI has also been instrumental in training candidates for the DIRI and PGDIRI programmes, with examinations conducted by IIT Kharagpur since their inception.
The choice of Gujarat as the host state is significant. The region is home to major tyre manufacturers including Apollo Tyres, CEAT, BKT, MRF and JK Tyre, alongside key suppliers of carbon black, silica, textiles and rubber chemicals. Vadodara, in particular, has emerged as an important centre for rubber and allied industries, making it a strategic venue for the conference.
The theme of IRI-CON’26, ‘Unlocking the Potential of Sustainable Developments in Rubber and Allied Industries,’ reflects the industry’s increasing focus on sustainability, resource efficiency and responsible manufacturing. The conference is expected to bring together professionals from manufacturing, R&D, academia and allied sectors, offering a platform for technical exchange, collaboration and dialogue on future-ready solutions.
With regulatory pressures, material innovations and environmental expectations reshaping the sector, IRI-CON’26 is positioned as a timely forum to align industry stakeholders on sustainable growth pathways for India’s tyre and rubber ecosystem.
Indian Rubber Institute Appoints Industry Veteran Vijay K Misra As Chairman
- By TT News
- December 30, 2025
The Indian Rubber Institute (IRI) has confirmed Vijay K Misra as its new Chairman following a formal election. With a distinguished career spanning nearly 50 years in the tyre and rubber sector, Misra possesses extensive expertise in technology, product development, international collaborations and major greenfield projects.
His deep industry connections and proven leadership are anticipated to steer the IRI through its next period of growth and enhanced impact. The Institute also formally acknowledged Misra's pivotal role in founding the Dr D Banerjee Centre of Excellence in Mysuru, a premier hub for advanced training and industry-academia synergy.
Concurrently, sincere appreciation was extended to outgoing Chairman Dr R Mukhopadhyay for his valuable guidance, as he continues to support the Institute in the role of Chairman Emeritus.
Sumitomo Rubber Restructures Top Management
- By TT News
- December 26, 2025
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. has announced that its Board of Directors has approved a forthcoming change to its representative leadership at a meeting on 25 December 2025, pending formal ratification at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for 26 March 2026.
The shift is part of a planned reorganisation of the company’s management framework effective from that date. Under the new structure, current Director and Senior Executive Officer Yasuaki Kuniyasu is slated to be appointed as the new Representative Director, President and CEO. Concurrently, the present President and CEO, Satoru Yamamoto, is expected to transition to the role of Representative Director and Chairperson of the Board.
Yasuaki Kuniyasu, aged 56, began his career with the company in April 1992. His tenure includes significant leadership roles, such as General Manager of the Tyre Technology Headquarters and, from January 2023, General Manager of the Corporate Management Planning & Administration Department. He has served as a Director and Senior Executive Officer since March 2023 and held 8,400 shares in the company as of 30 June 2025.
This planned succession aims to establish a renewed executive team to guide the company forward under its new governance model.
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