Tires are indispensable to automobiles. High-quality tires can guarantee a safe and smooth ride while reducing noise to provide comfort for the passengers. The rapid development of vehicles has brought diversity to the use of cars, raised the bar for the unique performance of tires, and led the tire industry towards producing radial and tubeless tires of a lower aspect ratio.
Prioritize R&D and Innovation to Win in the International Tire Market
Founded in 1975, Shandong Linglong Tire Co., Ltd. (Linglong Tire for short) is one of the Top 20 Tire Manufacturers in the world with several manufacturing bases in China, Thailand, and Serbia, R&D centers in China and North America, and a testing office in Europe. Its flagship products, including passenger car radial (PCR), light truck radial (LTR), truck and bus radial (TBR) tires, etc., are well-received by world-class automakers, such as Audi®, Volkswagen®, General Motors®, and Ford®.
Figure 1. The Headquarters of Shandong Linglong Tire Co., Ltd.
“Heavier investments in innovative R&D and improving product quality are inevitable for a tire manufacturer to expand internationally.” According to Mr. Li Jianxing, director of the IT Department, Linglong Tire has absorbed the cutting-edge radial technology, established its R&D centers and labs by collaborating with universities and research institutes, and devised an international R&D strategy.
Mr. Li continued to point out, “So far, we have built a trinity of an open R&D and innovation system that is headquartered in Shandong, covers China, and operates internationally.” Linglong Tire has planned and strategized in advance, been promoting the R&D of new materials, technologies, and formulas, as well as improving its independent innovation capabilities.
Figure 2. Linglong Tire ranked 9th on the TYRES 10 2020 list by Brand Finance®
International R&D and Manufacturing Put ZWSOFT to the Test
“As a latecomer in the industry, Linglong Tire faces great challenges in the process of internationalization,” Mr. Li said frankly, “Global OEMs are very strict with our R&D efficiency, and our customers require prompt delivery of different models. Such timeliness is based on the control of product loss and quality. Hence, this requires us to continuously improve the ability of our R&D team, introduce and upgrade R&D tools and equipment to meet the needs for R&D and timeliness.”
Figure 3. Mr. Li Jianxing talking about ZWSOFT solutions in an interview
According to Mr. Wang Guangqiang, head of the IT Department, they require that the adopted CAD tool should be equipped with intelligent design functions and mechanical drawing standards of different countries so that the efficiency and quality of design are improved while the R&D cycle accelerates. Besides, their global strategy calls for a CAD solution provider that offers software in various languages, network licenses, and local support in different countries and regions so as to meet the needs of R&D offices in China, Germany, the U.S., etc. “ZWSOFT is a mainstream player in the CAD market. We put ZWCAD to the test in different departments, which turned out that ZWCAD can satisfy our needs in R&D, engineering, design, etc.”
ZWCAD Helps Build an International Tire Brand
Linglong Tire has been collaborating closely with ZWSOFT since 2014. Mr. Li acknowledged, “ZWCAD helps increase our design productivity while decreasing the procurement and application costs of legal software.”
Figure 4. Linglong Tire design in ZWCAD Mechanical
The feedback from the R&D engineers indicates that major standards such as GB, ISO, and ANSI are available in ZWCAD Mechanical. Also, its handy tools, for example, intelligent frame and BOM, allow them to customize the drawing environment, meaning that they can add frequently used tire patterns to their own library, reduce repetitive drawing work, and remarkably boost productivity. Mr. Wang stressed, “The tire pattern tools we developed based on the previous CAD program have been successfully ported to ZWCAD and running steadily and smoothly. More importantly, the multiple language versions of ZWCAD, global network licensing, and professional after-sales services fully meet the needs of our R&D facilities around the world.”
Software equals service. An international company like Linglong Tire has greater demands on the speed of software providers’ response to user needs. Mr. Li approved, “The technological strength and service of ZWSOFT are unparalleled. Its global R&D and support provide reliable backup for our international expansion.” In the long run, Linglong Tire will continue the in-depth collaboration with ZWSOFT and innovating the tire industry.
Please enter your email correctly.
Please enter your email correctly.
