The U.S. Department of Transportation issued 22 new DOT plant identification codes in the past year for tire factories worldwide, including 14 for plants in China.
Tire manufacturers wishing to sell tires intended for use on U.S. roadways must have a DOT code for each plant, and that code must be molded into the sidewalls of each such tire.
Of the new codes issued, only one—for Yokohama Tire Corp.'s truck tire plant in West Point, Miss.—is in North America.
Eight of the new plant codes are for multinational tire companies, including:
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Apollo Tyres Ltd., for its plant under construction in Gyöngyöshalász, Hungary.
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Bridgestone Corp., with new codes for its European technical center near Rome and for a new plant being built in Turkey by its Brisa Bridgestone joint venture there.
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Ceat Ltd., for its Associated Ceat (Pvt.) Ltd. venture in Sri Lanka.
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Cheng Shin Rubber/Maxxis International for its P.T. Maxxis International unit in Bekasi, Indonesia.
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Kumho Tire Co. Inc., additional codes for existing plants in China and South Korea.
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Yokohama's plant in Mississippi.
The companies that were issued DOT plant codes in the past year, with the plant and code, are (listed alphabetically):
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Apollo Tyres Ltd., Gyöngyö-shalász, Hungary. Code: 023
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Associated Ceat (Pvt.) Ltd., Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. Code: 012
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Bridgestone Corp., Castel Romano, Italy. Code: 025
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Brisa Bridgestone Sabanci Lastik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Aksaray Province, Turkey. Code: 027
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Dongying Ruisheng Rubber Co. Ltd., Dongying, Shandong Province, China. Code: 021
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Future Tyres Pvt. Ltd., Kalol, Gujarat Province, India. Code: 028
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Hefei Wanli Tire Co. Ltd., Hefei, Anhui Province, China. Code: 026
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Henan Shengbang Tire Co. Ltd., Huixian, Henan Province, China. Code: 015
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Jiangsu Gunade Tyre Co. Ltd., Changzhou Province, China. Code: 02A
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Jiangsu Sanyuan Tire Co. Ltd., Suqian, Jiangsu Province, China. Code: 013
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Kumho Tire Co. Inc., Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, South Korea. Code: 1H2
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Nanjing Kumho Tire Co. Ltd., Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. Code: 022
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P.T. Maxxis International Indonesia, Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia. Code: 017
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Qingdao Moonstar Vehicle Co. Ltd., Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. Code: 018
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Qingdao Jingcheng Rubber Products Co. Ltd., Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. Code: 019
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Shandong Hongsheng Rubber Technology Co. Ltd., Dongying City, Shandong Province, China. Code: 011
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Shandong Okloong Rubber Technology Co. Ltd., Weifang City, Shandong Province, China. Code: 014
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Suzhou Chenxin Tire Co. Ltd., Wujiang, Jiangsu Province, China. Code: 02B
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Tianjin Feiyada Rubber Products Co. Ltd., Tianjin, China. Code: 024
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WPI Global Ltd., Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China. Code: 016.
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Yancheng Luxeway Tires Co. Ltd., Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, China. Code: 029
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Yokohama Tire Manufacturer L.L.C., West Point, Miss. Code: 020
Among the companies that were issued a DOT code for the first time:
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Dongying Ruisheng Rubber, is a producer of two-wheeler tires, founded in 2001.
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Future Tyres, is a producer of bias-ply two- and three-wheeler, light truck and agricultural tires, with one factory, in Kalol, capable of 480,000 tires a year.
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Hefei Wanli is a joint venture involving Guangzhou Fengli Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. and Chinese vehicle maker China Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co. Ltd. (JAC), which recently opened a $325 million truck tire plant in Hefei, Anhui Province.
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Jiangsu Sanyuan Tire is a producer of two-wheeler tires and tubes, founded in 2001, with one factory in Suquian, capable of 60 million tires a year, under the Seyoun brand.
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Qingdao Moonstar Vehicle Co. is a producer of motorcycle and scooter tires and tubes, industrial tires, agricultural tires, etc.
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Qingdao Jingcheng Rubber Products is a producer of motorcycle tires and tubes, primarily, at a single plant in Yinzhou, Jiaonan Province.
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Shandong Hongsheng Rubber Technology is a producer of motorcycle, agricultural, industrial and light, medium and heavy truck tires and tubes under the brand names HuaSheng, Kapsen and TaiTong. Company was founded in 1994.
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Yancheng Luxeway Tires is a producer of steel radial truck tires and bias agriculture, light truck, medium truck and forklift tires under the brands Luxeway, Ringpower, Boma and Chance. The firm claims annual production capacity of 1.2 million units.
Tire Business was unable to find reliable information on six other companies: Henan Shengbang Tire; Jiangsu Gunade Tyre; Shandong Okloong Rubber; Suzhou Chenxin Tire; Tianjin Feiyada Rubber Products; and WPI Global.
The alphanumeric DOT code on the tire sidewall indicates the tire maker certifies tires bearing the mark meet all U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard requirements.The tire manufacturer is not required to test the tires, but if they are sold in the U.S., they are subject to random testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with penalties assessed if the tires fail to be in compliance with federal standards.
Tires found not in compliance with these federal standards will be subject to recall and the manufacturer is subject to civil penalties of up to $6,000 per tire — up to a maximum of $17.4 million for any related series of violations, according to agency documents.
The new codes reflect the agency's policy of replacing the decades-old two-place alphanumeric system with a three-place identity.
The DOT switched out of concern that it would run out of two-place IDs.
