HANGZHOU, CHINA, Mar 31, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – ZC Rubber hosted its first Global Online Dealer Conference on March 19, 2021, with the theme "Innovate Into The Great Future".

The conference offered a series of presentations outlining the company's strategic vision and plans for continued growth in 2021 and introduced its latest products, technologies and services to provide distributors and customers with resourceful information for better collaboration in the future.

Mr. Shen Jinrong, the Chairman of ZC Rubber Group, said the company would continue to strengthen its position through further global expansion and technological innovation after achieving a historic performance in 2020 as its sales revenue reached RMB 28.22 billion, increased by 2.25%.

"We have been pursuing a strategy of Technological Innovation and have realized the overall improvement in product quality, production efficiency, and quality control since last year," Mr. Shen said. In 2020, ZC Rubber brought forward a new generation truck and bus tire based on the latest PSCT design theory and the state-of-the-art Flagship Series passenger car tires.

He also shared the company's vision towards a full digitalization, focusing on smart manufacturing, Future Factory, and sustainable development. ZC Rubber's first Future Factory, equipped with top facilities and digital technologies, is expected to be completed by the middle of the year.

Mr. Shen noted that the company is eyeing a new overseas plant in America, Europe, or the Middle East.

Mr. Ge Guorong, Vice President of ZC Rubber Group, expressed his willingness to spread the Chinese market's success to the world. He mentioned that the company has benefited from digital marketing and sales in recent years through online-to-offline (O2O) services network expansion and the smart S2B2b platform connecting suppliers, distributors, retailers, and end-users in China.

"ZC Rubber's successful experience in the Chinese market is not only to be enjoyed in China but also shared globally," he added. "Our digital development will empower global distributors and retailers in coming years."

Regarding its growth plan in international markets, Mr. Ge pointed out that "demand in several segments is pretty strong," targeting a 15% export growth this year. He emphasized ZC Rubber's focus on brand marketing in 2021 to provide vital support to its distributors and retailers worldwide. He said the company would invest more in advertising and dealer events in various formats.

ZC Rubber also presented its global product lines and its latest leading technologies for both consumer and commercial segments.

As the new top-tier passenger car tire line, the Flagship Series of Westlake, Goodride, Trazano and Chaoyang was officially launched globally. This series made its debut in China last year. With core technologies, the four flagship products aim to strike a perfect balance of quietness, grip, and fuel efficiency. The series will "enrich the high-end product matrix of ZC Rubber's passenger car tire lineup" and is positioned as "premium tires with leading design, performance and satisfaction" the company stated.

Looking ahead, ZC Rubber is excited to continue its strong commitment to working closely with all distributors and partners. "We expect to thrive with our distributors and partners, to strengthen the channels, retail stores, products and expand market share further. We will move towards a leading global tire company" said Mr. Ge Guorong.

Media contact:
Linch – ZC Rubber
E: sales@zc-rubber.com
W: http://www.zc-rubber.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

HONG KONG, Mar 25, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – The world's leading high-end manufacturer of semi-trailers and specialty vehicles, CIMC Vehicles (Group) Co., Ltd. ("CIMC Vehicles") or the "Group", stock code: 1839.HK) is delighted to announce its annual results for the year ended 31 December 2020. ("Reporting Period")

During the Reporting Period, the Group recorded a strong performance in each business segment driven by strong growth in the Chinese market. Annual revenue hit a record high, recording 13.0% growth from 2019 to RMB26,246 million; gross profit margins fell by 1.2pp to 11.7% from 2019 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; total assets and net assets rose to RMB19,825.2 million and RMB10,448.7 million respectively; net cash flow generated from operating activities significantly increased to RMB2,746.9 million; and return on equity (ROE) reached 12.3%.

The semi-trailer business in China recorded strong revenue growth of 45.8% and an increase of 1.9pp in gross profit margin

During the Reporting Period, the Chinese government promulgated a new development pattern that treats domestic circulation as the mainstay while allowing the dual circulation of domestic and foreign markets to boost each other, providing a broaden development space for China's logistics industry. With the implementation of the new national standards for second-generation semi-trailers (GB7258-2017), the Group's semi-trailer business in China recorded significant growth with revenue increasing by 45.8% to RMB7.4 billion from 2019 and gross profit margin up 1.9pp from 2019 to 13.6%.

By leveraging economies of scale from "Light Tower" plants, centralized procurement and supply chain management platforms, production costs were significantly reduced and gross margins have consistently increased: from 11.2% in 2018 to 11.7% in 2019 and further up to 13.6% in 2020.

Benefiting from the launch of the new "Pioneer Series" designed using digital modules and the "New Marketing and Retail" business model, total sales of van trailers in China increased 154.9% year-on-year (YoY) to 17,744 units compared with the same period last year. For tank trailers, the core lightweight technology was well accepted and appreciated by customers. Giving credit to the scale advantages of "Light Tower" plants, total sales of tank trailers distinctly increased by 32.8% to 21,125 units.

Profiting from being the market leader, sales of truck bodies for specialty vehicles in China grew by nearly 40%
During the Reporting Period, the Group benefited from successive policies introduced by the Chinese government to boost automobile consumption, tax and fee reductions, and increased investment in new infrastructure. Revenue from truck bodies for specialty vehicles in China reached RMB10.16 billion, representing a 37.8% increase YoY .

The Group established strategic partnerships with major domestic heavy truck enterprises to jointly develop and market truck bodies for specialty vehicles. It also upgraded its production lines to become a "Light tower" plant, thus enhancing product quality and delivery capabilities. Furthermore, the Group continued to strengthen its strategic position in high-end and green manufacturing with several of its key factories for truck bodies for specialty vehicles winning national and provincial "Green Factory" awards.

Given the trend toward smart environmental protection and lightweight construction, the delivery capability of our urban dump trucks was greatly improved, enhancing their market recognition. Intelligent cement mixer trucks launched by the Group also continue to lead the market, ranking first in terms of total sales volume for the fourth consecutive year in China.

Total sales of truck bodies for refrigerated trucks jumped 35.8%, with gross margin increasing by 7.9pp.

During 2020, China's cold-chain market expanded rapidly. The "Stay-at-Home Economy" resulting from the pandemic has created huge demand in China for purchasing daily consumer goods and fresh food via e-commerce, stimulating demand for refrigerated trucks. At the same time, the Chinese government launched a series of regulations for the cold-chain logistics industry, further guiding development of this market throughout the country.

During the Reporting Period, the Group delivered a total of 6,049 units of various types of refrigerated truck bodies with total sales increasing 35.8% YoY and gross profit margin rising 7.9pp to 23.0% YoY.

The Group has adopted core technologies including rigid polyurethane foam and insulation plates for refrigeration purposes, high-pressure and high-density polyurethane foam, and more efficient rivet connections for body plates. It now leads the industry in terms of technology.

Consistently ranked first in the global semi-trailer industry, business in overseas markets rebounded rapidly in the second half of the year.

During the Reporting Period, the operational performance of our global semi-trailer business recorded stable growth due to our solid "Intercontinental Operation" developed over the years and "Local Manufacturing" by the Group's subsidiaries.

According to Global Trailer's 2020 top OEM worldwide rankings for semi-trailer manufacturing, the Group is the world's No. 1 semi-trailer manufacturer in terms of production volume.

In 2020, the Group's overseas semi-trailer business suffered because of Covid-19. However, by exercising the "Intercontinental Operation and Local Manufacturing" operational practice developed over the years, it fully utilized the production, assembly, global supply chain management and global distribution logistics management capabilities of its 22 manufacturing and 10 assembly plants.

LAG Trailers N.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group, has gradually returned to normal levels of production efficiency and order delivery following the resumption of work and production since the second quarter of 2020. In 2020, LAG Trailers N.V. further consolidated its leadership position in Europe's tanker market.

In the second half of 2020, products in other markets introduced advanced technologies developed in mature markets to win customers in Southeast Asia by offering products with high cost performance ratio.

Building a comprehensive " Sophisticated Manufacturing System " and reach new heights in Intercontinental Operation

Looking ahead, the Group will seize opportunities to upgrade and replace semi-trailers in China and actively utilize new marketing campaigns and new retail channels to increase both sales of second-generation semi-trailers and market share. The Group will also improve product quality through introducing digital product module and innovative R&D technologies, build core light tower plants and expand the production capacity of the second-generation semi-trailers. The Group will also take the opportunity to nurture the design, assembling and services capabilities of part of the core components as to offer customers better overall value. It will also build and develop a new retail system and intelligent sales distribution system for the "Pioneer Series" of semi-trailers and upgrade its intelligent distribution system, for enhancing customer service, and strengthening after-sales service and extended-warranties for these products.

In terms of truck bodies for specialty vehicles, the Group will continue to expand the leading advantages of truck bodies for specialty vehicles, work closely with tractor unit manufacturers on joint designs to increase economic efficiency in production and procurement, optimizing the total cost of ownership of products, and offering user a better purchasing experience.

In regard to truck bodies for refrigerated trucks, CMIC Vehicles will spare no effort to expand its manufacturing presence, bring newly developed "Light Tower" plants into operation, apply R&D to next-generation product modules and production technologies to seize new business opportunities and achieve organic growth.

In terms of semi-trailers for overseas market, the Group will build on the growth and recovery of demand in the North America semi-trailer market as well as the recovery in European market. It will implement a comprehensive enhancement plan based on the " sophisticated manufacturing system", forming a strong team to enhance business operations and capture greater market share.

Finally, the Group will build a comprehensive sophisticated manufacturing system to achieve its unparalleled industry position under the "dual circulation" economy at home and abroad, pushing its intercontinental operations to new heights.

About CIMC Vehicles (Group) Co., Ltd
CIMC Vehicles (Group) Co., Ltd. ("CIMC Vechicles", Stock code: 1839.HK) is the world's No.1 semi-trailer manufacturer in terms of production volume according to the Global Trailer. In addition to the production and sales of seven major types of semi-trailers in global major markets, the Group is also actively engaged in the production of semi-trailers and truck bodies for specialty vehicles and the sales of fully-assembled specialty vehicles in China. Meanwhile, the Group is also a leading manufacturer of refrigerated truck bodies in China. Semi-trailer products including container chassis trailers, flatbed trailers, curtain-side trailers, van trailers, refrigerated trailers, tank trailers and other special types of trailers; truck bodies for specialty vehicles including urban dump trucks and cement mixers. Products sold in China under the "Tonghua", "Huajun", "SCVC SAILING", "Ruijiang Vehicles", "Lingyu Vehicles" and "Liangshan Dongyue" brands, in North America under the "Vanguard" and "CIE" brands, and in Europe under the "SDC" and "LAG" brands which are well-known brands with long history. The Group owns "Light Tower" Plants that represent the strength of China's sophisticated manufacturing capabilities. The plants are focused on product standardization, digitization and modular design and production, and serves to actively promote the compliance of domestic trailers and quality industrial upgrade.



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SINGAPORE, Mar 25, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – The 2020 MotoGP World Championship season was an incredible year, which saw Team Suzuki and Motul claim a clean sweep across the Drivers and Teams Titles. The famed Japanese manufacturer will continue with riders Alex Rins and Joan Mir, a line up that remains unchanged since 2019, with a clear aim of repeating the championship successes in 2021.

Motul will continue as the Official Lubricant Partner of the Suzuki factory team, extending the close working relationship between the two brands that have delivered success at the top flight of motorcycle racing for the past 32 years. This partnership has pinned its hopes on the championship-winning Suzuki GSX-RR, which has seen only minor upgrades due to a MotoGP engine freeze over the winter. The aim is clear for 2021 – to repeat the success of 2020 and achieve back-to-back titles.

Motul also confirms a key technical partnership with PRAMAC Racing for the MotoGP World Championship, inking a three-year deal which will see Motul and PRAMAC Racing competing at the top flight of motorbike racing until 2023. Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco will be leading the charge in 2021, both on the highly competitive Ducati Desmosedici GP bike which scored 5 podium finishes in the hands of PRAMAC Racing during the 2020 season.

This partnership extends away from the race track, where Motul Heavy Duty will be working closely with PRAMAC's industrial applications in the energy and material handling sector. Motul will provide first fill lubricants at factory level for PowerGen equipment, providing high-performance diesel and gas lubricants to improve mechanical efficiency.

The 2021 MotoGP World Championship season begins this weekend, at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on the 26-28 of March 2021. The action begins with the two Free Practice sessions on Friday, with Qualifying on Saturday and the Grand Prix on Sunday.

MotoGP Grand Prix of Qatar Schedule [GMT +3]

Friday [26/03/2021]
1540-1625 | Free Practice 1
2000-2045 | Free Practice 2

Saturday [27/03/2021]
1515-1600 | Free Practice 3
1920-1950 | Free Practice 4
2000-2015 | Qualifying 1
2025-2040 | Qualifying 2

Sunday [28/03/2021]
1540-1600 | Warm Up
2000 | Grand Prix of Qatar Race (22 Laps)

After 14 races in Europe, the series will head to Asia Pacific with rounds in Japan, Thailand, Australia and Malaysia in October. The MotoGP championship will then come to a close at the season finale in Valencia in November.

2021 MotoGP World Championship Calendar

26-28 March | Grand Prix of Qatar
2-4 April | Grand Prix of Doha
16-18 April | Grande Premio de Portugal
30 Apr – 2 May | Gran Premio Red Bull de Espana
14-16 May | SHARK Helmets Grand Prix de France
28-30 May | Gran Premio d'Italia Oakley
4-6 June | Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya
18-20 June | Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland
25-27 June | Motul TT Assen
9-11 July | Grand Prix of Finland
13-15 August | Motorrad Grand Prix von Osterreich
27-29 August | British Grand Prix
10-12 September | Gran Premio de Aragon
17-19 September | Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini
1-3 October | Motul Grand Prix of Japan
8-10 October | OR Thailand Grand Prix
22-24 October | Red Bull Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
29-31 October | Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix
12-14 November | Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana

About Motul

Motul is a world-class French company specialised in the formulation, production and distribution of high-tech engine lubricants (two-wheelers, cars and other vehicles) as well as lubricants for industry via its Motul Tech activity.

Unanimously recognised for more than 150 years for the quality of its products, innovation capacity and involvement in the field of competition, Motul is also recognised as a specialist in synthetic lubricants. As early as 1971, Motul was the first lubricant manufacturer to pioneer the formulation of a 100% synthetic lubricant, issued from the aeronautical industry, making use of esters technology: 300V lubricant.

Motul is a partner to many manufacturers and racing teams in order to further their technological development in motorsports. It has invested in many international competitions as an official supplier for teams in: Road racing, Trials, Enduro, Endurance, Superbike, Supercross, Rallycross, World GT1, 24 Hours of Le Mans (cars and motorcycles), 24 Hours of Spa, Le Mans Series, Andros Trophy, Paris-Dakar, 8 Hours of Suzuka, Bol d'Or, Daytona 200-mile motorcycle race.

MOTUL Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd
1A International Business Park, #06-03
Singapore 609933
www.motul.com

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