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Hutchinson, TOTAL's Rubber Division, Accelerates Globalization of its Business Base |
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| Nov. 23, 98 |
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Hutchinson has announced the inauguration of three new production facilities located in Ithaca, Michigan (USA), Wuhan, China and Saltillo, Mexico. The new plants were built or improved as part of the company's assertive strategy, initiated in 1993, of globalizing its rubber processing business.
The Ithaca plant will manufacture automotive anti-vibration components, in particular for light pickup trucks. The facility, scheduled to come on stream at the end of year, is designed to meet strong demand from Hutchinson's main US customers, such as Ford, General Motors and Mercedes-Benz.
The Hutchinson-DFEDC plant inaugurated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, is owned by Hutchinson (52%) and DFEDC, a subsidiary of China's second largest carmaker, Dong Feng Motors (DFM). It will manufacture fluid transfer hoses and tubing, transmission systems and seals for the Chinese market, and especially for cars made by DFM and by a joint DFM-Citroën subsidiary. Hutchinson and DFEDC are also partners in a joint venture in Shiyan, Hubei Province, that produces precision sealants.
In Mexico, Hutchinson will soon inaugurate that plant in Saltillo, near Monterrey, that is manufacturing nitrile latex gloves for industrial use. The plant has been operational for several months, to meet the strong demand in the North American market.
In 1993, Hutchinson sales outside France amounted to less than half of its total revenue of FF 8 billion. By 1997, these sales accounted for more than two-thirds of the company's revenues , which amounted to FF 12.1 billion. Through acquisitions and organic growth, Hutchinson has become the world's third largest manufacturer of rubber products. The company generates 33% of its sales in France, 41% elsewhere in Europe, 20% in the United States and 6% in the rest of the world. |
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