Sailun production launched in Mexico

Almost simultaneously with the launch of its new plant in Indonesia, the Chinese company Sailun has produced the first tires at its plant in Irapuato (Guanajuato, Mexico), which is a joint venture with the local company Tire Direct (which owns a 49% stake) and has been named Aztema, referencing the Aztecs.

The first tire was produced at the Mexican site on May 31, and serial production is planned to be launched in the coming months. The project cost is $400 million, and the plant's projected annual capacity is 6 million passenger tires, which the company intends to sell both in the Mexican and foreign markets. In addition, the production of truck tires with a capacity of 1.6 million tires per year will be launched in the next stage.

The new plant is located in the "Castro del Rio" industrial park, with a total area of 260,000 m2, and the implementation of the project will create 1,400 direct and indirect jobs in the region. Construction began just over a year ago, on May 15, 2024.

Guanajuato is the center of the tire industry in Mexico, and the state is already home to plants from companies such as Michelin and Pirelli, with capacities of 9 and 1.5 million tires per year, respectively. According to Cluster Industrial B2B, in 2025, the state may produce 16.5 million tires, making it the national leader in the tire sector.

"Today, we have entered the history of the tire industry! - said in Tire Direct. - We are proud to present the first tires produced at the Aztema plant - the first tires produced at a plant with Mexican participation."

The trading company Tire Direct was founded in 2003 and currently offers tires under 40 brands, which are supplied to 30 countries around the world.