Metallurgy / Chemicals / Rubber & Plastics

According to the import and export data, in the first half of this year, due to the multiple outbreaks of domestic epidemics, the interruption of logistics and transportation, the sharp rise of raw materials and energy prices, and the severe contraction of the domestic market, the inventory of rubber industry factories rose, the operating rate fell, and the overall profit fell significantly year-on-year.

At the second council of the 10th China Rubber Industry Association and the 2022 China Rubber Annual Conference (hereinafter referred to as the "Rubber Annual Conference") held recently, Lei Changchun, vice president and secretary-general of China Rubber Industry Association, introduced that in the first half of this year, the current industrial gross output value of the rubber industry decreased slightly year on year, and the sales revenue realized positive growth; The value of export delivery increased significantly, becoming the main driving force for the economic operation of the industry, and the export rate (value) remained at a high level; The overall profit decreased significantly year on year. Except for the strong growth in exports of tire products, the current industrial gross output value, sales revenue and profit all decreased year on year.

"Double drop" in output and revenue

This year, the domestic epidemic situation is frequent, and the production and operation of the entire rubber industry chain are greatly affected.

According to the statistics of the import and export data of 371 key member enterprises in 11 branches (professional committees) of the China Rubber Industry Association, including tire, bicycle tire, rubber hose and tape, rubber products, rubber shoes, latex, carbon black, comprehensive utilization of waste rubber, rubber machinery mold, rubber additives, and skeleton materials, the current gross industrial output value in the first half of the year decreased by 3.20% year-on-year (the same below); Sales revenue increased by 0.30%. The export delivery value increased by 17.31%; The export rate (value) was 31.58%, an increase of 4.99 percentage points. Current profits and taxes decreased by 27.69%; Realize a 30.16% decrease in profits; The profit margin of sales revenue was 4.70%, a decrease of 2.13 percentage points. 53 loss making enterprises, up 96.30%; The loss of loss making enterprises was 796 million yuan, up 142.87%. The inventory of finished products was 39.403 billion yuan, up 16.03%.

Shen Jinrong, senior vice president of China Rubber Industry Association and chairman of Zhongce Rubber Group Co., Ltd., analyzed the import and export data. In the first half of this year, the economic operation of China's tire industry has continued the difficult situation since 2021. The overall profit has experienced an industry wide decline, and the output and revenue have experienced a "double decline". The significant adjustment of economic structure and the change of transportation mode will continue to have an impact on China's tire market. The old problems restricting the development of China's tire industry, such as high tariffs on natural rubber, have not been solved, while new problems, such as labor costs, energy consumption, energy prices, environmental protection, and rising raw materials, are becoming increasingly prominent. Shen Jinrong believes that China's total tire overcapacity will intensify, and it is imperative to integrate the industry and eliminate backward production capacity.

Lei Changchun suggested that enterprises in the industry take the initiative to strengthen communication with upstream and downstream, local governments and associations, and actively feed back the difficulties and problems encountered; At the same time, the leading enterprises in the industry should actively play a positive role in stabilizing production and market. In the face of many difficulties, they should effectively control costs, increase revenue and reduce expenditure, do a good job in both epidemic prevention and control and normal production and operation of enterprises, strengthen coordination, overcome difficulties with suppliers and dealers, accelerate the pace of international development, make full use of both domestic and foreign resources and markets, and strive to improve the international competitiveness of China's rubber industry.

Xu Wenying, president of China Rubber Industry Association, said that at present, China's rubber industry is in a new period of strategic opportunities and a new starting point to achieve the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutralization. The whole industry should strengthen its confidence in development, stabilize growth, promote transformation, and strive to turn challenges into opportunities and pressures into driving forces. It should further strengthen the leading role of scientific and technological innovation in the upgrading and development of the industry, accelerate the transformation of traditional technologies and process upgrading with new technologies, accelerate the improvement of weak points and strengths, and strive to cultivate new drivers and advantages for sustainable growth.

Rubber industry enters the era of intelligent manufacturing

The Guiding Outline of the Fourteenth Five Year Plan for the Development of the Rubber Industry puts forward a clear development goal: during the Fourteenth Five Year Plan period, the rubber industry will achieve transformation through structural adjustment, scientific and technological innovation, and green development by adopting digital, intelligent, platform based, and green technologies, and promote quality, efficiency, and power changes to achieve higher quality, more efficient, more equitable, more sustainable, and safer development. Focus on improving product quality, automation level, informatization level, production efficiency, energy conservation and consumption reduction, environmental protection, industrial concentration, enterprise competitiveness and economic efficiency, and accelerate the construction of a strong rubber industry.

At present, China's rubber industry has entered a new era of intelligent manufacturing. Fan Rende, visiting professor of Qingdao University of Science and Technology, introduced the development process of intelligent manufacturing in China's rubber industry at the rubber annual meeting:

In 2014, China released the Research on the Development Strategy of China's Rubber Industry Powerful Country, which clearly proposed strategic measures for intelligent manufacturing of the rubber industry and the roadmap for building a strong rubber industry.

In 2016, a major breakthrough was made in the construction of an intelligent tire factory, which is the beginning of overturning the traditional rubber industry, transforming and upgrading, and practicing intelligent manufacturing. China's rubber industry has entered a new stage of intelligent manufacturing.

In 2017, a number of tire enterprises successively built intelligent factories at home and abroad. In addition, intelligent manufacturing began to expand to the non tire industry.

In 2018, intelligent manufacturing in the rubber industry continued to advance steadily, intelligent tire equipment continued to improve, MES and other software were further promoted, and attention was paid to the formulation of standards related to intelligent manufacturing in the rubber industry.

From 2019 to 2021, intelligent manufacturing alliances, communities and network platforms of the rubber industry will emerge one after another, and a number of high-level intelligent equipment, such as tire molding machines, will be put into production and application. Important progress has been made in the construction of intelligent reclaimed rubber production lines and intelligent waste tire cracking plants. The non tire industry has made progress in intelligent manufacturing, such as intelligent conveyor belts and hydraulic hoses to help green mine construction.

Industry carbon emission reduction is imminent

According to the import and export data, China's carbon dioxide emissions will exceed 11.9 billion tons in 2021, accounting for more than 30% of the global total, making it the largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world. Previously, the European Parliament had approved the amendment to the draft carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) by a majority vote on June 22, EU time, which marked the countdown to the official implementation of the world's first mechanism to impose a "carbon tax" on imported products.

Under this background, Xin Chunlin, vice president of the China Institute of Carbon Neutralization in Industry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, analyzed that: "The implementation of the mechanism of imposing" carbon tax "on imported products will have three major impacts on the chemical industry: first, carbon tariffs will increase the export cost of the chemical industry; Second, carbon tariffs will intensify the market competition of China's basic bulk chemical products; Third, carbon tariffs will make the plastic industry face more challenges in the future. "

Xin Chunlin said that carbon emission reduction in the rubber industry is imminent. According to the import and export data, the global demand for rubber in 2019 will reach 28.74 million tons. Among them, the demand for synthetic rubber is 14.98 million tons, accounting for 52%; The demand for natural rubber is 13.75 million tons, accounting for 48%. One ton of natural rubber will emit 2.7 tons of carbon dioxide from the time of plant synthesis to the end of its service life. The carbon dioxide emission of one ton of synthetic rubber in the whole life cycle is 10.2 tons. It is estimated that the global industry will generate nearly 200 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2022. Among them, the output of natural rubber is expected to reach 14.11 million tons, generating about 38.09 million tons of carbon dioxide; The output of synthetic rubber is expected to increase to more than 15.55 million tons, generating about 158.61 million tons of carbon dioxide.