ZC Rubber Earns China’s Top Technology Recognition

ZC Rubber has received the Second Prize in China’s State Science and Technology Progress Award for their project ‘Key Technologies and Green Intelligent Manufacturing of High-Performance Tyres,’ jointly completed with Harbin Institute of Technology.

ZC Rubber is the only Chinese tyre manufacturer in the past decade to receive the State Science and Technology Progress Award at the Second Prize level or above. The award is one of China’s highest state-level honours for scientific and technological innovation.

The recognition reflects ZC Rubber’s sustained investment in building proprietary tyre development and manufacturing capabilities. In 2025, the company invested RMB 1.54 billion in R&D, equivalent to 3.43 per cent of annual revenue.

More importantly, the award recognises technologies that have progressed beyond laboratory research into industrial application, connecting high-performance tyre development with greener and more intelligent manufacturing.

At the centre of ZC Rubber’s R&D strategy are two proprietary technology platforms: the X-Tech System, primarily for truck and bus radial tyres, and the Phecda Tech System, primarily for passenger car radial tyres, with both platforms integrating compound formulation, tyre structure design, process engineering, simulation, testing and intelligent manufacturing within a unified development framework.

Rather than beginning with an existing product architecture, the platforms follow a Forward-development approach. Performance targets are defined according to vehicle applications, operating conditions and customer requirements, with compounds, structures and manufacturing processes then developed around those targets.

This approach enables ZC Rubber to develop tyres for specific duty cycles, climates, road conditions and regional performance requirements instead of applying a standardised design across different markets.

Henry Shen, Senior Vice President of ZC Rubber, says, “Our objective is not simply to develop an individual material, tread pattern or manufacturing process. X-Tech and Phecda are complete development systems that connect user requirements with simulation, materials, tyre engineering, manufacturing and validation. This award recognises the direction we have pursued through sustained R&D investment.”

The company has applied the two platforms to products developed for different regional requirements.

For Asia, the X-Tech System underpins the X-Elite Truck Tyre Series, developed for the region’s demanding commercial transport applications and operating conditions. Whilst in Europe, X-Tech is applied to the Westlake Gen II commercial tyre lineup, with a focus on fleet efficiency, performance and European regulatory requirements.

The Phecda Tech System underpins high-performance passenger car tyres, including the WESTLAKE ZuperAce Z-007 and GOODRIDE Solmax 1. Plus for the Americas, technologies from both the X-Tech and Phecda platforms have been applied across ARISUN’s full TBR and PCR product ranges.

Henry adds, “International markets do not have identical requirements as a tyre developed for European highway fleets, Southeast Asian transport operations or passenger vehicles in the Americas must respond to different vehicles, roads, climates and customer priorities. Our technology platforms allow us to address those differences through a consistent and systematic development process.”

The award-winning project also incorporates green and intelligent manufacturing technologies designed to improve product consistency, production efficiency and energy performance.

By connecting materials research, product engineering, manufacturing and validation within an integrated development process, ZC Rubber aims to translate R&D advances into measurable value for vehicle manufacturers, OEM partners, fleets, distributors and drivers worldwide. The same capabilities also support faster product development, more consistent production and closer alignment with vehicle-platform and market-specific requirements.