Business news

MINSK, 11 August (BelTA) – OAO Belshina expects to double the supply of tires to Pakistan this year, Belshina General Director Alexei Yakovlev told BelTA. He is attending a business matchmaking session for Pakistani and Belarusian business.

Belshina has been supplying its products to Pakistan since 2001. The export to that country grows from year to year. "Every year we export around 11,000-12,000 tires to Pakistan. We want to ramp up the supplies by half," said Alexei Yakovlev. According to him, under the existing contracts, Belshina will supply $2.5 million worth of tires in 2015. These are mainly agricultural tires. In addition, the Belarusian company is in talks over prices with one of the Pakistani manufacturers of tires which is interested in buying the truck tires from Belshina,” Alexei Yakovlev said.

"Pakistan is a very promising market for us. The demand for tires there is not fully met. Significant amounts of tires are imported, including tires for trucks and agricultural machinery which Belshina produces. We therefore regard the Pakistani market as a priority," said Alexei Yakovlev.

OAO Belshina sells its products in Pakistan through companies-traders, who specialize in the sale of both tires and also agricultural machinery. Such companies distribute the products that they receive among small-scale purchasers in Pakistan.

In the Pakistani market the Belarusian tires compete with the tires from the local tire manufacturer (Gentipak company), and also with tires from China, India, Russia and Ukraine.

The Belarusian tire factory was founded in 1972 to evolve into the open joint-stock company Belshina in 2002. Belshina makes over 350 standard sizes of tires for cars, trucks, heavy haulers, construction vehicles, lifting and transportation vehicles, electric vehicles, buses, tractors, and agricultural machines. The company sells its products into 76 countries. Belshina’s main consumers on the domestic market are the largest enterprises: BelAZ, MAZ, MTZ, MZKT, Gomselmash, and Amkodor. OAO Belshina operates Giant Tire Plant, OTR Tire Plant, Car&Truck Tire Plant, and Mechanical Plant.