Benefiting from the explosive growth of the new energy vehicle market and the high-end transformation of the domestic tire industry, Leida Steel Cord achieved nearly 1 billion yuan in sales in Q1, up 108% year-on-year. Bead wire, launched last year, accounted for half of the growth, becoming the core driver.
Leida Steel Cord is one of China's top ten steel cord manufacturers. Two intelligent production lines in its bead wire plant are running at full speed. 5.5mm specialized wire rods undergo more than a dozen precise steps—including drawing, heat treatment, copper plating, and wet drawing—to transform into 0.9mm bead wire. As the 'skeleton' of a tire, bead wire supports the body structure and maintains shape. Despite its hair-thin appearance, the technology hurdle lies in the perfect balance of strength and toughness, with high stability being its core competitiveness.
Deputy General Manager Xu Wei said Leida invested 200 million yuan in bead wire lines, completing its product portfolio. By introducing advanced international processes, the wire breakage rate was reduced from the industry average of 1.2 per ton to 0.3, and the yield rate increased from 95% to over 99.9%. Product performance has reached international top-tier levels, successfully entering the supply chains of global giants like Cooper Tire and Nexen Tire.
Two Italian-imported medium-frequency furnaces achieve 'individual wire control.' With precise temperature and high-speed heating, they achieve over 2,200 MPa tensile strength on 0.9-1.65mm wires, far exceeding industry standards. This breakthrough not only broke foreign monopolies but also drove the coordinated development of Leida's five major product matrices: steel cord, galvanized wire, hose wire, steel fiber, and bead wire.
Currently, Leida's two bead wire lines have an annual capacity of 100,000 tons, with daily shipments of 70 tons. With the global tire industry recovery, on-hand orders have increased by over 80% year-on-year, and the company aims for a 30% increase in annual sales.