BRUSSELS — Replacement tire shipments of both consumer and commercial tires in Europe recovered strongly in the second quarter, figures from the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers' Association (ETRMA) show.
In the three months ended June 30, ETRMA member companies reported a 5.4-percent increase in passenger tire shipments, to 49.1 million units, effectively offsetting a 5.8-percent drop in the first quarter. As a result, first-half shipments of 101.5 million units were 0.7 percent shy of the 2017 period.
Similarly, ETRMA member shipments of truck/bus tires grew 10.1 percent in the second quarter, to 2.48 million units. This improvement offsets a 9.7-percent drop in the first quarter, leaving first half shipments of 4.85 million units 0.5-percent short of the 2017 period.
There was no such rebound in the agricultural tire market, where second-quarter shipments plunged 9.6 percent to 340,000 units. Combined with a 12.1-percent drop in the first quarter, first half shipments stand at 696,000 units, 10.9 percent below the level of a year ago.
Two-wheeler tire shipments in the second quarter were up 3.3 percent to 2.64 million units but down 4.7 percent in the half, at 5.96 million units.
The ETRMA's data cover 29 European countries, stretching from Ireland in the west to Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and the Baltic states in the east.