Fast Growing Market Drives Clutch Suppliers in China to Look Overseas

China now boasts 100 automotive clutch makers, 80% of which supply lower-end models such as one-piece and two-piece clutches, peripheral-spring clutch, and central-spring clutch. But the introduction of imported oil-film clutch technology in the early 1990s has enabled some makers to engage in producing such clutches of either pushing or pulling types, with some larger suppliers boasting annual capacity of four million sets.

As Chinese automakers continue to expand capacities to meet the demand of rapidly growing private car ownership at home, coupled with the official designation of the oil-film clutch sector as one targeted for priority development, many domestic clutch makers have stepped into producing oil-film clutches, mainly push types for use in Chinese-made sedans and light trucks. Few are even producing flywheel clutches and electrically-controlled oil-film clutches, which are top-of-the-line items in global markets.

Export Status

Backed by the advantages of low labor and material costs, Chinese-made clutches command significant price competitiveness globally. Such competitive advantage has driven domestic enterprises and joint ventures in recent years to raise capital to procure advanced manufacturing equipment and technologies to produce oil-film spring clutches for export worldwide.

China Canton Clutch Co., Ltd., for examples, now ships 80% of its output abroad; Ningbo Hongxie Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. exports over 95% of its annual output of 700,000 clutches to the U.S. and Europe, with annual overseas sale topping US$7.5 million; Hangzhou Dengfeng Clutch Co., Ltd. ships 40 kinds of clutches overseas; and Hangzhou Westlake Automotive Spare Parts Group distributes a part of its output to various overseas markets, including the U.S., Korea, South America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Overall the export value of Chinese-made clutches and parts topped US$80 million in the first half of 2007.

The Leaders

Hangzhou Westlake Automotive Spare Parts Group

The company is the largest specialized clutch and brake parts maker in China, turning out 5.2 million clutches of some 500 models a year, which are shipped to over 20 countries in the U.S., South America, Japan, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.

Taizhou Hualong Clutch Co., Ltd.

The company produces over 500 models of clutches and 100 kinds of brake pads for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and European cars, turning out 1.5 million clutches and two million brake pads annually, 90% of which are sold overseas, including the U.S. Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

Yuhua Shunyu Clutch Factory

Founded in 1996 and situated inside the Kanmen Science and Technology Park in Yuhuan of Zhejiang Province, the company manufactures clutches ranging in diameters from 160mm to 430mm for over 100 European, Japanese and Korean car models, including Toyota, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Mercedes and Fiat, with major overseas markets scattered across the U.S., Europe, South Africa, and Southeast Asia.

To strengthen competitiveness, the company consistently adopts advanced domestic and foreign manufacturing equipment and technologies.

Wuhu Hefeng Clutch Corp. (originally Yuhuan Hefeng Corp.)

Established in 2000, the company manufactures over 400 kinds of clutches for European, American, Japanese and Korean cars, with an annual output reaching 1.2 million units that are mainly exported to the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, South America, and Indonesia.