Robert Simmons

Robert Simmons joined GlobalData with the acquisition of LMC in 2021. At LMC he was the managing director of LMC Tyre and Rubber. Simmons has been analyzing the tire market for over 20 years and is a regular speaker at international conferences. He first learnt about natural rubber in Papua New Guinea where he worked in the early 1990s. He is an economist by training and has a master's in agricultural economics from Reading University.

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Presentation

What's happening in the tire industry?

With consumer incomes under pressure from high inflation and interest rates, budget replacement tire sales have increased at the expense of high-cost tires. This has led to an increase in imports of low-cost tires (primarily from China and ASEAN) and placed pressure on tire production in high-cost markets. The paper will examine these trends, look at the markets for both OE and replacement tires and present an outlook for the industry.