STORY: Chinese-Slovak collaboration elevates tire machinery standards in Europe
SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 27, 2023
DATELINE: Dec. 6, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:16
LOCATION: TRENCIN, Slovakia
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of MERTC
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): TREVOR XU, President and General Director of MERTC
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): TREVOR XU, President and General Director of MERTC
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): STEFAN KUKUCKA, Deputy Director, MERTC

STORYLINE:

Headquartered in east China's Qingdao City, MESNAC is one of the world's largest suppliers of machinery for the tire and rubber industry.

In 2009, MESNAC established its first overseas subsidiary, the MESNAC European Research and Technical Centre (MERTC), in central Slovakia's Trencin region.

With a team of six Chinese and around 40 local Slovaks, MERTC has recently achieved a significant milestone by becoming a member of the Tyre Curing Press Work Group of the European Committee for Standardization.

This membership not only highlights the fruitful partnership between the Chinese and Slovak teams but also positions MERTC as a contributor to the standard-setting process.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): TREVOR XU, President and General Director of MERTC
"I have very encouraging news from our side that we have recently joined the safety committee for the (tyre) curing press in Europe. This means we are part of the rule-makers. Before, we were only following the rules.
That gives us a very good chance to be involved in this standard from the very beginning, even before it is born."

Over the years, MERTC has been making strides in its collaboration with local talent.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): TREVOR XU, President and General Director of MERTC
"We hire, and we have our own people for the installation on the customers' sites. Also, we have many external partners. They are all local people here. So when they work here, they know the rules, therefore the whole management. I think the customers also feel much more comfortable because they know the people."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): STEFAN KUKUCKA, Deputy Director, MERTC"During the working process, we are influencing each other. We learned something from them and they learned something from us and we are balancing it so that finally the result is good.
And in this way, we are together improving the machine and our final product."

Slovakia produces 185 cars per 1,000 inhabitants annually, surpassing even industry giants like Germany.

Its unique position in the automotive industry made it an attractive location.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Trencin, Slovakia.
(XHTV)