HORIBA MIRA Unveils Partnership With Global Wheel Manufacturer, Dicastal, During Trade Visit

HORIBA MIRA – a world-leader in advanced vehicle engineering, research, development and testing – has announced a partnership with the largest global aluminium wheel and chassis component manufacturer, CITIC Dicastal Co., Ltd.

HORIBA MIRA’s CEO, Dr George Gillespie OBE, announced the new deal during the Prime Minister’s trade visit to China. Theresa May’s three-day trip saw 50 delegates accompany the Prime Minister to foster British trade opportunities in China and promote the UK as a great place to invest. The new partnership will see HORIBA MIRA provide road load data to improve Dicastal’s fatigue analysis process in the design of aluminium wheels. This partnership will help Dicastal to better understand how its wheel technology performs on varying road surfaces during a typical vehicle life in China.

HORIBA MIRA’s expertise in the creation of vehicle durability targets for the Chinese and Global automotive markets will be utilised by Dicastal to better understand the full vehicle durability requirements when developing their next generation of products.

HORIBA MIRA will provide data from the durability surfaces of its proving ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire (UK). The data provided will represent the range of structural inputs seen by the typical ‘95th percentile’ vehicle user in the Chinese market. This usage target has been developed through independent research conducted by HORIBA MIRA to characterise vehicle usage in China. 

This collaboration will also enable Dicastal and HORIBA MIRA to explore the wider benefits of aluminium as a lightweight alternative to steel. With China’s increasing focus on electric vehicles, which require the use of lighter materials in their manufacture, there is increasing demand for the global automotive industry to invest in developing lightweight components. 

George Gillespie OBE, CEO of HORIBA MIRA, said: 

“This trade visit to China underpins HORIBA MIRA’s commitment to investing in the region and we are pleased to have completed an agreement with Dicastal during the state visit. There is a growing demand for the development of lighter automotive components and this deal will enable us to work closely with Dicastal to support the growing electric vehicle market with innovative light-weight solutions.

“The past few years have seen HORIBA MIRA expand rapidly in China, with our China team seeing a 50% increase in staff in the last year alone. We look forward to further growing MIRA China as well as continuing to open up international business opportunities in the coming years.”

Dicastal’s CTO, Mr. Zhu Zhihua, commented:

“We are thrilled to be working with HORIBA MIRA, whose strong technical expertise and comprehensive experience will be invaluable as we look to develop the next generation of aluminum wheels and aluminum chassis components.”