Veyance this week announced the formation of Shandong Aneng Conveyor Belt & Rubber Co, a long-term joint venture between Veyance's Asia subsidiary and the Yinhe Group's Ruiyuan Rubber and Plastics Company.

Shandong Aneng also has a tentative agreement to purchase exclusive rights to the Yinhe Depreux brand in China.

Based in Yanzhou, Shandong Aneng is the largest conveyor belt manufacturer in China.

Its 20 production lines annually produce more than 12 million square meters of conveyor belts.

Veyance's Asia-Pacific region general manager Chris Jones said the JV would profit from Ruiyuan's infrastructure and Veyance's technology.

"This joint venture is a perfect fit for Veyance, which introduced the first steel-cable-reinforced belt and produced the strongest and longest steel-cable-reinforced belts currently in use," Jones said.

Some of Veyance's technologies that will be introduced into the market include low-rolling resistance cover materials, Goodyear SensorGuard belt monitoring systems and patented splice processes.

Veyance already operates lightweight and heavy-duty rubber and PVC conveyor belt manufacturing operations in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Chile, South Africa and Australia.

In August it acquired the assets of US conveyor belt fabric manufacturer and renamed it Specialty Fabrics & Converting, Inc.