Yokohama Takes Aim at N.A., Opens First U.S. Tire Plant

WEST POINT, MS — Yokohama Tire this week celebrated the opening of its new US$300 million, one million square foot commercial truck tire facility in West Point, MS.

Just a little over 24 months after breaking ground on the site, the company commemorated the occasion with more than 300 dignitaries plus company officials led by Hikomitsu Noji, president and representative director of Japan-based parent firm, Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.

It was noted by company executives that Noji’s presence at the event underscored the importance of the new plant to growing the tire maker’s presence in the North American truck-tire market.

“It is no longer sufficient to source tires from existing plants around the world,” Noji said at a news conference held ahead of the grand opening. He explained that the tire maker is projecting continued growth for truck tires in North America and said the company had determined that the necessary “supply will have to come from where our customers are.”

Producing truck tires in the U.S. indicates that Yokohama is “committed to the commercial market,” said Takaharu Fushimi, CEO of Yokohama Corp. of North America (YCNA) and Yokohama Tire Corp. (YTC). “What this modern plant means to our customers is they will get what they want when they want it.”

“We’re in a very healthy market environment for trucking, especially in terms of Class 8 truck growth,” said Rick Phillips, vice president of sales for YTC. “We’re seeing the demand for long-lasting, fuel-efficient tires increasing.”

As of now, the company has hired more than 260 employees and plans to eventually reach 500. Constructed on more than 500 acres of land, the plant houses manufacturing, warehousing and operations facilities, and will produce up to one million tires annually when running at full capacity.

Currently, most of the commercial truck tires Yokohama sells in North America are sourced from its plant in Thailand. Some production is drawn from Japan as well as from the GTY Tire Co. plant in Mount Vernon, IL, that was set up back in 1988 to jointly produce General, Toyo and Yokohama truck tires.  Production of Yokohama tires at that plant will “draw down as production at our new plant here ramps up,” Fred Koplin, YTC’s senior director of marketing and motorsports, told Heavy Duty Trucking magazine

–with files and photo from Truckinginfo.com.

 


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