Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. announced plans to invest approximately $207 million (20 billion yen) to expand production capacity at its Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. (TNA) plant in White, Georgia. The company says the expansion, the fourth since the plant was built in 2004, will establish a supply system to meet growing tire demand in the North American market.
Toyo says it plans to increase the size of the facility by 1.5 times, install equipment that will represent half of all capacity, and initially achieve an annual production capacity boost of 2.5 million tires.
Toyo says TNA implemented a highly automated and proprietary tire production system called Advanced Tire Operation Module (A.T.O.M.) in 2005. This system produces highly consistent, highly uniform tires, and is designed for multi-product, small-lot production with reduced lead times.
TNA's second stage of capacity began in 2007 and the third stage in 2010. In August 2011, the company achieved the goal set forth in Toyo Tires' Mid-term Business Plan of establishing an annual production capacity of 6.5 million tires (*converted for passenger vehicle tires).
Toyo says the fourth stage of production capacity expansion by TNA will further solidify its base of operations in the North America, which the company has positioned as a strategically critical market.
Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. at a glance:
1. Location: White, Georgia
2. Date established: June 2004
3. Business activity: Manufacturing and sales of passenger and light truck tires
4. President: James L. Hawk
5. Paid-in capital: 1.5 million US dollar
6. Equity percentage: Wholly-owned by Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd.
7. Size of the site: 150 acres
Fourth stage of capacity expansion at a glance:
1. Building floor area: 44,000 m
2. Production start: August 2015 (tentative)
3. Production capacity: 2.5 million tires annually (tentative)
4. Investment: Approximately 20 billion yen (tentative)
*Building facility and initially installed equipment cost
