Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc. announced that its representatives met with Georgia representatives and Macon-Bibb County leaders on Sept. 5, 2013, to announce that an agreement has been reached that will allow Kumho Tire Georgia Inc. to begin construction of its tire manufacturing plant.
"The community never lost its support for Kumho," says Sam Hart, chairman of the Bibb County Commission. "And we know they never lost sight of their goal to build this plant in Georgia and in Macon-Bibb County."
The company will initially invest $200 million to build the new manufacturing plant that will employ 300+ people on a 150-acre site in the Sofkee Industrial Park located in Macon, Georgia. The company says the new plant will allow Kumho Tire to better serve its automotive partners as well as American consumers.
Kumho Tire says it has been moving ahead with many anticipated projects, including the new R&D Center that opened on Sept. 3, 2013 in Seoul, Korea. The state-of-the-art center is comprised of a research building and testing facility housing 600 expert researches from Korea and abroad, industry-leading supercomputers and cutting-edge testing equipment to develop market-leading products. The new center will reclaim Kumho's reputation for technical prowess through improved R&D capabilities.
Kumho Tire Georgia President Harry Choi remarked,"Kumho's commitment to Macon-Bibb never wavered. Worldwide economic conditions have greatly affected our company as well as the worldwide tire industry. Kumho Tire Georgia is strong and committed to Macon-Bibb and the U.S. tire industry. We thank the community, our suppliers, our employees and our customers for their support."
