Toyo Prepares Small-Lot Production in US

Toyo Tire has released details of its US production plant, several weeks after laying the foundation stone for the Cartersville, Georgia, production facility. According to Deutsche Bank, the Japanese tyre manuafacturer is going to install a flexible, automated production system which is well suited for small-lot production. This is said to produce better quality products than conventional methods. The company calls the system its Advanced Tyre Operation Module or ATOM.

Toyo Tire first announced this production system two years ago and developed the technology with support from Toyota Motor, running pilot production schemes in Japan. The new factory, Toyo’s first US tyre production facility, will cost $392 million and will create up to 900 jobs. The factory will have an annual capacity of two million passenger car and light truck tyres after construction is completed in 2006.