Yokohama Rubber to Expand OTR/EM Tyre Production

Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has announced that it will expand its off-the-road production capacity by about 50 per cent by building a new facility at its Onomichi Plant to provide the additional capacity. Work will begin on the new facility this month, and Yokohama’s plans call for production to get under way there in November. The project will increase Yokohama’s monthly production capacity for off-the-road tyres incrementally to 1,620 tons – as measured in rubber consumption – by 2009, from 1,100 tons today. Yokohama has earmarked 5 billion yen (almost £25 million) for the investment project.

Yokohama’s new production facility will supply 25-, 33-, and 35-inch radial tyres. These medium-sized, general-purpose construction and mining are capable of carrying 30- to 75-ton dump trucks, for example. Production of off-the-road bias tires will also continue at Yokohama. The Japanese manufacturer reports that demand remains strong for bias tyres for small and medium-sized vehicles in underground mining operations, in freight-handling equipment at ports, and in other applications. Customers especially value the cut- and wear-resistant performance of Yokohama’s bias tyres.

Export accounts for about 80 per cent of Yokohama’s OTR tyre production.