Yokohama Dedicates New Columbus DC

(Akron/Tire Review) With Ohio Governor Bob Taft on hand, Yokohama Tire Corp. dedicated its new 650,000-square-foot distribution center in Groveport, Ohio, near Columbus, yesterday. The new facility, Yokohama’s fourth distribution center in the US, will be fully operational in July and can hold some 1.2 million passenger and light truck/SUV tyres. The warehouse, which was finished to Yokohama’s specifications and is being leased, will service tyre dealers and other customers in the northeast.

“This beautiful, modern distribution center will allow us to better serve our customers, and will help our business grow in the Northeast,” said Jim MacMaster, executive vice president of Yokohama’s business division. “Building the facility in Ohio was a strategic decision, as it places us closer to our customer base.”

The dedication ceremonies included the planting of a Japanese maple tree in front of the new building and a Japanese sake barrel-breaking ceremony – called kagami biraki – signifying the beginning of a new business endeavor.

Yokohama said the new facility is expected to create some 60-75 jobs in the area. The building has 90 active truck docks, which can be increased to 157, and is expected to ship some 30,000 tyres per day.