Kumho to Finalise Tyre Choice for Macon, USA Plant by June

Kumho says it will make a decision by June on the type of tyres its planned facility in Macon, USA will produce. The plant was originally due to enter production this year before Kumho announced a 12-month delay last December, the revised completion time attributed to market factors. The South Korean manufacturer says the delay was necessary in order to respond to such factors.

“Since our plant is an automated facility where you turn on the switch and it just automatically produces the tyres, we had to review the equipment” to make certain that the tyre sizes produced will fit future market trends, said Kenneth Lee, general manager at the company’s Macon, Georgia based General Affairs and Administration Department. “We cannot just change it overnight,” he added.

More than 50 per cent of the tyres produced at the plant will be sold to OEMS, including the “Big Three” along with Hyundai and Kia – therefore the size of the tyres needs to suit their needs. Due to the facility’s design, says Lee, changing the manufacturing process once a system is in place is difficult.

Despite the delays, Lee reaffirmed Kumho’s commitment to completing the plant. “We reviewed for a long time to come to the United States, and we’re not going to just walk away,” he said.