Yokohama Withdraws from Aircraft Tyre Business

Yokohama Rubber has been manufactured and sold aircraft tyres, both new and retreaded, to the Japanese military and to Japanese domestic airlines since 1940, however the company has now decided to withdraw from this business. According to Yokohama, this decision was taken as aircraft tyre sales constitute only a minor part of Yokohama Rubber’s entire business, and do not offer strong future growth potential.

Product delivers will be ended on a step-by-step basis by the end of 2009, says Yokohama, and after sale follow-up services will stop during 2010. A decision regarding personnel currently employed at within the company’s aircraft tyre business and at the aircraft tyre facility at Yokohama’s Hiratsuka factory in Japan will be made at a later date, the company reports. Yokohama Rubber expects its aircraft tyre sales to be approximately 800 million yen (£5.7 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.