Toyo Breaks Ground on China Plant

Toyo has held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Chinese passenger car tyre manufacturing facility in Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu Province. The subsidiary – Toyo Tires Zhangjiagang Co, Ltd will be chaired by Toyo senior corporate officer Mitsuru Hitotsuyanagi. Production is scheduled to begin in December 2011 with an annual capacity of 2 million units and a workforce approximately 500 in number.

The ceremony, held on the grounds of the future facility, was attended by a wide range of dignitaries which included Xu Mei-jian, mayor of Zhangjiagang City, and Isao Okai, the Japanese Consulate-General in Shanghai. Toyo reports that representatives from the municipal government, local community, construction team, and tyre retail outlets throughout China were also present. In total approximately 300 people attended the event.

Toyo president Kenji Nakakura explained: “This is our first wholly-owned Asian tyre production facility outside of Japan, and it will be one of the most important within the Toyo Tires Group. Zhangjiagang City is enjoying explosive economic growth and many foreign companies—including those from Japan—are setting up operations in the area.  We at Toyo Tire & Rubber are grateful for the opportunity to make a contribution to the local community by establishing this state-of-the-art car tire factory which will lead to the creation of stable jobs. We look forward to evolving and prospering together. ”

Toyo Tires Zhangjiagang is Toyo Tire’s second wholly-owned tire production facility to be established outside of Japan after Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc in the United States.

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