Mitas US agri tyre plant inaugurated; will reach full capacity in 2013

A little-known claim to fame for Charles City, Iowa is that the word “tractor” was first coined there, in 1901. It is therefore fitting that Mitas chose to establish its radial agricultural tyre factory in that particular US town. On 26 April the plant officially opened, with Iowa governor Terry Branstad, Charles City mayor James Erb and Mitas representatives Tomas Nemec and Oldrich Slemr cutting the ribbon to start serial production of agricultural tyres. Upon celebrating the factory’s inauguration, Mitas also announced it would accelerate its US$52 million investment to achieve full plant production capacity of 13,500 tonnes of tyres a year by 2013, three years earlier than originally anticipated.

“Mitas is now an American-made brand,” said Tomas Nemec, chairman of Mitas’ parent company, CGS. “Mitas invites all farmers to buy tyres made in the tractor town.” The newly-opened plant produces all popular market agricultural tyre sizes and will eventually produce sizes of up to 54-inch diameter and 1,200 mm width. The final curing press will be installed by mid-2013. As of April 2012, the factory employs 76 locally recruited full-time employees, and by 2013 the plant will employ 237 local residents. The Charles City facility received its ISO 9001 certification in March.

With the opening of the Charles City plant, Mitas became the third company to operate a US-based agricultural tyre factory. “The American farmer will benefit from increased competition,” Nemec commented. “Good tractor tyres are worth their weight in gold,” added Iowa senator Chuck Grassley in a video message to Mitas. “A quality product is exactly what we need.”