Yokohama establishes Yokohama Industries Americas Inc.

On 18 April The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. announced that as of 1 April 2014, its two US industrial product manufacturing and sales subsidiaries are merged into the newly established Yokohama Industries Americas Inc. The merged former subsidiaries are YH America Inc. and SAS Rubber Company. YH America is engaged in the assembly and sale of non-tyre products including: automotive hoses, the production and sale of automotive windshield sealants, and the sale of other industrial products. SAS Rubber is engaged in the production and sale of automotive hoses and other industrial-use rubber products. The newly unified subsidiary’s head office is located in Versailles, Kentucky, with production sites in Kentucky, South Carolina, and Ohio. The two merged subsidies had combined sales of 22.0 billion yen in fiscal 2013 and employ about 1,200 people.

The Yokohama Rubber group is engaged in the automotive parts business, concentrating on air conditioning and power steering hoses in North and Central America. Going forward the group will expand into South America completing its expansion and building a strong presence throughout the entire Americas. Group management made the decision to merge the two separate entities and operations under a single structure using the Yokohama brand name to support the expansion.

YH America was established in 1989 to manufacture and market automotive hoses, metal fittings, and automotive windshield sealants in Versailles, Kentucky. The company established a second North American plant in Easley, South Carolina in 2009. In 2013 it expanded and doubled its sealants production capacity. Currently YH America is preparing for the planned startup of full scale production at a new plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The plant is scheduled to open in the fall of 2014.

SAS Rubber was established in 1932 and joined to The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. when the company acquired Mohawk Rubber Company in 1989 as its non-tyre operations. Located in Painesville, Ohio, SAS Rubber specializes in rubber automotive hoses, gaskets and other industrial rubber products. YH America and SAS Rubber have been business partners since 1992.