SRI: USA Technical Center fully operational in January, European facility in September

Since gaining a much greater degree of freedom to conduct business in North America and Europe with the dissolution of its global alliance with Goodyear in October 2015, the Sumitomo Rubber Group has striven to enhance its R&D, production and sales infrastructure to better serve these markets. As part of these efforts, the tyre maker has built a new, 3,500 square metre USA Technical Center on the grounds of its Tonawanda factory in New York State. Sumitomo Rubber Industries reports that this facility will become fully operational in January 2017. The company is also moving forward with the preparations for a Europe Technical Center, which it expects to be fully operational as of September 2017.

In addition, in March 2017 Sumitomo will also begin evaluating tyres for four-wheel vehicles at its 283,300 square metre USA Tire Test Course, which has until now been used solely for motorcycle tyre testing. “With these enhancements to our US-based R&D and testing infrastructure, we will complete the framework for the rapid development and timely launch of tyres that appeal to customers in North and South America by better responding to their needs,” writes Sumitomo Rubber Industries in a statement, adding that the expansion of its business in North America and Europe is a stated goal of its Vision 2020 long-term strategy.