Toyo breaks ground on Serbia tyre factory

Toyo Tire Corporation and its Toyo Tire Serbia LLC Belgrade manufacturing subsidiary broke ground at the site of Toyo’s new tyre plant in Indjija City, the Republic of Serbia, on 15 December 2020. Toyo Tire’s eighth tyre manufacturing base is due to start tyre manufacturing operations in April 2022, with a capacity of 5 million passenger car tyres per annum by the summer of 2023.

An artist’s impression of the new factory (Image: Toyo)

The ceremony was attended by about 40 guests, including President Aleksandar Vučić of the Republic of Serbia, Mayor Vladimir Gak of Indjija City, and Takahiko Katsumata, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of Serbia, who prayed for safe construction. For COVID-19 social distancing reasons, Toyo Tire president and CEO, Takashi Shimizu, participated remotely from Japan.

Shimizu expressed his enthusiasm for Toyo Tire’s first plant in Europe: “Many of the products produced at this plant will be designed and developed at our new R&D centre in Germany. Our future goal is to produce tyres created entirely in Europe.”

Meanwhile, president Vučić expressed his appreciation: “This is such an important and valuable investment for Serbia…I owe a special gratitude to all the people from Japan and our country who supported the arrival of such an important and powerful company in Serbia.”

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