50% more tyres: Sumitomo Rubber USA expanding plant

Construction work to expand the Sumitomo Rubber USA plant in Tonawanda, New York is progressing following the official groundbreaking at the site on 29 March, and in the coming two to three years the tyre maker will invest US$129 million in a project that will boost production capacity by 50 per cent. After erecting a 5,100 square metre plant building this summer, Sumitomo will install new mixing machines, tyre presses and tyre building machines. Plant manager Tim Sprunger says the expanded facility will feature a high level of automation.

According to Sprunger, production capacity in Tonawanda will rise from 12,000 tyres daily to 18,000. The facility produces Falken and Dunlop-branded motorcycle, passenger vehicle and truck tyres. The expansion will add up to 50 new jobs to the 1,400-strong workforce.

The Tonawanda plant joined the Sumitomo Rubber family upon the dissolution of the Japanese manufacturer’s global alliance with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in 2015.