Yokohama Rubber Reveals Plans to Set up New R&D Facility in North Carolina

Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has announced that it plans to establish an R& D facility in North Carolina. The center will begin functioning in September 2016 in the vicinity of greater Charlotte. The tire manufacturer currently has R&D facilities for tires fin Japan and several states in the United States but want to bring most of its R&D activities under one roof at the Charlotte facility. This is expected to strengthen Yokohama’s R&D framework and expedite its ability to design and develop new tires that deliver new tire products that can cater to the requirements of customers in a timely manner. Yokohama is also planning to expand its R&D team in North America to double its present strength.

The new center will initially focus on the design of new tires for passenger cars and other consumer applications, and will gradually take on the testing and evaluation of tires as well as development of tires for construction and industrial machinery, technical services and quality assurance. The location for the new center in North Carolina was selected due to its ability to attract highly skilled staff and its closeness to the airport for logistics purposes.

Currently, Yokohama’s operations in North America cover the sale of tires for industrial machinery, construction equipment, buses, trucks and passenger cars. The company has manufacturing plants in Virginia and Mississippi and works out of its corporate headquarters in California. As part of the Phase IV (2015–2017) of its Grand Design 100 (GD100) medium-term management plan, Yokohama Rubber plans to focus further on the huge North American market and strengthen its presence in both the OE and replacement tire segments. Consolidation of its R&D activities will play a crucial role in this drive.

Yokohama has always believed in local production for local consumption, and tried to strengthen its tire R&D activities in regional centers that are located close to the markets. The Company established its Nürburgring Test Center in Germany in 2006, its Tire Test Center of Asia in Thailand in April 2009, and the Yokohama China Technical Center in China in January 2012. The new tire R&D center in the United States will be Yokohama’s largest R&D center overseas both in terms of functions and number of employees.