Amid great fanfare, The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. (YRC) held a groundbreaking event on April 15 for its new consumer/light truck tire plant at the Alianza Industrial Park in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. The event was well attended by a crowd of state and local officials, as well as management from Yokohama companies, including YRC Chairman and CEO Masataka Yamishi; Yokohama Corporation North America (YCNA) CEO Shinichi Takimoto; and Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) President and CEO Jeff Barna.
Barna, who spoke at the event, proclaimed that “we stand here today in celebration and recognize the best employees and best customers in the world. Without their collective commitment, resolve and devotion to the Yokohama brand, today would not have been possible.”
State and local officials in attendance included Manolo Jimenez, governor of the state of Coahuila and Jose Maria Frausto Siller, the mayor of the city of Saltillo.
Other speakers included Yamaishi, who discussed the importance of the plant at a corporate group level. Barna went on to say that “with the establishment of this factory, we are not only bringing our products closer to our local customers, but also enhancing the quality and accessibility of our offerings.”
The modern plant will be built on a 150-acre site. Construction is expected to begin soon and the facility is set to begin production in early 2027 with a planned annual output of 5 million tires.
SOURCE: Yokohama
