Bekaert reopens US bead wire plant

Rome, Georgia – Bekaert has reopened its bead wire production plant in Rome, Georgia, US on 7 Oct.

The facility, which was temporarily shut down after a fire caused damage to the site on 19 Nov, has been equipped with state-of-the-art, high performance bead wire production lines. Reconstruction works were finalised in June, the firm said in a news release.

Bekaert CEO Matthew Taylor, the regional management team and 100 guests attended the grand opening – including US based tire manufacturers, and diplomatic and government officials from the US and Belgium.

“Bekaert Rome is poised to return as the preferred bead wire supplier to US tire makers,” Taylor said in a statement. “The team clearly shows their commitment and determination in proving their capability and ambitions to serve US-based tire makers with optimal quality and service.”

Bekaert is a global manufacturer and provider of steel wire transformation and coating technologies. Headquartered in Belgium, it employs about 30,000 with revenue of about $4.5 billion (€3.94 billion). The firm’s North American unit employs about 1,600 in 10 plants and offices in the US and Canada.