Sumitomo starts TBR tire production in South Africa

Ladysmith, South Africa – Sumitomo Rubber Industries has started production of truck & bus radial tires at its production facility in Ladysmith.

The company invested €56 million in the expansion project which came on-stream 19 July, said the Japanese tire maker in a 7 Aug statement.

The TBR factory has a floor space of 180,000 square metres and will reach a total production capacity of 750 tires per day by 2020.

Until now, Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd (SRSA) relied on imports to supply African markets with TBR tires.

The Ladysmith plant was originally set up in 1973 by Apollo Tyres South Africa and was acquired by the Sumitomo Rubber Group in 2013. The plant also manufactures 12,500 passenger car and light truck tires per day.