Chinese track manufacturer building first US plant

Milan, Tennessee – China-based Global Track Manufacturing is building its first production plant in the US, according to a statement by Tennessee department of economic and community development.

The company is investing $2.5 million (€2.2 million) in the manufacturing site in Milan, which is expected to bring at least 250 jobs to the area by 2021.

The new plant will be located on the 530,000-sq.-ft. site of the former Tower Automotive facility which the Chinese manufacturer purchased in 2017.

Global Track produces rubber tracks and rubber pads for original equipment companies in the automotive, farm and industrial equipment and other related industries. 

The company, according to its website, manufactures its products by blending a rubber formula, inserting iron teeth and steel cable winding and vulcanisation. 

The process is claimed to enable achieving the correct hardness and quality of the final products.

The facility in the US, said Global Track owner Barry Min in an email, aims to produce rubber tracks for large OEMs such as Case and John Deere.

With the installation process currently underway, initial production is expected to start in the summer of 2020. 

"We hope to begin testing the equipment and production process in the first quarter of 2020 and begin shipping rubber tracks in July/August timeframe," Min said.