Yokohama to expand OTR tyre capacity by half

Tokyo-The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has said it is will build a new OTR tyre factory at its site in Onomichi, Japan, due on stream later this year. The new factory represents an investment of ¥500 million (Euro 3.5 million) and should increase production capacity for off-the-road tyres for construction, mining, and other heavy equipment to about 1620 tonnes of rubber compound per month, up by 50 percent on the current figure of 1100 tonnes.

Yokohama's new factory will supply 25-, 33-, and 35-inch radial tyres. These are medium-sized, general-purpose tyres for construction and mining equipment, and they constitute the heart of the market in those sectors. They carry dump trucks, for example, of capacities from 30 tonnes to 75 tonnes.

Yokohama said the expansion is in response to surging, structural growth in global demand, notably in the mining sector. Demand outside Japan accounts for about 80 percent of Yokohama's business in off-the-road tyres.

Production of off-the-road cross-ply tyres will continue at Yokohama, even as the company expands production of radials. Demand remains strong for cross-ply tyres for small and medium-sized vehicles in underground mining operations, in freight-handling equipment at ports, and in other applications. Customers especially value the cut- and wear-resistant performance of Yokohama's bias tyres, said the company.

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Press release from Yokohama