Petlas launches €325m tire expansion at Turkish site

Ankara – Petlas has announced plans to build a new production facility adjacent to its existing plant in Kirsehir in central Turkey.

The Turkish tire manufacturer is investing $360 million (€325 million) in the new unit, to raise production capacity for passenger car and light truck tires by 42% to 340 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa), Petlas told ERJ.

Once completed the new unit will add 1,850 job opportunities, said Petlas in an 8 May statement to ERJ.

Construction work on the project is set to start later this year, with completion expected by 2025 or 2026, said Petlas general manager Hakan Yaln?z.

The new plant will be equipped with “state-of-the-art” tire production technologies and once operational, will turn the Kirsehir facility into “one of the largest ‘mega’ tire factories in Europe”.

Established in 1976, Petlas was initially founded to produce aircraft tires and was later acquired by Abdulkadir Özcan Group (AKO) in 2005.

Since then, the company has expanded its production portfolio and focused on exports, becoming “the largest tire exporter from Turkey”.