Yokohama Rubber completes acquisition of Goodyear’s OTR business

Hiratsuka, Japan – Yokohama Rubber Co. (YRC) has completed the acquisition of Goodyear’s off-the-road tire business, valued at $905 million (€878 million), the Japanese group reported 4 Feb.

The acquisition was initially announced in July last year, with YRC stating that the purchase would make it “the largest” off-highway tire maker. (ERJ report)

The Japanese group intends to include the acquired business in its consolidated results from the first quarter of 2025 and is currently examining the addition’s estimated impact on consolidated earnings.

The acquisition, said YRC, is a strategic investment as part the group's intensive “hockey stick” growth strategy, outlined in the Yokohama Transformation 2026 (YX2026) medium-term management plan.

The purchase will add “an extensive lineup” of mining & construction machinery tires with diameters ranging from 25 inches or less to large- and ultra-large sizes of 49 to 63 inches.

Furthermore, the former Goodyear business will bring “advanced technologies, strong brand power, and professional services provided by skilled staff,” YRC added.

The acquisition is a key part of Yokohama Rubber’s effort to expand its off-highway tire product lineup, building up on its €2.1-billion acquisition of Trelleborg Wheel Systems in 2023 and Alliance Tire Group for €1.1 billion in 2016.

With 2023 sales of about $678 million, Goodyear’s OTR operations include two production facilities in Topeka, Kansas and Tatsuno, Japan, and produce construction, mining and industrial tires.

As previously announced by YRC, the global OTR market is valued at around €6 billion and is expected to grow 6% a year.