SUWANEE, Ga.—Buoyed by growing sales, Maxxis International Inc. is spending $5 million to increase office space and warehouse capacity at its U.S. headquarters facility in Suwanee.
The company, a unit of Taiwan's Cheng Shin Rubber Industry Co. Ltd., also has several new tires and sizes on tap for 2001, said Michael McGunagle, marketing coordinator.
The 90,000-sq.-ft. expansion at the Suwanee facility will more than double the company's administrative offices to 18,500 square feet and provide additional warehouse capacity for 210,000 passenger tires, Mr. McGunagle said.
Currently, the company maintains 70,000 square feet of warehouse space at the facility, which will grow to 149,000 square feet when the expansion is completed Sept. 1.
Mr. McGunagle said the additional space will help the firm better serve its customers by providing them "with the product when they need it."
The added warehouse capacity also will allow Maxxis to increase the type of product lines currently in stock, he said.
As part of the expansion, Maxxis is modifying the facility's loading docks to handle increased traffic.
The Suwanee warehouse will incorporate a new Warehouse Management System, Mr. McGunagle said, providing employees with real-time access to inventory at all Maxxis facilities.
In addition to Suwanee, Maxxis maintains warehouses and sales operations at three other locations in North America: a 40,000-sq.-ft. unit in Brampton, Ontario; a 70,000-sq.-ft. center in Ontario, Calif.; and a 53,000-sq.-ft. site in Coppell, Texas.
During 2001, the company plans to introduce the non-directional Maxxis MA-501 passenger tire as well as 17- and 18-inch versions of the high performance Maxxis MA-V1.
The MA-501 features an all-season tread pattern and is constructed with a full nylon cap ply. It will be available in June in 17-inch sizes, with 18-inch sizes coming in the first quarter of 2002.
Featuring a V speed rating, the MA-V1 has a directional tread pattern and is constructed using a segmented mold for greater uniformity, Mr. McGunagle said. Already available in 15- and 16-inch sizes, the company expects to have the larger 17- and 18-inch sizes in stock by late May.
For the off-road market, Maxxis will offer a new H-rated tire, the Marauder, designed for sport-utility vehicles.
The Marauder has an aggressive directional tread, an H speed rating and employs a jointless spiral wrap nylon edge ply to provide a stiffer sidewall and better handling, Maxxis said. The tire, with black sidewall lettering, will be available in June in 15- and 16-inch sizes with 17-, 18- and 19-inch versions coming at a later date, Mr. McGunagle said.
For extreme off-road driving, Maxxis is adding a bias light truck tire dubbed Mudzilla. Developed from off-road racing technology, the Mudzilla is built with a full nylon cap ply and jointless spiral wrapped nylon edge plies.
The Mudzilla will be available in July in six sizes: 31211.50-16, 33213.50-16, 35213.50-16, 31211.50-15, 33213.50-15 and 35213.50-15.
Maxxis also said it will add 11 sizes to its popular HT-750 Bravo SUV tire series. They include: 225/70R14, 235/70R15, 255/70R15, 265/70R15, 275/60R15, 295/50R15, 245/70R16, 265/70R16, 245/75R16, 265/75R16 and 265/70R17.