AMATA CITY, Thailand (Aug. 23, 2012) — Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.'s Thai subsidiary has broken ground for a $126 million radial agricultural tire plant in Amata City, Rayong Province, Thailand, the company's first production site for ag tires outside of Japan.
The 1.4-million-sq.-ft. factory is slated to begin production in May 2014, Sumitomo said, with a nameplate monthly capacity of 800 metric tons, or 50,000 tires, which should be reached by 2017.
The factory is being built on land adjacent to SRI's 5-year-old passenger tire plant in Amatai City Industrial Estate in Rayong Province. The plants operate under the auspices of Sumitomo Rubber (Thailand) Co. Ltd.
Sumitomo also operates a plant for two-wheeler tires Bangkok, Thailand, that it bought from Hwa Fong Rubber Industry Co. Ltd. in 2009.
This report appeared on the website of European Rubber Journal, which like TIre Business is published by Crain Communications.