KARAWANG, Indonesia (June 28, 2016) — P.T. Gajah Tunggal Tbk. has inaugurated a tire proving ground in Karawang.
According to the tire maker, the move will help it be more competitive in both the domestic and global markets.
Specifically, the firm said the facility will help it improve its capabilities to design and produce car, truck and motorcycle tires to meet local and international customers' needs and to shorten the product development cycle.
The facility offers testing facilities for noise, vehicle dynamics, wet braking and handling and longitudinal hydroplanning. A second phase will add capabilities to be determined by the company's research and development.
The company broke ground on the 160-acre project in 2013.
Among those attending the inauguration ceremony at the company's proving ground were Saleh Husin, Indonesia's minister of industry; Christopher Chan, president of Gajah Tunggal; and several members of the company's board of commissioners and board of directors, Karawang district officials and others.
Gajah Tunngal — 49.7-percent owned by Singapore-based Chinese tire maker Giti Tire Pte. Ltd. — spent $108 million in 2012 to acquire 267 acres of land in Karawang for the proving ground and potentially for a second tire plant to complement the firm's manufacturing complex in Tangerang, Java.
Group Michelin owns a 10-percent stake in Gajah Tunggal.
The proving ground can also be used to test the prototypes and products of the company's OEM partners.