LAS VEGAS — Thailand's Otani Tire Co. Ltd. is looking to expand its presence in North America as it ramps up capacity at a radial tire plant it brought on stream last year.
Ekachai Limpichotipong and Orawan Limpichotipong, managing director and marketing/sales director, respectively, at Sampran, Thailand-based Otani Tire, discussed their firm's plans with Tire Business at the 2017 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas.
The new plant, located a few miles from the firm's 32-year-old bias-ply factory in Thailand's Nakhonpathom District west of Bangkok, is rated at 2,500 units a day at full capacity.
The plant is operated by a separate company, Otani Radial Co. Ltd., in which Middle Eastern tire marketer Zafco International has a 40-percent ownership stake. As a result, much of Otani Radial Tire's output during the ramp-up phase is dedicated to the launch of Zafco's Armstrong brand.
As capacity grows, however, Mr. Limpichotipong said, Otani will be able to expand Otani-branded production, allowing the family-owned company to start expanding its international sales initiatives.