COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Global Rubber Industries Ltd. (GRI) has applied for and been granted a tire plant identification code by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) — necessary for selling tires in the U.S. intended for on-highway use — for its factory in Badalgama, Sri Lanka.
GRI said it sought the DOT code so as to ensure that the off-road tires it produces can be operated legally on highway in certain circumstances, such as when farmers move equipment from field to field or other similar events.
The new tire identification number (TIN), 06A, was issued by the DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The application of a DOT code to a tire indicates that the tire complies with all applicable U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
The TIN also plays an important role in identifying which tires are subject to recall and remedy campaigns for safety defects and noncompliances, according to the DOT.
GRI opened the Badalgama factory in 2018, with capacities for agricultural, construction and forklift tires.
Michael Connor, director of sales for GRI USA, said, "As a responsible corporate citizen, we believe it is our duty to establish design specifications, manufacturing process specifications, quality assurance programs and engineering change verification programs to a level that ensures that all new tires shipped to the United States, or any destination for that matter, meet or exceed the minimum performance requirements of all applicable safety standards."
Founded in 2002, GRI produces specialty tires — materials-handling solid tires and radial agriculture and construction tires — sustainably using natural rubber sourced in Sri Lanka.
