Sumitomo Rubber upgrades winter-tire test site in Japan

KOBE, Japan — Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI) has added an indoor ice-testing facility at its tire proving grounds near Nayoro City, on Japan's Hokkaido Island.

The new facility, dubbed Nayoro Indoor ICE Field (NICE), features a 325-foot (100 meter) braking test course as well as a 100- by 100-foot turning test course, SRI said.

The indoor facility allows Sumitomo to carry out on-ice testing regardless of the weather conditions, an improvement that the company said will help it further improve the performance of winter tires and speed up the development process.

SRI did not disclose the investment in the upgrade to the 215-acre Nayoro facility, which also features an ice test course, a compacted snow test course and more.

In remarks made at the facility's commissioning, SRI President Satoru Yamamoto said: "NICE now ranks among the largest indoor on-ice tire testing facilities in all of Japan. So that we can get the most out of this new facility … our employees will be working hard on united efforts to put this facility to good use toward more robust tire development."

SRI also operates a second winter tire proving grounds in Japan, near Asahikawa, Hokkaido Prefecture, as well as one geared toward comprehensive tire performance testing in Okayama Prefecture, about 90 miles west of SRI's headquarters in Kobe.