Toyo breaks ground on Georgia tyre plant expansion

White, Georgia -- Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. has broken ground on a $270 million expansion of its White, Georgia, tyre plant, designed to double the 2-year-old plant's capacity by 2011.

The 820,000-sq.-ft. (76 000 m²) expansion will boost annual capacity to 5.2 million car and light truck tires and create 400 jobs, Toyo said. The project will enlarge the plant to 1.72 million square feet (160 000 m²). The plant sits on a 15-acre (6 ha) site.

The expansion, which was part of the original plant project's scope, “underscores the company's strategy to reinforce its global supply network in an effort to support dynamic growth goals,” Toyo said.

The plant uses Toyo's proprietary Advanced Tire Operation Module automated production system, which is designed for multi-product, small-lot production.

The plant makes both Toyo- and Nitto-brand tyres. Among the products are: Toyo Proxes S/T, a high-performance sport truck and sport-utility vehicle (SUV) radial; Toyo Open Country M/T and A/T light truck radials; Nitto NT 420S, an all-season high-performance light truck and SUV radial; Nitto Mud Grappler mud-terrain light truck radial; Nitto Terra Grappler all-terrain light truck radial; and Nitto NT 555 ultra-high-performance radial.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)