Iran Tire kicks off €130m relocation, expansion project

Tehran – Iran Tire, a Tehran-based manufacturer of passenger car and truck and bus tires, is relocating its production site to support further expansion projects and meet the government’s stricter environmental standards.

The €130-million project will see Iran Tire relocating manufacturing operations from Tehran to MahdiShahr, roughly 220km northeast of the capital city, said Hassan Salehi, VP development and technology in a statement to ERJ.

Set for operation in 2024, the project will be completed in three phases, including a “brand new” 25 kilotonne per annum (ktpa) production capacity for passenger car and light truck tires.

In phase two, the recently overhauled equipment of the existing factory will be relocated to the new site to bring total production to 40ktpa, Salehi added.

The final phase of the project will see the installation of a new production line for truck and bus radial tires with the capacity to manufacture 20ktpa of tires.

Established in Terhan in 1965 by General Tire and Rubber Co., the company currently manufactures products under the brand “Iran Tire”.

The existing factory has the capacity to produce 28 ktpa of tires per year, including 75% PCR/LTR and 25% LT/TB/AG/OTR bias tires.

The company’s PCR tire production license was obtained from Matador Co. in 2008 and at the time new equipment was acquired from Germany, France, The Netherlands, and Slovakia, according to Salehi.

The equipment for the new facility, Salehi added, is mostly procured from Chinese manufacturers due to trade restrictions on Iran.

Iran Tire currently employs 950 people at its current factory.