Sumitomo to expand Thai capacity - report

Bangkok – Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) is set to increase its car tire production capacity at its Thai plant by 9 percent according to a report by Japanese news agency Nikkei on 28 Sept.

Following the breakup of its 16-year global alliance with Goodyear in June, SRI is now to meet the “strong” demand in the US and growing sales in Southeast Asia from its Rayong province site, the report added.

The site, which began production at two factories in 2006 and 2007, has a capacity of 78,000 tires a day, a figure which is expected to climb to 85,000 by the end of the year, the Nikkei report added.

The plant accounts for about 20 percent of Sumitomo’s global capacity and around 80 percent of the output is exported.