Japan's Tokai Rubber Industries launches Polish plant

ERJ staff report (EPN)

Japanese car parts manufacturer Tokai Rubber Industries has opened a new production facility in Zagórz, Poland, Jaroslaw Adamowski reported for European Plastics News. Located in the Mielec special economic zone (MSEZ) in the country’s south-east, the factory will supply various components from polyurethane, rubber and rubber-metal to automotive manufacturers.

Currently, the Polish plant has a workforce of about 100, but the Japanese investor is planning to take on a further 100 workers, the MSEZ said in a statement. The new facility has a production space of some 5,000 square metres, and it will make anti-vibration and sound proofing components. The company’s clients include car manufacturers Toyota, Honda and Suzuki.

The investment in Zagórz is estimated to be worth about 36m zloty (€8.6m), according to figures released by the state-run Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ).

“The launch of the factory in Zagórz... is another step of the company’s expansion to the European market,” the agency said in a statement.

TRI’s Polish investment was carried out by local subsidiary TRI Polska. The Zagórz-based facility is the Japanese firm’s second plant in Poland. In 2000, TRI launched production in Wolbrom, in the country’s southern Malopolskie region, where the company is also producing various car parts.

Set up in 1929 and headquartered in Komaki, Japan, TRI operates facilities located in Japan, China, Thailand, South Korea, India, the US, Mexico and Poland. The plants have an aggregate workforce of over 10 000.