Sumitomo Rubber to open US technical centre

Amherst, New York – Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) has announced plans to open a new technical centre in the US to support its design and product testing activities in the North and South American tire markets.

The centre, to be located in Getzville, New York, will employ 40 engineers and other professionals as SRI America, Inc. (SRIA), a subsidiary of SRI.

A further 10 employees will be based at SRIA’s test track in Huntsville, Alabama, according to a 23 Sept announcement by the Japanese group.

The SRIA technical centre will support R&D activities for passenger, motorcycle, and light truck tires – both for OEMs and replacement market customers.

Planned operations include technical benchmarking, product design, simulation and analysis, materials development and on-vehicle testing.

“We are pleased that SRIA has chosen to retain R&D efforts in the western New York region through the creation of a standalone technical centre,” said Wataru Isaka, SVP of SRIA.

According to Isaka, the facility will position SRIA “to positively impact wider company efforts in the Americas.”

It will also provide employment opportunities for existing staff and for future professionals from partner educational institutions.

The decision follows the closure earlier this year of SRI’s car tire factory in Tonawanda, New York, operated by Sumitomo Rubber USA (SRUSA). The closure affected nearly 1,400 jobs.

SRI had announced the closure in late 2024, citing profitability issues, but reiterated its intention to build a new manufacturing unit “in the vicinity of North America” in the future. (ERJ report)