Taiwan’s Hwa Fong Rubber completes purchase of ex-Sumitomo Rubber plant in US

Tonawanda, New York – Taiwan-based Hwa Fong Rubber has completed the purchase of former Sumitomo Rubber USA’s (SRUSA) manufacturing facility and related property located in Tonawanda, the group announced 1 April.

The site, now officially named HF Industrial Park, is set to host a “mix of local, national, and international company operations,” said Hwa Fong.

Prospective operators in the park will predominately include automotive-related manufacturers of rubber products, wheel parts, transmissions, chassis, and other components.

Hwa Fong said it expects the site to be transformed into a “future hub of manufacturing activity and innovation that will contribute to both the Western New York and New York State economies.”

Founded in 1945, Taiwan-based Hwa Fong Rubber produces a range of rubber products, including Duro-branded bicycle, industrial, agricultural, passenger car, speciality and truck tires.

It currently operates two manufacturing sites in Thailand and China and, according to its previous statements, has “experience with various former tire manufacturing facilities.”