Yokohama Tires Philippines Inc. (YTPI) has pledged to donate tires to emergency service vehicles owned by host communities in support of the fight against Covid-19. In addition, the company will donate printing materials to nearby schools under the modular learning system as a result of the pandemic. This will be done as part of the celebrations for its 25th anniversary.
“YTPI has come so far in the past 25 years. I am humbled and grateful for the support the company and our team have received over the years. Despite the global pandemic, I feel blessed that we have grown YTPI into a business that can give back,” said YTPI President and CEO Tetsuya Nagao in a statement.
Nagao, Kazutoshi Morimoto (YTPI Executive Vice President for Administration Division), and Angelina Casasola (Vice President for Administration Division) made a call to Mayor Crisostomo Garbo to express their support for the city’s fight and management against Covid.
Mabalacat, being the host city, provides majority of the 3,000 YTPI workers. Yokohama has also carried out several Corporate Social Responsibility programs for the city and neighbouring Angeles city.
“We are thankful to Clark locators like Yokohama as they not only provide jobs to local communities but they also join hands with us in this fight against the pandemic,” Garbo said.
When YTPI first started, it produced 5,000 Yokohama tires per day. Today, this number has risen to 27,00 tires. The manufacturer is considered the largest tire producer in the Asia-Pacific region. It is a vital and strategic subsidiary of Yokohama Rubber Corporation of Japan. It is also crucial to the distribution of high-performance passenger car radial and recreational vehicle tires locally, in Europe, North America, and other parts of Asia.
The industry growth and tire demand that has taken place over the years has pushed YTPI’s growth. This has occured in several phases. Phase II expanson began on June 9, 2003 where the company increased production to 10,000 tires every day. Phase III began two years later where production increased by 70 percent. In 2008, YTPI set a record by producing 22,000 tires a day.
2011 saw the beginning of the construction of the West Plant. This expansion increased the company’s land area to 44.7 hectares from 16.5 hectares. Production was also increased, resulting in a huge ramp up in the company’s manpower. The last phase of the West Plant Expansion was completed in 2014.
YTPI has remained resilient throughout even after a fire tore down the East Plant on May 14, 2017. In fact, it has since rebuilt and boosted production. Just a year after the event, the company produced its 100,000,000th tire.
“Credit goes to every diligent employee who gave their all day in and day out. Their commitment and dedication to build quality tires that people can trust can only be matched with an unquenchable thirst for success,” said Nagao.