Yokohama recently marked the start of the construction of a new tire plant in Mexico. The plant will produce new passenger car tires with a capacity of up to 5 million units per year.
At the ceremony, several community representatives and local government officials were present, including the Governor of Coahuila and the Mayor of Saltillo. Yokohama’s Chairman and CEO Masataka Yamaishi was also present alongside Co-COO Nitin Mantri who is also a Board Member and the Senior Managing Officer. Other senior company representatives were also present.
The plant will help centralize operations in the North American market. It will help increase capacity in the region and allow Yokohama to meet the surging demand for tires. Construction is scheduled to start in the second quarter of this year while production is slated to begin in 2027. There are plans to ramp up capacity in the future.
Yokohama has also set goals to optimize its sales composition between 2024 and 2026. This is by increasing the market share for high-value-added tires. Some of the brands that it will focus on include ADVAN, GEOLANDAR, winter options, and Yokohama tires 18 inches in size and bigger.
There are also plans to enhance tire development, supply, and sales with a focus on specific market trends in each geographical region.