Yokohama Tire's Hamaya gives 2013 review and 2014 outlook

摘要

Yokohama Tire (www.yokohamatire.com), Fullerton, CA, celebrated a landmark year in 2013 with the groundbreaking of its commercial plant in West Point, MS. In 2014, the company is set to have a record year with the number of product launches it has planned to satisfy customer demand. YTC's chief operating officer, Takayuki Hamaya, takes a look back at YTC's performance in 2013 and shares an outlook on what the company, and the tire industry in general, can expect in 2014: "2013 was an historical year for Yokohama. In April, we announced the building of a commercial tire plant in West Point, MS, and in September, we broke ground at the site. It's very significant because it's the first plant we're building in the U.S., and when it opens in October 2015, it will eventually produce one million tires annually. The decision to build in the U.S. was a long-time dream for Yokohama. Now there are many new possibilities and this is just the beginning. We have enough space at the plant to expand. This offers us new capabilities and strategies.