Toyo Tire announces third expansion in Bartow County

ATLANTA—Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing, Inc. will create an estimated 400 new jobs and invest $270 million as part of its third expansion since 2004.

“Toyo Tire is an outstanding example of an international manufacturer that has found rapid success in Georgia,” said Governor Perdue. “Our world-class training program, Quick Start, is an invaluable part of the equation in helping Toyo Tire ramp up for its latest expansion.”

Toyo is investing $270 million to more than double the output of the two-year-old plant, increasing total volume to 5.2 million units per year by 2011. Once complete, the expanded facility is expected to house an estimated 850 employees.

The state-of-the-art facility was built to enhance distribution and inventory availability for Toyo’s expanding network of independent dealers currently facing an increased demand for high performance tires. The Bartow County location offers Toyo strategic proximity to rail, air and interstate highway transportation, which will streamline distribution to its dealers by expediting shipments and reducing supply chain costs.

“Toyo has built the most technologically advanced manufacturing facility in its 63-year history in order to provide the highest quality tires for our loyal North American consumers and our valued network of independent tire dealers,” said Mr. Shozo (Carlos) Kibata, senior managing executive officer and president of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas, Inc. “In an effort to leverage our achievements and create additional opportunities for growth, we are embarking on a strategy to increase plant operations starting with the addition of more than 820,000 square feet to our current facility.”

“Once again Toyo Tire and Bartow County have proven to be a winning team, but the real winners today are the people that will be employed by this expansion,” said Bartow County Sole Commissioner Clarence Brown. “The community has worked hard to facilitate Toyo’s growth at each stage of their expansion. We’re pleased that growth has come so smoothly for them and that they have exceeded their expectations.”

“In its third expansion in four years, Toyo Tire is capitalizing on the outstanding location, strong workforce and business-friendly environment that Georgia offers,” said Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). “Strong public-private partnerships throughout the expansion process contributed to their success in our state.”

Brooks Mathis, project manager for GDEcD, assisted the company in its expansion.

Tires will be manufactured using Toyo’s highly-automated and proprietary tire production system, Advanced Tire Operation Module (A.T.O.M.). The A.T.O.M. system is designed for multi-product, small-lot production, and enables Toyo to reduce its overall space needs and production lead times.

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