Conti sells Ohio rubber-track plant to defense supplier

PLYMOUTH, Mich.—Continental A.G. has sold its rubber-track plant in St. Marys, Ohio, to Loc Performance Products Inc., a Plymouth-based supplier of military and industrial components.

The transaction, for which no financial details were disclosed, closed Dec. 1, according to Loc Performance.

The St. Marys facility—opened in 1940 by Goodyear—manufactures rubber track products under the Trackman brand for agricultural, construction and defense applications. Goodyear established the business in 1992 at the molded rubber goods plant.

Continental has owned and operated the plant since 2014, through its purchase of Veyance Technologies Inc., the former Goodyear Engineered Products business.

Continental has pitched the Trackman product range as part of its OTR and farm tire portfolio since reintroducing those products to the North America market in 2016.

The plant spans over 800,000 square feet and employs 450 people, Loc Performance added.

"This acquisition fits like a glove with Loc, bringing more of the military track manufacturing capacity under U.S. ownership," Loc Performance CEO Lou Burr said.

In addition to increasing Loc's military capabilities, the acquisition also expands the company's commercial portfolio to include the Trackman brand.

Loc Performance provides track systems, mechanical products, fabricated structures, and assemblies for both military and industrial applications. The company has been providing track systems to military customers to support the U.S. Army's portfolio of ground combat vehicle systems since 2014.

With the acquisition, Loc said it could now offer its military customers "continuous and band track solutions."

The purchase also expands Loc's manufacturing capabilities by bringing rubber application processes in-house and offering "vertically integrated track production capabilities" to customers.