Yokohama to boost capacity at Philippines facility

TOKYO (April 25) — Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. will invest $16.7 million though year-end to expand capacity at its Pampanga, Philippines, plant by 25 percent and upgrade it to produce passenger tires in rim diameters of larger than 16 inches. The plant will step up production of 16-inch and larger performance tires for passenger cars and sport utility vehicles, demand for which is growing internationally, Yokohama said. By year-end, these larger sizes will account for about 30 percent of the plant's annual output of 2.5 million units. The expansion will entail the construction of unspecified new facilities on the company's 1.78 million square foot property at the former Clark Air Base. The company did not say what effect the expansion would have on employment, which stands at 560 currently. The plant, located in the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga, has been producing since January 1998. The facility, operating as Yokohama Tire Philippines Inc., exports about 90 percent of its output, principally to Europe, the Middle East and other Southeast Asian nations.