Titan to consolidate all tire production in Des Moines

QUINCY, Ill. (July 28)—Tire and wheel maker Titan International Inc. will consolidate all its tire production into its flagship manufacturing facility in Des Moines, Iowa, the company said July 28. Titan's 1-million-sq.-ft. Brownsville, Texas, plant—idle since June—will operate as a distribution and warehouse center, but production won't begin again until demand requires additional capacity. Titan currently is maintaining adequate capacity in Des Moines to meet current and future demands without further capital expenditures, the Quincy-based company said. The North American large farm equipment sector—Titan's primary supply market—has been in a slump since 1998, and long labor strikes at plants in Des Moines and Natchez, Miss., damaged the firm's financial position, said Maurice Taylor Jr., Titan president and CEO. The Natchez tire factory has been mothballed since 2001. Titan expects improved equipment sales and new wheels and tires in development to give the company a sales boost in 2004.