OSAKA, Japan—Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. plans to move its headquarters to a site in Itami, Japan, adjacent to its Tire Technical Center and near the research and development center being built in Kawanishi.
The move, expected to be completed by mid-2015, will coincide with the company's 70th anniversary that year, said Akira Nobuki, Toyo president and CEO.
The tire maker didn't disclose the cost of building the new headquarters, a six-story, 86,000-sq.-ft. structure. The move will affect about 350 staff.
Toyo said the decision to relocate the headquarters reflects its goal of centralizing management functions to promote closer coordination and create more agile management through speedier decision-making.
The company started this process a year ago when it integrated Tokyo head office functions into the Osaka headquarters.
Toyo said it has a historical connection to Itami and Hyogo Prefecture, where it operated a tire factory from 1953 to 1998.
The new R&D center in Kawanishi will consolidate existing tech centers in Ibaraki City and Itami City, Japan, Toyo said last August.