Toyo breaks ground on 4th expansion to Georgia plant

WHITE, Ga.—Toyo Tire North American Manufacturing, Inc. broke ground on a 1 million sq.-ft.-addition to its White plant on Dec. 6.

The manufacturing facility will be expanded by 700,000 square feet, and the warehouse facility will be expanded by 323,000 square feet. The company said the expansion is a result of increasing demand for Toyo and Nitto brand light truck and passenger car tires.

The firm's parent company, Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. of Osaka, Japan, is investing $371 million over the next four years. It will create 650 new jobs.

It's the fourth expansion to the 2 million square foot plant, which features Toyo's proprietary A.T.O.M. (Advanced Tire Operation Module) manufacturing technology, since it first broke ground in 2004. It currently employs 1,000.

Toyo is committed to investing $275 million and creating 450 jobs by mid-2016. The firm's mid-term plan is to invest an additional $100 million and add 200 more jobs from 2016 through 2018, according to Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing President Jim Hawk—who is also chairman of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc., Toyo's North America business unit, and a senior corporate officer of Toyo Tire & Rubber Co.

Hawk said the company is proud to manufacture tires for North America on North American soil.

“This plant, and the people who work in it, play an important role in supporting consumers and our dealers as demand for our products continues to grow,” Hawk said in a news release.

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal joined Hawk for the ground breaking ceremony. The Bartow-Cartersville Joint Development Authority helped with Toyo's expansion, along with the Georgia Department of Economic Development's director of international projects Scott McMurray and the GDEcD's project manager of existing industry and regional recruitment Carl Campbell. Both led the state's project team.

The White facility produces a variety of both Toyo and Nitto tire brands for high performance passenger cars, SUVs and light trucks. The plant produced its 20 millionth tire on Nov. 17, 2013.