Tire industry growing strong in South Carolina

South Carolina is the heart of U.S. tire manufacturing.

Has been for more than a decade.

With 12 tire plants, the state boasts more than any other and leads the nation in tire production with a daily capacity in excess of 144,000 units, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

For further perspective on just how prolific South Carolina's tire industry is, Tire Business estimates that Oklahoma and North Carolina round out the top three tire-producing states with capacities of about 88,000 and 72,300 units, respectively.

More significantly, though, South Carolina's tire industry has grown … or, rather, is growing.

When Rubber News explored the size of South Carolina's tire industry in 2015, the state had capacity for 88,000 tires per day.

Since then, Giti Tire Manufacturing (USA) Ltd. opened its first U.S. tire plant—a state-of-the-art, automation-driven facility in Richburg, bringing with it a yearly capacity of 5 million units, according to Rubber News data.

And in recent years, both Bridgestone and Michelin—the first tire maker to set down roots in the Palmetto State—have expanded capacity and/or upgraded their own facilities.

More poignantly, Bridgestone Americas Inc.'s employment levels underscore the tire industry's rapid growth. When the Japanese tire maker first established a South Carolinian presence in 1998, it had 300 people on the payroll. Today, it employs more than 2,200 across two sites in Aiken and Graniteville.

With almost identical employment figures, Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C mimics Bridgestone's growth, but in a shorter amount of time. It's gone from 300 employees in 2009 to more than 2,000 this year.

And this year certainly has been a significant one for Continental, which christened an expanded headquarters in South Carolina and opened a new retread development center in the state, signaling it doesn't plan to go anywhere any time soon.

Jochen Etzel, CEO of Continental Tire the Americas, said during the opening of the expanded headquarters that the support the company has received from state and local sources during its years in the state has led it to invest even more in South Carolina.

"With this new facility we continue to reinforce our focus and our commitment to South Carolina and to the U.S. market," Etzel said at the March opening.

Kelly Coakley isn't surprised by any of this.

As director of marketing and communications for the South Carolina Department of Commerce, she's quick to note that this is just what South Carolina does: It fosters business growth.

"Once a company becomes part of our state's business community, we nurture it, ensuring the support needed for success is readily available," Coakley said. "When we say South Carolina is with you from launch to legacy, it means the state is a trusted partner from the time a company establishes operations, through growth and development and into the legacy phase."

Michelin is well into establishing its own legacy, marking its fifth decade as a South Carolina resident.

The French tire maker was the first in the tire industry to set down roots in South Carolina, bringing its North American headquarters and a manufacturing facility to the southern state in 1974.

"Francois Michelin was looking for a location for North American manufacturing facilities and was attracted to South Carolina because of the people," Terry Redmile, Michelin's senior vice president of manufacturing for the Americas, told Rubber News. "Francois Michelin recognized the promise and opportunity in South Carolina, which was transitioning from the evolving textile industry to the automotive industry."

Like many cities across South Carolina when Michelin arrived, Greenville was in the midst of transition. Its textile industry was beginning to phase out, following a boom that lasted from around 1900-1960.

Greenville historian Don Koonce told C-SPAN in 2016 that by the 1930s, there were 18 textile mills operating within a three-mile radius of Greenville. And during World War II, he said, those mills accounted for 65 percent of the canvases and cloths needed for tents, Jeep tops and gun covers, along with a majority of the Army uniforms.

"This was the General Motors of the South, if you will, in textiles," Koonce said.

Today, it's the tire industry—and by extension the automotive industry, which has 33 OEM plants located in South Carolina and surrounding states, according to the Upstate SC Alliance—that has a significant presence in and around Greenville and the Palmetto State.

"South Carolina has established itself as an automotive powerhouse over the past several decades, and the tire industry plays a significant role," Coakley said. "… The tire industry provides incredible economic opportunities for the state's citizens and is a pivotal part of the overall automotive industry."

That growth is something Michelin has helped curate.

Michelin alone operates a majority of South Carolina's tire plants. It has seven manufacturing facilities in the state—more than any other tire maker.

Michelin's facilities in Greenville, Lexington, Spartanburg and Starr manufacture a combination of passenger, truck/bus and OTR tires, while facilities in Sandy Springs, Duncan and Fountain Inn focus on semifinished products, tread rubber/treading materials and retreading, respectively.

All of that, Michelin is quick to note, happens with more sustainable manufacturing. The tire maker is routinely investing in upgrades to facilities—more efficient lighting, repairs and upgrades to compressed air equipment and HVAC systems—while looking at the possibility of alternative fuel sources such as solar, wind and bio-mass.

"In manufacturing, Michelin has made significant strides to improve our carbon footprint in the last several years," Redmile said. "… Michelin's progress in North America and in South Carolina is contributing to achieving the group ambition of reducing CO2 emissions from our manufacturing processes by 50 percent in 2030 as compared to 2010."

South Carolina has been a home to Bridgestone for more than a quarter century. And according to the tire maker, there's a good reason for that.

"South Carolina has been an instrumental partner in our manufacturing success for nearly three decades," Bridgestone Americas said in a statement provided to Rubber News. "A positive business environment and unwavering community support have served as the foundation that has only strengthened our relationship over the years."

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations L.L.C.—a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corp.—has operated in Aiken County for 26 years and, today, employs more than 2,200.

The company's Graniteville plant, which manufactures light truck tires, marked its 25th anniversary last year, while the OTR tire plant in Trenton celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023.

And there is something to be said about that Trenton facility.

"This plant represents the largest initial investment Bridgestone made in the U.S.," Bridgestone Americas said, "and is the company's first giant off-road radial tire manufacturing plant in North America."

Continental moved to South Carolina in 2009, setting down its roots in Fort Mill. Since then, Continental's done nothing but grow.

"The state of South Carolina has provided unwavering support during those 15 years," said Mary Ann Kotlarich, Continental's head of brand communication and public relations for business area replacement in the Americas. "In fact, this consistent support for Continental is the reason why we have expanded our headquarters footprint in South Carolina just steps away from the first headquarters building."

Since arriving in the state in 2009, Continental has continually invested in its operations. The more than $800 million it's invested in that time includes:

• Breaking ground on its manufacturing facility in Sumter in 2012;
• Expanding its headquarters, adding an additional 16,000 square feet to accommodate a growing work force in 2014;
• Expanding the Sumter manufacturing facility in 2015;
• Investing in a new adjustment center in Rock Hill in 2017; and
• Christening its expanded headquarters campus in Fort Mill and Continental Retread Solutions Development Center in Rock Hill earlier this year.

"The Continental Retread Solutions Development Center, located in Rock Hill, S.C., was developed for our commercial tire business," Kotlarich said. "The center focuses on retread process improvements and technology development with the goal of bringing innovation and up-to-date retread processes to Continental's Retread Solutions partners and the fleets they serve.

"The manufacturing facility in Sumter, S.C., supplies passenger car and light truck tires to customers in the OE market and in the replacement market across the globe."