Kenda opened the KATC in 2015 with the help of a JobsOhio grant, Yang said.
"That investment has turned out to be a very good investment, because in return, we've put out more than 20 times what we got from JobsOhio," he said, adding that this investment will "continue on."
Tom Williams, vice president of engineering at Kenda Tires, said Kenda so far has invested more than $20 million in Ohio since the opening of the technology center.
Over the last seven years, he said, Kenda has been "designing, revamping, setting up, getting equipment, hiring people, all that stuff," to make the 1978 building what it is today.
On top of building out what he described as a "shell" of a building when Kenda first acquired it in 2014, the company has been revamping its automotive, light truck, bicycle, UTV, ATV and motorcycle markets in North America.
"At the same time, we're designing tires and we're designing tools to help us design tires," Williams said.
Now it's time to "take a breath, settle down and start doing research," he continued. Now it's time to "stop focusing on new equipment and start focusing on long-term growth and how we deal with our marketplace."
The KATC employs nearly 50 engineers and technicians—with room for up to about 80—to ensure Kenda delivers a premium product.
But what goes into developing such a premium product exactly?
The short answer: a lot.