Official opening for Trelleborg’s US tyre plant

On 27 January, Trelleborg held a ceremony to inaugurate its first agricultural radial tyre factory in the USA. The official opening followed the start of production at the facility late last year. Production at the US$50 million, 430,000 square foot (40,000 square metre) factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina will be gradually ramped up, with all manufacturing equipment expected to be installed by 2018. Trelleborg anticipates that the project will have created around 150 jobs by this time.

“Today, we are honoured to be here cutting the ribbon to open our new tyre manufacturing facility in the US and to celebrate this special moment in the presence of our guests from all over the world, including representatives from leading tractors manufacturers, the Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, as well as Trelleborg top management,” stated Paolo Pompei, president of Agricultural & Forestry Tires at Trelleborg Wheel Systems.

“North America is the largest agricultural market in the world and it is highly attractive for us,” added Pompei. “Demand for extra-large agricultural tyres, where Trelleborg is a market leader, is growing in the region. Although we already sell our products in the US and Canada, local production offers considerably more favourable conditions, thus enhancing our competitiveness.”

Pompei refers to Spartanburg as a “prime location” and the plant as a facility containing “state-of-the-art equipment” that is “designed according to the latest Trelleborg technology standards.” The agri business president believes the addition of the Spartanburg factory to Trelleborg’s tyre manufacturing footprint will enable the company to capitalise on existing partnership agreements with major original equipment manufacturers and distributors, while facilitating the transfer of technology from one part of the world to another.

“The Spartanburg facility is one of the most automated manufacturing facilities in the agricultural industry. This enables us to guarantee the highest standard of production to customers across the North American market, which we are confident, will allow us to replicate the phenomenal ramp up of our Xingtai facility in China.”

The Xingtai, Hebei Province plant was inaugurated in June 2012 and produces both radial and cross-ply tyres for agricultural and industrial applications.