Sumitomo Rubber North America (SRNA), a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, has promoted Tsuyoshi “TJ” Johnson to director of product planning for Falken passenger car and light truck tires.

Johnson graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and began his career in outdoor tire testing, before spending several years in the original equipment business in both technical and account management roles. With more than two decades of experience in the tire industry, Johnson is now coming up on eight years with SRNA.

“I’ve had a lot of exposure to technical aspects of tires in design, testing, and production process,” Johnson said. “Those past experiences have been invaluable in helping me create new products with our global R&D groups.”

“TJ has proven himself as a strong leader in our organization,” Darren Thomas, SRNA’s chief executive officer and president said. “We trust him to build and lead an excellent product development team, and to ensure Falken continues to deliver exceptional products to the marketplace for years to come.”