Bekaert has officially reopened its bead wire production plant in Rome, Georgia.

The plant was temporarily shut down after a fire in November 2014 caused structural damage. Reconstruction was finalized June 2015 and the plant is now equipped with state-of-the-art, high-performance bead wire production lines, the company said.

Over the past months, Bekaert has done extensive test runs and approval procedures as well as worked with customers to meet supply needs.

“Bekaert Rome is poised to return as the preferred bead wire supplier to U.S. tire makers,” said Matthew Taylor, CEO of Bekaert. “The team clearly shows their commitment and determination in proving their capability and ambitions to serve U.S.-based tire makers with optimal quality and service. Their ‘can-do attitude’ has been present in all phases of the reconstruction: from cleanup to repair and rebuilding, to the installation of the brand new equipment and the approval procedures during test runs.”