The Sailun Group will establish the Sailun Tire Americas Technical Center (SATC) in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sailun Tire Americas (STA) says it recently secured a building that will employ tire development engineers, quality engineers, designers, research engineers and technicians. The move marks a significant step in the growth of R&D and the technical capabilities for the company in North America, STA says.
The center will be responsible for the design and development of both original equipment (OE) and replacement (RE) tires for the North American market across the entire portfolio of STA brands, which includes passenger car, EV, SUV/CUV, light truck and TBR, the company says.
Tire industry veteran Terry Edwards will serve as the chief technical officer of SATC leading all efforts in R&D and quality, the company says. Edwards brings over four decades of expertise in the areas of OE and replacement tire R&D, quality and manufacturing to his role with STA.
“The timing for our new technical center could not be better due to the transitioning market in North America. Both the existing market and the rapidly growing EV market are ideally matched for our EcoPoint3 compound technology. Together with our global R&D teams, we are confident that we will provide optimum performing products for the North American market,” says Edwards.
Ron Dolan, president of Sailun Tire Americas, continued: “We’re thrilled to formally announce the establishment of this R&D and quality center to further enhance our capabilities of supplying the North American market with affordable, quality tires. This new facility will help us achieve our long-term goals of being a leader in the value tier and fulfill the demand for STA products across the continent. We will continue to create great tires that meet the specific needs of our customers while still providing the value that our products and brands are known for.”
STA says it is currently in the process of hiring staff and securing equipment for the R&D center.
