In order to strengthen its Japanese-market retreading activities and meet an anticipated increase in demand for retreaded tires, on Jan. 1 2014 Yokohama Rubber integrated its two domestic retreading businesses into a single entity. The new Japanese retreading company is called Yokohama Tire Retread Co., Ltd. and sees Sanyo Retread Co., Ltd. merged into the larger Yokohama Tire East Japan Retread Co., Ltd. operation.
Atao Kishi, former head of Yokohama Rubber’s commercial tire development division, has been named the new operation’s president.
According to the statistics from Japan’s National Retread Tire Council, shipments of retreaded tires in Japan rose 103% year-on-year in 2012, and Yokohama Rubber anticipates that demand for retreads will continue to increase. The tiremaker states that it recognizes the distribution of retreaded tires as one of the hallmarks of “a company having world-class strengths in technologies for protecting the environment,” and says retreading is in line with its environmental policy.
Yokohama Tire Retread Co., Ltd. is headquartered at the former Sanyo Retread head office in Onomichi City, Hiroshima, and the company operates plants in Hiroshima, Nagoya, Satama and Hokkaido. Both companies integrated into the new business were established in the early 1970s and specialize in truck and bus tire retreading. The four retreading plants have been ISO 14001 certified since April 2006, and the company says it will continue to make further efforts towards achieving zero waste emissions. (Tyres & Accessories)
