Yokohama Tire Corp. Opens R&D Center in Cornelius
Yokohama Tire Corp. has opened its first North American research and development center on Bailey Rd in Cornelius N.C. Cornelius was chosen as the ideal location due to its skilled workforce and the short distance from the airport. County Commissioner Pat Cotham said that the development of the $5.85 million center by an international company was an “outstanding economic development achievement.”
The 25,000 sq. ft. facility intends to consolidate its activities from California, Michigan, Mississippi and Virginia into one place. The center includes state-of-the-art tire characteristic machines for testing purposes as well as tire labs, a garage and offices.
While the hub will initially employ 25 staff, this number is set to more than double. Jobs will include advanced technical and engineering positions. Yokohama has been running in the US since 1969 and want to expand into new markets including original equipment fitments. Other focus areas include designing tires for passenger cars, other consumer markets and industrial and construction machinery.
Thomas Kenny, Director of Consumer Tire Development, says that combining their R&D activities into one location will strengthen the company’s R&D structure and accelerate the development of new products.
