News

Reproducing Japanese Technology Locally to Supply High-added-value Tires Globally

Osaka, Japan - 8 May, 2013 - Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. (Akira Nobuki, president) announces the completion today (Wednesday, May 8) of the company's new tire plant in Malaysia, Toyo Tyre Malaysia Sdn Bhd (TTM) which had been under construction. A local ceremony celebrating the opening was held to commemorate the occasion.

The festive ceremony was attended by around 350 people. Invited guests included Ambassador Shigeru Nakamura of the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, YBHG Datuk Dr. Rebecca Fatimasta Maria, Secretary General of Ministry of International Trade & Industry as representatives from Malaysia's National Government and the state of Perak, the locality of Taiping, and parties involved in the plant's construction.

In his welcoming address, Toyo Tires chairman and representative director, Kenji Nakakura remarked, "At TTM, we have implemented our proprietary A.T.O.M. tire production system elemental technology. We will take full advantage of Japanese technology in order to achieve Japanese quality here in Malaysia and supply world-class, high-performance, fuel-efficient tires from this plant. I want us to deliver fantastic tires made in Malaysia to our customers here and abroad and achieve the sentiment that the decision to choose TOYO TIRES was the right one.

Toyo Tires is making progress toward building a three-region global supply system as outlined in the company's Mid Term Business Plan '1, comprised of North America, Japan and Asia. Among these regions, Asia is in a process of expanded motorisation where further growth of demand is expected, and is positioned as a vital strategic market that will provide a boost to Toyo's business foundation.

TTM will have a tire supply system in place capable of producing 2.5 million tires annually by the end of this year, and by 2015, the plant will aim to boost its annual supply capacity to 5 million tires. While TTM will become a supply base for the Southeast Asian market, in the future it will also be a hub that functions as an important export channel for the company's global tire business. There is enough room on the site of the plant to double the output of the existing plant (for total annual production of 1 million tires), and the company has plans to further expand in the future.

Toyo Tyre Malaysia Sdn Bhd (TTM) is a manufacturing and sales company that produces and sells tires in Malaysia.

Company Overview Company name: Toyo Tyre Malaysia Sdn Bhd

Representative: Plant manager: Address:

Kanji Kasai Mike Toh PT 23101, Jalan Tembaga Kuning, Kawasan Perindustrian Kamunting Raya, P.O Box 1, 34600 Kamunting, Taiping, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia.

Date Established: April 2011 Type of business: Manufacturing and sales of radial tires for passenger vehicles and light trucks Equity stake: 100% owned by Toyo Tires Planned production capacity: 5 million tires annually (by FY2015)

Plant Concept

The plant concept consists of the following four items;"energy efficient", "high quality", "high productivity" and "non-skill dependent."

(1) Energy efficient The plant achieves energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. In addition to implementing state-of-the-art tire production technology to reduce the amount of energy used in the manufacturing process, the plant has also adopted ecologically friendly measures including use of solar power and LED lighting in the administrative offices.

(2) High quality The plant achieves manufacturing of high-performance tires. Implementing equipment and systems already currently operating at other Toyo Tires plants in Japan and overseas minimizes variation not only in the finished goods, but in the parts prior to tire molding to achieve production of high-quality tires.

(3) High productivity The plant achieves high efficiency and high productivity. Using A.T.O.M., Toyo Tire's proprietary tire production system that has been adopted at plants in Japan, the U.S., and China, the system enables precisely controlled manufacturing of high-quality tires while reducing lead time in the production process as well as the overall number of processes.

(4) Non-skill dependent The plant aspires to be operator-friendly and not dependent upon specialized skill. Through the establishment of operation processes and environments and adoption of automation and IT technology for the production process, the plant functions without requiring specialized skills.