Goodyear is to expand its tire manufacturing facility in Slovenia to meet the growing demand for its products in the EMEA region.
“The demand for premium, larger-rim-diameter consumer tires is growing across EMEA. To ensure the sustainable growth of our business, Goodyear plans to invest €94m (US$108m) in its plant in Kranj, Slovenia, to increase its capacity in this profitable segment,” said Henry Dumortier, Goodyear’s VP of the consumer business in Europe.
The investment will add 5,400m² (17,700ft²) to accommodate advanced tire building machines, increasing the plant’s overall capacity by approximately 25%. This will enable production of an additional 1.8 million premium, A-segment consumer tires annually. The facility will produce mainly 17-19in replacement tires.
The company expects to create about 160 new positions in Sava, mainly in production. The first phase of construction will begin in January 2019, with additional phases planned for 2020 and 2021 to reach full capacity.
“We are extremely proud that Goodyear decided to make this important investment here in Kranj. The decision reflects the company’s trust and confidence in our local team’s high-quality production and is a great recognition of our performance over the past 20 years,” commented Matej Zavrl, MD of Goodyear’s Slovenian entity.
