News from Notch Consulting, Inc.

January 31, 2013

Mitas ramping up ag tire plant in Iowa more quickly than expected

Filed under: Tires — Notch @ 2:37 pm

Rubber News reports that Mitas Tires North America continues to expand its new agricultural tire plant in Charles City, Iowa.

New curing presses and tire building equipment have been installed at the plant in the last several months. The company also is adding six curing presses, four tire building machines and other machinery, a process that will continue throughout 2013, according to Pavel Charvat, president of Mitas Tires North America and the Charles City plant director.

The 245,500-sq.-ft. facility, which features production space of about 205,500 square feet, began producing radial farm tires last April. It’s considering a physical expansion to increase its tire storage capacity at the site, he said.

Mitas Tires North America is a subsidiary of Prague, Czech Republic-based Mitas A.S., which has invested about $52 million in the factory. Since its startup in April 2012, the plant has produced about 1,700 metric tons of tires, mainly for customers in the North American market. The plant is expected to reach full production capacity three years earlier than originally planned, according to the company. By year end, the Charles City plant is expected to have production capacity of about 13,500 metric tons of tires a year.

January 28, 2013

Michelin expanding South Carolina compounding plant

Filed under: General, Tires — Notch @ 6:00 am

Rubber and Plastics News reports that Michelin North America Inc. will spend $200 million through 2014 to increase rubber compounding capacity at its Starr plant in Anderson County, Starr, South Carolina. The new capacity will support tire manufacturing capacity expansions under way at other Michelin factories in South Carolina. The expansion project will create 100 jobs at the 12-year-old facility, though further details on capacity levels were not provided. Michelin operates two semi-finished rubber production plants in Anderson County: Starr and Sandy Springs. The Sandy Springs plant is Michelin’s largest rubber compounding plant worldwide.

Michelin, including the Starr expansions, has committed $1.15 billion in investment to operations in South Carolina in the past 21 months and will result in at least 870 new manufacturing jobs in the state.

Construction has begun on the Starr plant expansion on land adjacent to the current facility. The expansion is nearby to the new earthmover plant Michelin announced last year. That plant is scheduled to begin producing tires later this year.

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