Yokohama Opening New DC in Ohio
Yokohama Tire Corp. will dedicate its new 651,000-square-foot distribution center near Columbus, OH, this week. On hand for the dedication ceremonies will be Norio Karashima, Yokohama’s president and CEO; Shinichi Suzuki, executive vice president of manufacturing and technology; and Jim McMaster, executive vice president of Yokohama’s business division.
Yokohama Launches Grand Design 100 Plan
Yokohama Rubber Co. has launched a “grand plan” for the next dozen years leading up to its 100th anniversary, a three-phase management scheme that calls for 10 percent in operating profits by 2018. Called “Grand Design 100,” the new management dictate calls for achieving net sales of 1 trillion yen (approximately $9 billion USD), operating income of 100 billion yen and operating return on sales of 10 percent by the year to March 2018. The first-phase goal is to boost net sales by 24 percent and increase operating income by 60 percent by 2009. That means Yokohama plans to sell some 56.6 million tires per year worldwide by 2009.
One in Five Drivers Do Not Properly Check Tire Pressure, Says RMA
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics show that about one in every three cars has a significantly under inflated tire and that 660 fatalities and 33,000 injuries occur every year as a result of low tire pressure-related crashes. AAA reports that each year they receive about 4 million roadside assistance calls due to tire-related incidents. Not surprisingly, a 2006 Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) survey found that more than 80 percent of drivers do not know how to properly check their tire pressure.
Yokohama Announces Price Increases
Effective June 1, Yokohama Tire Corp. will increase prices for its passenger, light truck, medium truck radial and “some” OTR tires by up to 7 percent. A 5-7 percent increase will go into effect for medium truck radial tires, light truck commercial tires, earthmover and mining tires, as well as Mohawk and private brands, according to Yokohama. There will also be in-line adjustments on select sizes and treads, the tiremaker added.
Yokohama Promotes, Assigns Officers to New Posts
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd., parent of Yokohama Tire Corp., has made new assignments for directors and corporate officers, all effective April 1. Director and Senior Managing Corporate Officer Keigo Ueda has been named to the additional posts of general manager of Yokohama’s hoses and coupling division and chairman of YH America Inc. He was also named chairman of SAS Rubber Co. and will continue as president of the company’s sports group and general manager of the Hiratsuka factory.
James Mayfield Joins Yokohama as Director of Advan Products
Yokohama Tire Corp. has appointed James Mayfield to the newly created position of director of ADVAN Products. ADVAN is Yokohama’s ultra-high-performance tire line and is the company’s flagship product.
Yokohama Appoints New Marketing Executives
Yokohama Tire Corp. has named Fred Koplin as its director of marketing and Theresa Palang to the post of manager of advertising and public relations. Koplin will report to Jim MacMaster, Yokohama’s executive vice president of the business division, and Palang will report to Koplin.
Yokohama Picks PCGCampbell to Handle Public Relations
Yokohama Tire Co. (YTC) has hired PCGCampbell, an integrated marketing firm with clients throughout the automotive industry, as its public relations agency. PCGCampbell will be responsible for developing and implementing a strategic corporate communications campaign, including media relations, product launches and support and relationship marketing.
RMA to Promote Fifth Annual National Tire Safety Week
The fifth annual National Tire Safety Week will be held April 23 – 29, 2006, according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA). The annual event is an initiative of RMA’s “Be Tire Smart – Play Your PART” program, which is designed to help drivers learn the simple steps they can take to ensure that their tires are in good working condition.
Yokohama Rubber Establishes Yokohama Design Center
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. recently established the Yokohama Design Center (YDC) in Tokyo, Japan. Equipped with advanced information technologies, workshop functions and audiovisual equipment, the YDC will be used to focus on the improvement of passenger-tire appearance and the reduction of product development lead-time at the company.