Dated: 27 November 2009

Yokohama Rubber Co. Opens its Tyre Testing Centre in Thailand

In a move to make Thailand the tyre research and development centre for the region, Yokohama Rubber Co. has opened its new 9 million pound Tyre test centre in Rayong. Joining Yokohamas other R&D centre in Japan the new centre will be used to test tyres for passenger cars, trucks and buses manufactured by factories of the Yokohama Group in Japan, Asia and the US

On is official opening on April 30th, Takashi Fukui, managing corporate officer  said "With its completion, the Tyre Test Centre of Asia has become the second comprehensive development base owned by Yokohama Rubber Group ? making it possible to drastically improve the group's tyre development capability in terms of both quantity and quality."

The centre includes a high-speed track with a road length of 4.1 km and a longest straight stretch of 1km, where a high-speed running test of over 200kph is possible as well as a multipurpose track and general road track and  covers a 1.69-million-square-metre site.

Mr Fukui stated that Yokohama ?are committed to upgrading brand value of Yokohama tyres around the world by utilising these two bases as the core.?