American Sumitomo plant to switch to Falken truck tires

Sumitomo Rubber North America (SRNA) will devote a significant portion of its US plant in Tonawanda, New York, to the production of Falken brand truck tires.

Sumitomo Rubber Industries acquired the plant from Goodyear in 2015 and initially used its facilities to manufacture Sumitomo and Falken brand tires.

Bob Klimm, SRNA's sales director, said the plans to increase sales of Falken brand tires in Tonawanda are based on the plant's capacity and further expansion. Today, 80-85% of the Falken brand truck and bus tires on the North American market are manufactured in a facility in New York State.

In addition, the company expects the Falken brand to replace Ohtsu as SRNA's primary brand for commercial tires. The Ohtsu brand will continue to feature passenger and light truck tires.

According to Rick Brennan, SRNA's Vincent President of Strategic Planning, the company is currently working on a new all-weather passenger tire, the first in a new segment of all-season tires with improved winter road performance and durability. SRNA also plans to introduce a new all-terrain R/T tire.