Yokohama Rubber has announced plans to build two new off-the-road tyre plants in India and Mexico, as it reshapes production following its acquisition of Goodyear’s OTR tyre business. The projects represent a combined planned investment of US$245 million and are designed to increase capacity for mining, construction and agricultural machinery tyres.
The new greenfield plant in India will be built in Gopalpur, Odisha. Yokohama Rubber said the site will cover around 460,000 square metres and have annual production capacity of 9,150 tonnes by rubber weight. Construction is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2026, with production planned for the third quarter of 2028.
In Mexico, Yokohama Rubber will add a new off-highway tyre plant at Saltillo, Coahuila, on the same site as its passenger car tyre plant now under construction. The company said the brownfield project forms part of a Phase 2 expansion and will add 10,650 tonnes of annual capacity by rubber weight. Production is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2028.
The Mexico plant will produce tyres for mining, construction and agricultural machinery. Yokohama Rubber said the capacity figure includes agricultural tyres previously produced at the Yokohama TWS Spartanburg plant until March 2025.
The investment follows Yokohama Rubber’s February 2025 acquisition of Goodyear’s off-the-road tyre business. Tyre News previously reported on Yokohama Rubber completing the Goodyear OTR acquisition, which gave the Japanese manufacturer a larger global position in industrial and off-highway tyres.
Yokohama Rubber said production acquired from Goodyear will be transferred to the two new plants. The company also plans to install new equipment to expand output of giant, ultra-large OTR tyres.
The company described the projects as part of its plan to maximise synergies from the Goodyear deal under Yokohama Transformation 2026. That medium-term plan includes strategic investments intended to support what Yokohama Rubber calls “Hockey Stick Growth”.
The two plants are not the only production changes linked to the acquisition. Yokohama Rubber is also transferring OTR tyre output from Goodyear plants to an OTR tyre plant in Romania, which it acquired in May 2025, and to existing production sites in Japan, the Czech Republic and India.
Tyre News has also reported on Yokohama Rubber’s Romanian OTR site acquisition, a US$35 million asset deal covering around 200,000 square metres. That purchase was positioned as another step in strengthening Yokohama’s off-highway tyre manufacturing base.
The latest investment signals a more integrated production strategy after the Goodyear transaction. For the tyre trade, the key point is capacity. Mining, construction and agricultural customers rely on stable OTR supply, long product lifecycles and regional availability. Moving more production into Yokohama-controlled sites may help the company improve supply planning and reduce reliance on outsourced arrangements.
The announcement also reflects continuing consolidation in specialist tyre manufacturing. OTR tyres require large capital investment, technical manufacturing expertise and close links with equipment operators. Capacity decisions in this segment can affect distributors, fleet operators, mining contractors and agricultural machinery users.
Yokohama Rubber has already reported stronger financial momentum since the acquisition period. Tyre News previously covered Yokohama Rubber’s record first-half 2025 results, when sales revenue rose 10.3% to ¥579.2 billion and business profit increased 13.8% to ¥62.1 billion.
The new plants therefore sit at the intersection of manufacturing strategy and market access. India gives Yokohama Rubber additional regional capacity in a large industrial market, while Mexico supports North American supply. Together, the investments indicate that the company sees off-highway tyres as a central growth area, rather than a bolt-on addition from the Goodyear transaction.
Tagged with: Yokohama Rubber, OTR tyres, off-highway tyres, mining tyres, construction tyres, agricultural tyres, Goodyear OTR, tyre manufacturing, India tyre plant, Mexico tyre plant, giant OTR tyres, tyre supply chain
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