Yokohama may launch a plant in Romania

Yokohama is considering the acquisition of assets from the bankrupt specialty tire manufacturer Euro Tire in Romania, reports ERJ.

In a statement, the Japanese manufacturer stated that the company "has won the bid to purchase movable and immovable assets as part of the bankruptcy procedure in accordance with the established rules and regulations". The goal of the asset acquisition is to increase the production of off-the-road tires in Europe, added Yokohama.

Based in Bucharest, Euro Tire Manufacturing SRL filed for bankruptcy in May 2018, and at that time, there were hopes that production would be saved, including through mergers and acquisitions. The company produced radial OTR tires at a plant in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania, and diagonal tires in Ukraine, with one of the contract customers being Continental. The media reports that the bankruptcy procedure was completed in January 2025.

Over the past couple of years, Yokohama has been actively developing its business in the off-the-road tire segment, acquiring Trelleborg Wheels Systems (TWS) for 2.1 billion euros, as well as the OTR business of Goodyear for 905 million dollars. At the same time, the company recently announced the closure of two specialty tire plants: in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA, and Prague, Czech Republic, where 90 and 270 employees were employed, respectively.