Chinese rubber track manufacturer to build first plant in the US

Global Track Manufacturing (Global Track) will invest at least US$2.5 million in a production plant in Milan, Tennessee, touted to bring at least 250 jobs to the area by 2021, according to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD). Installation of the first Global Track manufacturing facility in the US is currently underway and initial production is expected to start in the summer of 2020. The new plant will be located on the 530,000-sq.-ft. site of the former Tower Automotive facility, which the Chinese manufacturer purchased in 2017, and is to produce rubber tracks for large OEMs such as Case and John Deere upon completion.

“We hope to begin testing the equipment and production process in the first quarter of 2020 and begin shipping rubber tracks in July/August timeframe,” said Global Track Owner Barry Min.

China-based Global Track produces rubber tracks and rubber pads for original equipment companies including those in the automotive, agricultural and industrial equipment industries. The company’s manufacturing process is claimed to enable achieving the correct hardness and quality of the final products primarily by blending a rubber formula, inserting iron teeth and steel cable winding and vulcanisation.