Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. (Akira Nobuki, president) announces that the company’s Open Country A/T II (“OPAT II”) SUV tyre produced by US subsidiary Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing, Inc. (“TNA”; Jim Hawk, president) has been adopted as an original equipment tyre for the Ford F-250 & F-350 pickup trucks. This is the first time a TNA-produced tyre has been adopted as OE by an American car maker.
US tyre sales subsidiary Toyo Tire USA. CORP. launched sale of the OPAT II as a replacement tyre in August 2012, and in less than one year the tyre became a hit product with sales in excess of one million units. Renowned for its significantly improved tread life and bold, aesthetically pleasing design, the OPAT II continues to enjoy enormous popularity in the replacement tyre market.
TNA, which manufactures the OPAT II, was established in 2005 as a tyre production base for the North American market and is currently undergoing its fourth production expansion.
TNA is a state-of-the-art plant that delivers high-quality, high-added-value products to the marketplace using Toyo’s highly automated and proprietary A.T.O.M. (Advanced Tire Operation Module) tyre production system designed for multi-product, small-lot production with reduced lead times.