SINGAPORE-based Giti Tire will set up two new Technical Centres, one in North America, which will be based in Akron, Ohio; and one in Germany, Europe.
Thi development marks the company’s enhancemnet of ots research & development capabilities, with both sites working in collaboration with existing facilities in China, Indonesia and the UK, the latter of which is based at the renowned MIRA facility, says GITI, which currently employs over 600 R&D personnel.
The Akron site will employ tyre designers, engineers, compounders, and research personnel. This new team will design and develop tyres for the North American market across the entire portfolio of brands of the company, which encompass passenger car, performance, UHP, SUV/CUV, 4×4, light truck, heavy truck and bus tyres. The technical centre operation will be led by Hamid Aboutorabi, who holds a PhD in mechanical engineering and has worked for the tyre industry for 23 years now. He says, “North America represents huge and diverse tyre markets with evolving consumer expectations and regulations relating to tyre labelling and fuel economy. We will be working hand-in-hand with every Giti Tire R&D Centre and will use our collective knowledge and experiences to develop specific products that are best-in-class, utilizing cutting-edge materials and design technologies.” “
Julianto Djajadi, Executive Vice President, Business Operations for Giti Tire (USA), says, “The two sites mark a significant investment, but as we strive to position all our brands as best-in-class in their various market segments, it is essential we continue to drive for excellence and deliver the best value for our dealers and consumers.”
Meanwhile, Giti Tire’s new Hannover, Germany site will be under the leadership of R&D Director Stefan Fischer. Fischer has over 18 years of experience in the tyre industry working across different R&D projects including OE, passenger car and van tyres. He will sit both on the European and the Global R&D Leadership Teams.