Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI) opened its first tyre factory in the Republic of Turkey last October 14 on the new factory’s grounds located in Cankiri Province. The company is incorporated as Sumitomo Rubber AKO Lastik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (SAT)
SRI’s President Ikeda and SAT’s President Fujimoto were joined at the opening ceremony by an audience of around 1,200 local guests, including President Erdogan and other representatives of the national government, Ambassador Yutaka Yokoi of the Japanese Embassy to Turkey, Director-General Arda Ermut of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey, Governor Vahdettin Ozcan of Cankiri Province, Chairman Mustafa Ozcan of SRI’s joint-venture partner in Turkey, Abdulkadir Ozcan Lastik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., and many others.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, President Erdogan pledged that Turkey would “spare no effort in supporting our Japanese friends” and expressed his hope that the two countries “would grow and develop side by side.”
Meanwhile, SRI’s President Ikeda spoke of his desire to “contribute to the economic development of the nation of Turkey while preserving and cultivating the shared historical bonds that tie Turkey and Japan together.”
Director-General Arda Ermut of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey, an important figure who had played a vital role in launching and coordinating this project, said, “This project is a great source of pride to us and to all of Turkey.”