Japan’s Sumitomo Rubber Industries plans to open a technical centre in Western New York to help support its design and product testing within the North and South American automotive tyre market.
Located in Getzville, the technical centre will employ around 40 engineers, with ten other employees also based at Sumitomo’s test track in Huntsville, Alabama.
“We are pleased that SRIA has chosen to retain research and development efforts in the Western New York region through the creation of a standalone technical centre” said Wataru Isaka, Senior Vice President of Sumitomo Rubber Industries America. He elaborated, “This facility will position our team to positively impact wider company efforts in the Americas, while at the same time offering dynamic employment opportunities for existing talent and future professionals.”
Sumitomo says the technical centre will support R&D activities for passenger, motorcycle, and light truck tyres. The centre will focus on technical benchmarking, design, simulation and analysis, material development, and on-vehicle testing.
In November 2024, Sumitomo Rubber USA shut down its Tonawanda production facility, citing rising costs, aging infrastructure, and changing market conditions. The closure affected more than 1,500 employees.