Trade.Information

Company Name: The Yokohama Rubber Company, Limited

Company Type: Manufacturer

Company Profile

 1910

'17 : October Established in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture with a joint investment from Yokohama Cable Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (current Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.) and BF Goodrich, of the United States
'19 : Hiranuma Plant built in Hiranumu, Yokohama

1920

'29 : Yokohama Plant built in Tsurumi ward, Yokohama

1930

'37 : Renamed tire and industrial products trademark to "Yokohama"

1940

'44 : Mie Plant built

1950

'50 : Mishima Plant acquired from Meiji Rubber Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
'51 : Hiratsuka Plant completed
'55 : Granted patent rights to and entered sales contract with u.s.-based Aeroquip Corporation

1960

'61 : New Yokohama headquarters building completed
'63 : Hama Chemical Co., Ltd. established
Corporate name changed to The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
'69 : Research Center completed
Yokohama Tire Corporation established in the United States

1970

'74 : Onomichi Plant began trial operations
First phase of Ibaraki Plant completed and operations began
'76 : Yokohama Tyre Australia Pty Ltd established

1980

'83 : Sports Complex Co., Ltd. established
'84 : Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc. established
'86 : D-PARC (Daigo Proving-Ground and Research Center) comprehensive tire testing facility completed
'88 : Yokohama Reifen GmbH established
Tokyo Hamatite Co., Ltd. established
GTY Tire Co., Ltd. established
'89 : T*MARY (Takasu Motoring and Researching Yard) specialized winter test course established
The Mohawk Rubber Company of the United States acquired

1990

'91 : R&D Center RADIC Completed at the Hiratsuka Plant
'92 : SAS Rubber Company established
'93 : Specific action standards for environment protection clarified and Environmental Action Plan formulated
Based on the theme “Yokohama Advanced Vehicle System,” safe tire system and environment-friendly tires displayed at 30th Tokyo Motor Show
'94 : PRGR Co. Ltd. established
'96 : Yokohama Aeroquip becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Yokohama
Arise Co., Ltd., a sales company for recreational vehicle (RV) tires and accessories, established
Yokohama Aeroquip corporate name changed to Yokohama Hydex Company
Yokohama Rubber (Thailand) Co., Ltd., a company for producing windshield sealants and assembling hydraulic hoses, established in Thailand
Hiratsuka Tire Plant obtains ISO 9001 certification
'97 : New plant for windshield sealants in the U.S. state of Kentucky built
New plant for sealing materials at Ibaraki Plant completed
Tire production and sales companies established in Vietnam
'98 : Mishima Plant obtained ISO 14001 certification, and efforts are undertaken to obtain certification at all plants by the end of 1999
Shinshiro Plant and Hiratsuka Tire Plant received TPM Excellence Award
'99 : Mie Plant obtained ISO 14001 certification, and efforts undertaken to obtain certification at all plants by July of the same year
Yokohama Tire Philippines, Inc. obtained ISO 9002 one year after the start of operations
Yokohama Hydex Company obtained QS 9000, the quality specification for the U.S. Big Three auto makers, and ISO 19001 certification
ISO 14001 obtained at all domestic plants
Established a scholarship foundation at Yokohama Tire Philippines, Inc.

2000

'00 : Yokohama Rubber (Thailand) Co., Ltd. obtained QS 9000 and ISO 9002
Sales, design and development functions in the hose and coupling business transferred to Yokohama Hydex Company
YH AMERICA Inc. obtained QS 9000.
Yokohama Tire Philippines, Inc. obtained ISO 14001.
'01 : The Yokohama Rubber Co, Ltd. and Continental AG formed strategic alliance
Zero Emission activities aimed a reducing the amount of industrial waste at landfill sites started
Yokohama Hydex Company’s Hiratsuka business site and its Nagano Plant obtained ISO 14001 certification
'02 : Grand Design, a long-term business strategy, formulated
YH AMERICA Inc. obtained ISO 14001
'03 : Yokohama Rubber (Thailand) Co., Ltd. obtained ISO 14001
Four domestic production sites achieve zero emissions
Yokohama Rubber to Establish Its Base for Truck/Bus Radial Tire Production in Thailand; Operation Scheduled to Begin in April 2005
'04 Yokohama Rubber’s New Belgian Tyre Sales Company to Start Operations this Month
Yokohama Rubber to Set up New Company to Manufacture and Market Passenger Car Sealant in China
Yokohama Rubber to Create an Integrated Hose Production/Assembly/Distribution Business by Absorbing Yokohama Hydex
Changes in the Board of Directors
Yokohama Rubber to Establish a High-pressure Hose Assembly and Sales Subsidiary in China
'05 Yokohama Rubber Establishes Wholly Owned Tire Sales Subsidiary in Korea
Yokohama Establishes Tire Sales Company in Russia
Yokohama’s Europe Office to Become Subsidiary, Oversee Coordinate European Marketing
Yokohama Rubber to Build Thai Plant for Passenger Car and Light Truck Tires
Yokohama Subsidiary Officially Opens Thai Truck and Bus Tire Plant
Joint Venture Company to Produce and Sell Conveyor Belts in China
New Company to Control Tire and MB Operations in China
'06 Yokohama Rubber’s Hangzhou Yokohama Tire Secures ISO 14001 Certification Production and Sales Base in China for Passenger-Car Radial Tires
Yokohama Rubber Announces New Management Plan: Grand Design 100
Yokohama Rubber to Strengthen European Marketing in Truck and Bus Tires through Collaboration with Leading Retreader
Yokohama Rubber to Establish Subsidiary in India
Upward Revision of Forecasts for First Half of Fiscal 2007

About Company

Our comprehensive R&D activities cover materials development, product design, testing and evaluation. Our Research and Development Integrated Centre (RADIC) at the Hiratsuka Factory is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including supercomputers and centrifugal separators. At our extensive testing facilities at D-PARC (Daigo Proving Ground and Research Centre) and T*MARY (Takasu Motoring and Researching Yard) we simulate all types of road surface. D-PARC's oval track features 41-degree banking, Japan's largest skid pad, and 20 types of road surface. At T*MARY, a test course for snow tyres, we evaluate the driving, braking, and cornering capabilities of studless tyres under a variety of conditions.