Goodyear to Expand the Capacity of its Slovenian Manufacturing Facility

Kranj – Goodyear announces plans to expand its manufacturing facility in Slovenia to meet the growing demand for premium tires in EMEA.

 ‘The demand for premium, larger-rim-diameter consumer tires is growing across EMEA. To ensure the sustainable growth of our business, Goodyear plans to invest €94 million in its plant in Kranj, Slovenia to increase its capacity in this profitable segment,’ announced Henry Dumortier, Goodyear’s Vice President Consumer Europe.

 The investment will add 5400 square meters to accommodate advanced tire building machines, increasing the plant’s overall capacity by approximately 25%. This will allow for production of an additional 1.8 million premium, A segment consumer tires annually. Production will focus on 17- to 19-inch replacement tires in EMEA.

 The company expects to create about 160 new positions in Sava, mainly in the production area. The first phase of construction will begin in January 2019, with additional phases planned for 2020 and 2021 to reach full capacity.

 ‘We are extremely proud that Goodyear decided to make this important investment here in Kranj. The decision reflects the company’s trust and confidence in our local team’s high-quality production and is a great recognition of our performance over the last 20 years,’emphasized Matej Zavrl, Managing Director of Goodyear’s Slovenian entity.

 Since 1998, Goodyear has invested over €270 million to develop its Kranj facility. Continuous improvements enabled Goodyear Dunlop Sava Tires (GDST) to grow into one of the biggest and most successful companies in Slovenia, and one of the country’s biggest employers. GDST developed from a local manufacturer of low and middle price range tires under a single trademark, into a manufacturer of the most challenging, high-quality premium segment tires. Since first established in 1998, the company has produced over 130 million tires.