New jobs tile

Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing, Inc., announced today that it will expand its current facility in Bartow County, Ga., creating a total of 650 new jobs and $371 million investment into the project over the next four years.

The Japanese tire maker will add 700,000 square feet to its current 2-million-square-foot manufacturing plant by the end of 2017. At the same time, Toyo Tire will expand the warehousing footprint by 30 percent.

"We are proud to manufacture tires for North America, in North America," said Jim Hawk president, Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing, Inc. "This plant, and the people who work in it, play an important role in supporting consumers and our dealers as the demand for our products continues to grow. This fourth expansion will help us answer that demand."

Toyo Tire, founded in 1945 and headquartered in Japan, has been operating in the North American market for nearly 50 years. In 2004, the company established its first North American manufacturing plant near White, Ga. Since the first tire rolled off the line in 2006, it has more than doubled the size of the facility through expansion projects and grown from 81 employees to more than 1,000 employees.

The Bartow-Cartersville Joint Development Authority assisted with the Toyo Tire expansion, along with Georgia Department of Economic Development.