Macon, GA – Kumho Tire Georgia representatives joined Macon-Bibb County leaders on September 5, 2013, to announce that an agreement has been reached that will allow Kumho Tire Georgia Inc. to begin construction of their anticipated tire manufacturing plant.
“The community never lost its support for Kumho,” stated Sam Hart, chairman of the Bibb County Commission. “And we know they never lost sight of their goal to build this plant in Georgia and in Macon-Bibb County.”
Kumho Tire, one of the world’s leading tire manufacturers, will initially invest around $200 million to build the new manufacturing plant that will employ over 300 people on a 150 acre site in the Sofkee Industrial Park located in Macon, Georgia. The new plant will allow Kumho Tire to better serve its automotive partners as well as American consumers. Kumho Tire has been moving ahead with many anticipated projects, including the all-new R&D Center that just opened on September 3, 2013, in Seoul, Korea. The state of the art center is comprised of a research building and testing facility, housing approximately 600 expert researches from Korea and abroad, industry-leading supercomputers and cutting-edge testing equipment to develop market-leading products. The new center will reclaim Kumho’s reputation for technical prowess through improved R&D capabilities. Kumho Tire Georgia president, Harry Choi, remarked, “Kumho’s commitment to Macon-Bibb never wavered. Worldwide economic conditions have greatly affected our company as well as the worldwide tire industry,” continued Choi. “Kumho Tire Georgia is strong and committed to Macon-Bibb and the U.S. tire industry. We thank the community, our suppliers, our employees and our customers for their support.” The Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority, Bibb County Board of Education, Bibb County Tax Assessors, Bibb County Tax Commissioner, Bibb County Commissioners,and the Macon Economic Development Commission all approved an extension to the 2008 agreement. “This agreement includes substantial commitments from Kumho Tire Georgia to their goal to complete this tire plant,” stated MBCIA chairman, Cliffard Whitby. “The community’s interests, the state’s as well as Kumho’s, were all addressed in this extension agreement,” continued Whitby. Macon Mayor Robert Reichert stated, “We worked hard together to attract Kumho and new jobs to Macon-Bibb, and we’ve never lost that focus. The recession faced by our entire country did affect the timeline, but we all remained firm that this would be the best place for the plant.” “Our economic development team was in constant communication with Kumho reps throughout this whole process,” stated Robbo Hatcher, chair of the MEDC. “Our partners at the state stayed in touch with Kumho Tire Co. officials in Korea also,” continued Hatcher. “This was a great team effort.”
Source: Rubber World
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