Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) has held an official opening ceremony for the group’s new tyre factory in Cankiri, Turkey, named Sumitomo Rubber AKO Lastik Sanayi ve Ticaret AS (SAT). The Falken brand manufacturer will use the new facility to supply both the local Turkish market, which is benefitting from the country’s steady economic growth, and the geographically adjacent EMEA regions.

Held on 14 October 2015, SRI’s president Ikuji Ikeda and SAT’s president Norifumi Fujimoto were joined at the ceremony by an audience of around 1,200 locals, along with distinguished guests that included Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ambassador Yutaka Yokoi of the Japanese Embassy to Turkey, director-general Arda Ermut of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey, governor Vahdettin Ozcan of Cankiri Province, chairman Mustafa Ozcan of SRI’s joint-venture partner in Turkey, and many others.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, president Erdogan pledged that Turkey would “spare no effort in supporting our Japanese friends” and expressed his hope that the two countries “would grow and develop side-by-side”. Meanwhile, SRI’s president Ikeda spoke of his desire to “contribute to the economic development of the nation of Turkey, while preserving and cultivating shared historical bonds”.

Director-general Ermut, who has played a vital role in launching and coordinating the development, added: “This project is a great source of pride to us and to all of Turkey.”

Against a backdrop of steady economic growth in Turkey is growing demand for automobile tyres. The country also benefits geographically from links to Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Russia. With the fully-fledged operation of the new factory in Turkey, Sumitomo Rubber Group will enhance its supply network for Turkey and nearby markets as it looks to further grow and develop its global tyre business.