Yokohama announces management changes and...

Dec. 29, 2014

Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. decided to stay busy as 2014 winds down. And the Tokyo, Japan-based parent company of Yokohama Tire Corp. will hit the ground running in 2015.

On November 1, Yokohama’s truck and bus tire manufacturing and sales companies in China -- Suzhou Yokohama Tire Co. Ltd. -- held a ceremony and festival marking the third phase of tree planting at its factory in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. The tree planting is part of the Yokohama Rubber Group’s worldwide Yokohama Forever Forest Project, which began in 2007.

Effective Jan. 1, 2015, the following changes in senior management responsibilities will go into effect (with the current positions in parentheses):

* Hikomitsu Noji, president and representative director (president and representative director; president of the Tire Business Division).

* Fumio Morita, director and managing corporate officer, head of the Corporate Social Responsibility Div., in charge of the Sports Business Planning Department, president of PRGR Co. Ltd. and in charge of Yokohama Motorsports International Co. Ltd. (director and managing corporate officer, head of the Corporate Social Responsibility Div., in charge of the Sports Business Div., in charge of Yokohama Motorsports International Co. Ltd.).

* Hideto Katsuragawa, director and managing corporate officer, president of the Tire Business Div., chief tire marketing officer, head of the OE Tire Sales and Marketing Div., president of Yokohama Continental Tire Co. Ltd. (director and managing corporate officer, chief tire marketing officer, head of the OE Tire Sales & Marketing Div., president of Yokohama Continental Tire Co. Ltd.).

Yokohama also announced it will participate in “Tokyo Auto Salon 2015 with NAPAC.” The annual event will be held Jan. 9-11 at Makuhari Messe.

Yokohama’s exhibit will showcase its global flagship brand, Advan, “with a special focus on further penetrating the dress-up user market and enhancing the brand’s appeal to younger drivers,” according to the company. The booth also will feature Yokohama aluminum wheels.

Tokyo Auto Salon has been held every year since 1983. In 2014, there were more than 296,000 visitors and 428 exhibitors.

Through the first nine months of the year, Yokohama posted record net income of 24.9 billion yen on record net sales of 429.8 billion yen. That compares to income of 19.5 billion yen on sales of 412.4 billion yen for the first nine months of 2013.