Yokohama Talks Plans for Goodyear OTR

What's next for Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd.'s Goodyear OTR tire business? Loic Ravasio, president, Yokohama Off-the-Road, provides a preview in this MTD exclusive. 

MTD: How is the integration of Goodyear's OTR tire operations into Yokohama's off-highway business coming along? Is it on-track with original expectations? (Note: Yokohama finalized its acquisition of Goodyear’s OTR tire business unit in February 2025, a deal valued at $905 million.)

Ravasio: Integration is a long journey. Our immediate priorities are and always will be our customers and our employees. On those specific points, we can say that we are on track. The teams are now one and able to offer a broader range of products, solutions and services to our customers around the world.

For our customers, we aimed to ensure a smooth transition, business continuity and a combined, more comprehensive portfolio of products, services and solutions to support them in their business growth around the world. For our employees, we now have a global organization which allows us to support them in developing their talents, leveraging their skillsets and providing an environment for growth and development.

MTD: Where does the Goodyear OTR tire business fit within Yokohama's overall off-highway portfolio?

Ravasio: The two-business combination - Yokohama OTR and Goodyear OTR - will enable us to expand the global footprint and capacity for OTR by combining resources and expertise. Significant investments in production capabilities and capacities will be made to meet the growing demand in various markets, where it is needed. The two R&D centers in Japan and in the U.S. will collaborate closely to drive cutting-edge advancements and continuously bring innovative solutions to market faster to stay at the forefront of the technological advancement for products and services.

The two portfolios are complementary, offering a comprehensive range of products, services and solutions, catering to a broader spectrum of customer needs for every segment and application. The portfolio focus will be to remain responsive and proactive to continuously meet evolving markets and increasingly stringent performance requirements.

MTD: What opportunities does Yokohama see in Goodyear's OTR tire business? Are there aspects or areas of the business that Yokohama plans to invest in, moving forward? 

Ravasio: The Goodyear OTR acquisition is a key part of Yokohama Rubber’s effort to expand its off-highway tire (OHT) product line-up and its production and supply capabilities in all OHT categories, including tires for mining and construction machinery, as it seeks to strengthen its market position and competitiveness in the OHT business and enhance its corporate value. We now enjoy a broad, complete OTR portfolio offering from the smallest to the biggest tires, delivering top performance and services in any application. If you look at YRC as a whole with TWS and ATG, the offering is even broader and can really serve all the needs of our customers.

The Goodyear OTR business was and is a strong business with performing products, experienced teams, innovation capability and a service and solutions offering. Yokohama is planning to invest in this business to deliver further growth in all aspects matching the evolving and stringent requirements of the growing OTR industry.

MTD: Does Yokohama have plans to invest in the Goodyear OTR tire plant in Topeka, Kan., or any other Goodyear OTR tire manufacturing facility?

Ravasio: Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. announced on May 22, 2025, that it has acquired the fixed assets - land, building, and OTR tire production machinery - of a closed plant located in Romania through its OHT subsidiary, Yokohama TWS Romania S.R.L. This asset purchase is a follow-up to the acquisition of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s OTR business with the intention to increase the group’s production capacity of mining and construction machinery tires. This Romanian asset is a first step in our expansion. We will be producing most of the OTR range in this factory including the ultra-large tires. We are working diligently on assessing solutions such as greenfield and/or brownfield at the right locations to further grow and better serve our customers. We know our target markets of today and tomorrow and this will help us to make the right decisions in terms of capacity and location for future investments.

MTD: What can we expect to see from Yokohama as it pertains to the Goodyear OTR tire business in the coming year?

Ravasio: We are driven by the success of our customers and market share gains. As we invest in growth, our expansion strategy is based on the right location and the right technology/equipment to deliver top performance and quality and the right cost. Short- term, we will solidify our position as a strong global player chosen as the preferred supplier by our customers.