Chinese tire manufacturer Triangle Tyre Co. Ltd. has taken the next step toward building its first tire factory outside of China.

Following leaks from South Carolina in early June that Orangeburg County is expecting an investment of $1 billion from a Chinese company named “Wanli,” many in the tire industry wanted to know more details. Chief among them was the question, “Who on earth is Wanli?”

Kumho Tire Co. Inc. celebrated its new American hometown, and its long-awaited leap into U.S. tire manufacturing, with the grand opening of its passenger tire plant on May 2, 2016.