Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. will establish a new company, Sumitomo Rubber Middle East FZE, which will be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The unit has been established "in order to expand sales of replacement tires in the Middle East region, where the demand for tires is growing due to its rapid economic development," say Sumitomo officials.
The new company starts operations on Jan. 1, 2009. Masaru Tabata will be its managing director.