is a
tire
A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineering), t ...
company based in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The company was founded and began on October 13, 1917, in a joint venture between Yokohama Cable Manufacturing and
B.F. Goodrich. In 1969, the company expanded to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
as Yokohama Tire Corporation. The Aspec A300 was the driving force behind its tremendous rise. Branding, especially in Japan, will often use Advan instead of Yokohama. Advan wheels and tires have a strong presence in the aftermarket scene worldwide.
The company has two manufacturing facilities in the United States: one in
Salem, Virginia
Salem is an independent city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,346. It is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combin ...
, and another in
West Point, Mississippi
West Point is a city in Clay County, Mississippi, United States, in the Golden Triangle region of the state. The population was 11,307 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Clay County and the principal city of the West Point Micropolitan ...
.
History
*1917 - Established in
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
as 橫濱護謨製造株式會社 (Yokohama Rubber Manufacturing Co., Ltd.), a joint venture between 橫濱電線製造 (Yokohama Electric Cable Manufacturing Company, currently
Furukawa Electric
is a Japanese electric and electronics equipment company.
The company was founded by Furukawa Ichibei in 1884 in Yokohama when a copper-smelting facility
and a wire manufacturing factory were established. Furukawa was a Japanese businessman w ...
Co., Ltd.) and
BF Goodrich Company.
[横浜ゴム公式サイト「沿革」](_blank)
,
Yokohama Rubber Company official website, "Company History"
)
*1920 - Built a factory in Hiranuma, Yokohama. Installed US-made refining equipment and manufacturing equipments. Started manufacturing rubber belts, tires, hoses, etc.
(At this time, tires of this company are sold in Japan under the "Goodrich" brand)
*1929 - Built a new Yokohama Factory in Heian-cho,
Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama.
*1937 - Changed the tire brand to "Yokohama".
*1942 - Built a rubber factory in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
.
*1943 - Built a factory in
Mie prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture to ...
.
*1946 - Built a factory in
Mishima Mishima may refer to:
Places
* Mishima, Fukushima, a town in Fukushima Prefecture
* Mishima, Kagoshima, a village in Kagoshima Prefecture
* Mishima, Niigata, a town in Niigata Prefecture
* Mishima, Shizuoka, a city in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
...
,
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...
.
*1950 - Stocks listed on the
Tokyo Stock Exchange
The , abbreviated as Tosho () or TSE/TYO, is a stock exchange located in Tokyo, Japan. It is the third largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies, and the largest in Asia. It had 2,292 listed co ...
and the
Osaka Securities Exchange
, renamed from , is the largest derivatives exchange in Japan, in terms of amount of business handled.
, the Osaka Securities Exchange had 477 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of $212 billion. The Nikkei 225 Futures, intr ...
.
*1963 - Company name changed from 横浜護謨製造株式会社 (Yokohama Rubber Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) to 横浜ゴム株式会社(Yokohama Rubber Company, Limited).
*1964 - Built a factory in
Shinshiro,
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...
.
*1969 - Established Yokohama Tire Corporation in the United States.
*2007 - Established Yokohama India.
*In 2016 Yokohama Rubber acquired farm tire maker
Alliance Tire Group for $1.18 billion.
*On March 25, 2022, Yokohama Rubber announced it would be acquiring Trelleborg Wheel Systems from
Trelleborg
Trelleborg () is a town in Skåne County, Sweden, with 43,359 inhabitants as of December 31, 2015. It is the southernmost town in Sweden located some west from the southernmost point of Sweden and the Scandinavian peninsula. It is one of the ...
for 2.1 billion euro ($2.31 billion), its largest acquisition to date.
Sponsorship and motorsports
From 2015 to 2020, Yokohama was the main sponsor of
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
football club
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
.
Yokohama Tire sponsors the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
teams the
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
and the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
.
Yokohama is the official tire supplier of the
IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge
The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama was a one-make racing series based in the United States using Porsche 911 GT3s.
The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama entered its 16th & final season in 2020 and was the largest of Porsche' ...
, the
World Touring Car Championship
The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sin ...
and
Japanese Super Formula. Yokohama has also been the official tire supplier of the
Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix ( pt, Grande Prémio de Macau; ) is a motorsport road race for automobiles and motorcycles held annually in Macau. It is the only street circuit racing event in which both cars and motorcycles participate, and one of onl ...
Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup race since 1983, with an exception in 2016, when
Pirelli was chosen for the tire supplier that year. Yokohama is also the official tire partner of former
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The American Le Mans' hea ...
GT2 team PTG from 2005 to 2009.
In the United States, Yokohama Tire Corporation has participated in ALMS, Red Line Time Attack,
Nitro Rallycross
Nitro Rallycross (Nitro RX, abbreviated to NRX) is an American rallycross racing series. Created by rallycross driver Travis Pastrana and the ''Nitro Circus'' production in 2018, its inaugural season began in 2021. The championship is sanctioned ...
and
Stadium Super Trucks
The Stadium Super Trucks (SST), formerly known as Speed Energy Formula Off-Road, is an American short course off-road racing series created by off-road racer and former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Robby Gordon in 2013. Sanctioned by the United State ...
.
Logos
The Yokohama Rubber logo was first displayed in the ''Tokyo Asahi Shimbun'' newspaper in 1917. The company used it until 1977. Since that time, a modern logo has been used. Like the old logo, the new one is the first letter in the brand name, but the letter itself is more dynamic and expressive. A similar style logo is used by the Taiwanese tire company
Nankang Rubber Tire
Nankang Rubber Tire Corp., Ltd. () manufactures automobile tires and other synthetic rubber products. The company's products include locomotive tires, and tires for light trucks, sedan cars, sport utility vehicles and snowfield-use vehicles. Dur ...
.
Yokohama_Tire_old_logo.svg, Yokohama Tire company logo through 1976
Yokohama_Tire_new_logo.svg, Yokohama Tire company logo since 1977
Nankang_Rubber_Tire_logo.svg, Nankang Rubber Tire logo
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
Companies listed on the Osaka Exchange
Tire manufacturers of Japan
Manufacturing companies based in Tokyo
Automotive companies of Japan
Japanese brands
Japanese companies established in 1917
Automotive companies established in 1917
Furukawa Group
1950s initial public offerings