Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (SRSA), part of global tyre and rubber company Sumitomo Rubber Industries, has invested more than R2.1 billion in a “state-of-the-art”, purpose-built 180 000 m2 tyre manufacturing facility.
The facility includes a truck, bus and radial factory, as well as an upgraded passenger car, sports-utility vehicle and light truck tyre manufacturing component.
The new factory in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, aims to increase manufacturing output to meet any arising needs in the province and to improve its products and grow its market share across its Dunlop, Falken and Sumitomo brands.
“Over the next few months and years, we aim to ramp up local production and investment and increase our impact on creating employment in South Africa. We recently agreed to a phased investment over the next five years with our shareholders, Sumitomo Rubber Industries.
“The plan entails investing in machinery and systems that will ensure that we have capability locally to meet the requirements of original-equipment manufacturers, gain efficiencies to better serve the local market and create a better and safer experience for motorists on the road,” said SRSA CEO, Lubin Ozoux.
According to a Reuters report, China's automotive sector faces an unprecedented crisis beneath its outward success. Despite becoming the world's largest car exporter and producing global leaders like BYD and Geely, the industry is trapped in a destructive spiral threatening widespread bankruptcies.
Volkswagen is abandoning its separate electric vehicle naming convention, opting instead to align its battery-electric models with established combustion engine nameplates. The German automaker announced that the strategy shift would begin with the ID Polo, set to debut in 2026.
Europe's automotive industry has issued a unified call for the European Union (EU) to recalibrate its green transition strategy, with leading manufacturers and suppliers expressing growing concerns about the feasibility of current electrification timelines and regulatory frameworks.
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If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will.
Bob Hooey
According to a Reuters report, China's automotive sector faces an unprecedented crisis beneath its outward success. Despite becoming the world's largest car exporter and producing global leaders like BYD and Geely, the industry is trapped in a destructive spiral threatening widespread bankruptcies.
Europe's automotive industry has issued a unified call for the European Union (EU) to recalibrate its green transition strategy, with leading manufacturers and suppliers expressing growing concerns about the feasibility of current electrification timelines and regulatory frameworks.
South African business sentiment deteriorated further in the third quarter of 2025, falling one point to reach 39, well below the long-term benchmark of 42 points, as punitive US tariffs took their toll on exporters, Reuters reported on Wednesday
