Yokohama Rubber Company

The Yokohama Rubber Company, Limited (横浜ゴム株式会社) is a Japanese manufacturing company based in Hiratsuka, Japan.[1] The company was founded and began on October 13, 1917, in a joint venture between Yokohama Cable Manufacturing and BFGoodrich. In 1969, the company expanded to the United States as Yokohama Tire Corporation. It primarily produces tires, rims, and golf equipment (sold under the brand PRGR).

The company has two manufacturing facilities in the United States: one in Salem, Virginia, and another in West Point, Mississippi.[2]

History

• 1917 – Established in Yokohama 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 Co., Ltd.) and BF Goodrich Company.[3]
• 1920 – Built a factory in Hiranuma, Yokohama. Installed US-made refining equipment and manufacturing equipment. Started manufacturing rubber belts, tires, hoses, etc.[3] (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.[3]
• 1937 – Changed the tire brand to "Yokohama".[3]
• 1942 – Built a rubber factory in Singapore.[3]
• 1943 – Built a factory in Mie prefecture.[3]
• 1946 – Built a factory in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture.[3]
• 1950 – Stocks listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Osaka Securities Exchange.
• 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).[3]
• 1964 – Built a factory in Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture.[3]
• 1969 – Established Yokohama Tire Corporation in the United States.[3]
• 1974 – Launched the Yokohama Wheel brand.[4]
• 1981 - BFGoodrich sells all shares in Yokohama.
• 1983 - Launched Performance Y logo for the Yokohama Performance Radials and PRGR ranges; later became corporate logo.
• 1983 - Launched the PRGR brand of golf equipment.
• 2007 – Established Yokohama India.[3]
• In 2016 Yokohama Rubber acquired farm tire maker Alliance Tire Group for $1.18 billion.[5]
• On March 25, 2022, Yokohama Rubber announced it would be acquiring Trelleborg Wheel Systems from Trelleborg for 2.1 billion euro ($2.31 billion), its largest acquisition to date.[5]

Tires

Yokohama Tire Company develops a range of tires for passenger vehicles, crossover utility vehicles (CUVs), sport utility vehicles (SUVs), electric vehicles, commercial trucks, motorsport applications, and off-road use. The company organizes its consumer tire portfolio into several product families designed for different driving conditions and vehicle types.[14]

Wheels

Under the Yokohama Wheel brand Almex, Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. began making rims in 1974.[4] The Yokohama Wheel brand currently produces the Advan Racing wheel brand for performance and motorsport applications, the AVS brand for premium applications, and the Kreutzer brand for luxury applications.[22]

Motorsports

Yokohama is the official tire supplier of the Super Formula Championship since 2016.[23] It was the official tire supplier of the Macau Grand Prix Formula 3 race from 1983 until 2019, with an exception in 2016, when Pirelli was chosen for the tire supplier that year.[24] The company was the supplier of the World Touring Car Championship and World Touring Car Cup from 2006 until 2019.

In the United States, Yokohama was a tire supplier in the American Le Mans Series, including PTG (from 2005 to 2009) and Alex Job Racing. It was the official tire supplier of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge.[25] It has also participated in Red Line Time Attack, Nitro Rallycross and Stadium Super Trucks.[26]

In September 2025, Yokohama was announced as the official tire supplier for the FIA Extreme H World Cup and will use a prototype tire based on the GEOLANDAR X-AT.[27]

Sponsorship

From 2015 to 2020, Yokohama was the main sponsor of Premier League football club Chelsea.[28] Yokohama also sponsors the NBA teams the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs.[29]

Logos

The Yokohama Rubber logo was first displayed in the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun newspaper in 1917. The company used it until 1987. In 1983, Yokohama launched the "Performance Y" logo for its Yokohama Performance Radials series, which became its corporate logo in 1987. A similar style logo is used by the Taiwanese tire company Nankang Rubber Tire.[30]

External links