The facility will be built on the Toyo Tire Serbia Factory premises and is scheduled to become operational in January 2027.
Toyo Tire held a groundbreaking ceremony March 19 for a new Serbia R&D center in Indjija, Republic of Serbia.
Toyo will build the facility on its Serbia factory premises and plans to make it operational in January 2027.
Groundbreaking Ceremony Attendance and Remarks
About 100 guests attended, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Atsushi Saito, chargé d’affaires ad interim of Japan to Serbia. The ceremony opened with remarks from Satoru Moriya, director, corporate officer and vice president of the R&D headquarters.
“We are excited about the potential of the Serbian R&D Center to refine cutting-edge processing technology from the ground up and to establish a European operational model that coordinates R&D, production, and sales functions, thereby boosting the competitive advantages of the PROXES brand, among others,” Moriya said. “We expect this R&D Center to serve as a core hub for the development of advanced technologies, bolstering Toyo Tire’s global competitiveness through collaboration with its counterparts in Japan and the United States.”
“Today is a special day on which Toyo Tire, a Japanese friend of Serbia, sees its production base evolve into a strategic hub,” said President Vučić. “This demonstrates that Serbia possesses the human resources, infrastructure, and determination required to support advanced technological development, a fact of which I am very proud. Through investment and job creation, I look forward to building a strong future in partnership.”
Toyo Tire Corporation established a global R&D framework in 2019 with a center in Germany. It also has tire technical centers in Japan and North America. The company said it will consolidate its regional R&D functions in Serbia, which also hosts its plant and sales operations. The Serbian R&D center is slated to begin operations in January 2027.
Processing Technology Focus at Toyo Tire Serbia R&D Center
Toyo Tire said the Serbia R&D center will focus on processing technology. This includes development of new rubber compounds and materials, material and composite design, and investigation and evaluation of raw materials. Its location next to the Serbia Factory will allow use of the on-site proving ground. This setup enables efficient transition from development to driving tests, increases verification speed, and shortens time to market.
According to Toyo, its Mid-Term ’26 Plan said it emphasizes synergies from consolidating production, sales, and R&D across Europe.
