Video: Yokohama Spurring Interest in Area From Other Firms

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WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) — Yokohama Tire may still be a year from beginning production but it has played a major role in generating interest from other companies.

The chief operating officer for the Golden Triangle Development Link told West Point business leaders today the plant won’t generate suppliers and processors like Severstal Steel, Toyota and Nissan have.

But he said other Asian companies have taken note and begun looking at the Golden Triangle as possible locations.

“The tire business is a little bit different in that they bring their raw materials complete with the finished product from start to finish. However, there has been a lot of interest in the Yokohama site in the Clay County economic development site as well with other Asian firms,” Joey Deason, chief operating officer of the Golden Triangle Development Link, told the West Point Rotary Club Thursday.

Yokohama is building a $300 million, 931,000-square-foot facility on a 500-acre site. Yokohama will make an initial capital investment of $300 million and anticipates creating 500 jobs as part of the first phase – and up to 2,000 jobs with a $2 billion investment by the time three more phases are complete during the next decade.

It’s scheduled to start production next October.

In addition to other manufacturers, the construction has sparked interest from retailers interested in catering to Yokohama workers.

Deason also updated the club about other highlights in the region, including a new industrial park in Oktibbeha County and the restructuring of the Link into a regional organization.

Categories: Local News

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