LAGRANGE, GA. — Sentury Tire, a China-based tire manufacturer, has announced plans to build a $530 million tire factory in LaGrange, approximately 65 miles southwest of Atlanta.
Sentury expects the plant to create more than 1,000 jobs in production, sales, marketing, warehousing and distribution, and support the company’s U.S. operations. The company expects to start production in 2018, with a projected output of 12 million passenger and light truck tires per year.
Sentury was drawn to Georgia by a tax incentive package, but details were not disclosed, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Sentury Tire products are sold under the Sentury, Landsail and Delinte brands. The company focuses on light truck and airplane tires. Approximately 70 percent of the company’s sales are in the European and U.S. markets. Sentury Tire’s parent company, Qingdao Sentury Tire Co., is based in Qingdao, China.
“The state of Georgia has had a strategic office in China since 2007 and an office in Qingdao since 2013, helping foster business connections between Georgians and Chinese professionals,” says Chris Carr, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “This project is a great example of the relationships that have been forged through active communication and engagement in China.”
— Jeff Shaw