​ Foundation Stone Laid for Toyo Tire Innovation Center in Inđija

The foundation stone for an innovation center of Toyo Tire company was laid in Inđija, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić. On that occasion, he stated that this act also lays the foundation for a shared vision of Serbia and Japan's future and that the investment confirms Serbia’s position as a strategic hub from which markets worldwide can be reached.

The ceremony was also attended by Satoru Moriya, Executive Officer of Toyo Tire Corporation in charge of the technology sector; Jagoda Lazarević, Minister of Domestic and Foreign Trade; Bela Balint, Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation; and Maja Gojković, President of the Government of Vojvodina, as well as Atsushi Saito, a representative of the Embassy of Japan in Serbia, and representatives of the Municipality of Inđija and other relevant institutions.

The Innovation Center will serve as a key hub for advancing processing technologies. It will focus on developing new formulations and materials, designing materials and compounds, and conducting research and evaluating raw materials. In this way, the center will contribute to the further development of advanced manufacturing technologies. It will cover approximately 4,600 square meters and, thanks to its proximity to the factory and test track, will enable a fast and efficient process—from material development through tire production to vehicle testing—significantly accelerating product development and validation and shortening time-to-market.

“The opening of an R&D center within the Toyo Tire factory represents an important step for the industrial and technological development of the Republic of Serbia. This innovation center brings knowledge transfer and the application of the highest international standards, enabling domestic industry to integrate into global research and development flows. This positions Serbia as a participant in modern innovative industrial trends, not merely as a production base,” said Dragan Stevanović, Secretary of the Association for Chemical, Rubber and Non-Metal Industry of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia.

Toyo Tire, which employs more than 11,000 people globally, began production in Inđija in 2022, where it currently employs around 630 workers and produces approximately five million tires annually. In 2019, the company established a development center in Germany, and together with technology centers in Japan and North America, built a global R&D network. To strengthen competitiveness in the European market, development functions are now being further concentrated in Serbia, where production and sales capacities are already in place. The new center is expected to begin operations in January 2027.