New tyre firm Sumimoto, maker of Falken Tyres, says it will ship the items from South Africa because it does not make business sense to make the products in Kenya.
The firm’s launch in Kenya comes soon after local tyre maker Sameer threatened to shift operations to Asia over cheap imports from China. Wabco Tyres based in Parklands, Nairobi, will distribute Falken tyres. CEO of Sumitomo Rubber Industries South Africa Riaz Haffejee said: “We do not see a plant being opened locally.”
“Manufacturing plants need a bigger supply market to be economically viable.”
