In recognizing the value of the company’s success, the Yokohama Tire Philippines, Inc. (YTPI) kicks off its 25th anniversary by giving back to the communities within the company’s vicinity.
The tire manufacturing company is set to donate tires for the emergency service vehicles of its neighboring communities to support the quick Covid-19 and emergency response of its local health units. Aside from this, YTPI will also be donating printing materials to nearby public schools that are currently under the modular learning system due to the pandemic.
"YTPI has come so far in the past 25 years. I am humbled and grateful for the support the company and our team have received over the years. Despite the global pandemic, I feel blessed that we have grown YTPI into a business that can give back,” said YTPI President and CEO Tetsuya Nagao.
Moreover, several events are also lined up to commemorate the plant’s 25th anniversary, including a social media project that will feature some of the people behind the success of the company, and a photo exhibit about the company’s milestones through the years.
To build camaraderie in the workplace, several in-house activities will also be held, including a board design contest, an online gaming contest, and the launching of an informative video series. In addition, custom-made insulated bags and free food will be distributed to employees on the anniversary launch and culmination day.
From producing 5,000 tires per day to manufacturing 27,000 tires everyday
25 years had passed since the Yokohama Rubber Company, Ltd. (YRC) established YTPI in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga. Two years after the company’s inception, the first S-760 passenger tire model was manufactured at the first Yokohama tire manufacturing facility in Asia outside Japan.
Since then, YTPI has become a strategic and vital subsidiary of YRC that is essential to the local and global distribution of high-performance passenger car radial and recreational vehicle tires.
Over the years, tire demand and industry growth have resulted in YTPI’s several business expansions marking the company’s focus to proceed in several phases. On June 9, 2003, Phase II expansion started to ramp up production to 10,000 tires per day. Two years after, the company started the construction of its Phase III expansion, increasing production by 70 percent. 2008 was a banner year as YTPI set a record by producing 22,000 tires in a day. In 2011, YTPI officially started building the West Plant. The expansion move increased the company’s total land area from 16.5 hectares to 44.7 hectares. It also ramped up production resulting in a huge increase of the company’s manpower. By 2014, the second and last phase of YTPI’s West Plant Expansion was finally completed. To date, YTPI manufactures 27,000 tires per day and employs over 3,000 staff.
In less than a decade, amazing strides were made exponentially increasing production by fastidious and daring shifts. As manufacturing continues to achieve gain after gain, its workforce has grown as well, providing even more opportunities to the community.
Triumphed over challenges
Things did not go easily for the company as misfortune struck on May 14, 2017, when the YTPI East Plant – Phase 3 was razed with fire. As an agile and resilient company, YTPI began the rebuilding and reconstruction the same year. And by June of the following year, partial production has already commenced.
In the constantly changing business environment, the company was able to recover and quickly stay the course. YTPI’s dauntless leadership and ability to adapt with complex shifts was crucial not only to maintain its momentum but also to move beyond. Nowhere is this more pronounced than the symbolic year of 2018, a year after the unfortunate event, when YTPI manufactured its 100,000,000th tire.
“Credit goes to every diligent employee who gave their all day in and day out. Their commitment and dedication to build quality tires that people can trust can only be matched with an unquenchable thirst for success,” said Nagao
As a testament to quality and excellence, the tire manufacturer has obtained ISO 9001 in 1998 for the Quality Management System and ISO 14001 certification in 2000 for the Environmental Management System. Moreover, in 2010, the Occupation Health and Safety Management System (OHSAS 18001) certification was given to the company. A tire produced from YTPI guarantees that it has been manufactured abiding by the international standards of quality, and safety.
For YTPI, it has never been easy to create a good enterprise. As the company strives to attain its business goals, the management ensures that its business processes are founded on fair practices and compliance to all regulatory agencies. YTPI’s accomplishments are the employees’ achievements as well. It is a shared purpose, where the company’s leadership invests in its workforce and both have worked together towards the company’s mission and vision. YTPI’s singularity of providing safe work spaces whilst yielding quality that meets international standards has been a yardstick that defines it, all while committing to an environment where employees thrive, are valued and heard.
Giving back to the community
As a keen adopter of sustainability and eco-friendly business, it was all too clear that corporate social responsibility and environmental stewardship has been part of the company’s mission. As an industry leader in reducing its carbon footprint, YTPI undertook the expansion of the Forever Forest, a global initiative of its parent company. Several generations ago, it all seemed that the world’s resources were infinite, but in the intervening years, wisdom and experience has shown otherwise, and in the time that YTPI has been involved with Forever Forest, over 44,000 trees have been planted within the facility and nearby areas.
The company has admirably committed and invested in sustainability and in 2019, YTPI has installed its own 4MW solar power rooftop. It is the second largest rooftop solar plant in the country and the largest in Central Luzon. It is considered as one of the company’s biggest environmental milestones to date as it greatly reduced Freeport’s annual CO2 emissions. In addition, a 1,020m3 rainwater recovery tank to harvest rain water for industrial purposes was constructed.
YTPI also devoted equal importance to strengthening partnerships with the local communities. Some of its notable projects include scholarship grants to nearly a hundred college students. The company has also donated health and sanitation facilities to public schools and has provided extensive and active support to Brigada Eskwela. In 2006, YTPI donated Php 1,000,000 worth of materials and supplies for the rehabilitation of the water system providing potable water to Indigenous Peoples (Aeta) families in San Vicente in Tarlac province. Socially responsible to itself, its stakeholders, and the public, YTPI is conscious of the kind of impact the company has on all aspects of society, including economic, social, and environmental facets.
Braving through the new normal
As the whole world faces the challenges brought by the pandemic, the tire manufacturer officially launched The New Normal: Together We Can Beat This Better protocols and programs to ensure the safety of its people. Notwithstanding the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, the company continued to contribute to the economic development of the country by generating employment opportunities, paying its taxes dutifully, and creating profit through fair and honest business activities.
In the face of both adversity and privilege, within a score and five years, what makes the YTPI’s silver anniversary worth celebrating is that despite the recent challenges of being in the midst of a global pandemic – the company continues to produce and deliver millions of tires that people can trust. All of this, operating within complexities big and small. This kind of success does not come without difficulties. It is through hard work, meticulous planning, cooperation and a great degree of foresight that this degree of accomplishment is envisioned, let alone, achieved.
“I want to congratulate all our former and current employees on this special milestone. It has been a wonderful journey altogether. Let’s continue to defy the odds and hope for the best in the coming years,” Nagao ended.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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