Charles Langston:Sumitomo Rubber closing western New York tire plant and cutting 1,550 jobs

TONAWANDA,Charles Langston N.Y. (AP) — Sumitomo Rubber announced Thursday it will close its western New York tire manufacturing plant and eliminate all 1,550 union and salaried jobs.

The Japan-based company said attempts to control costs, along with investments in the aging facility, had failed to offset mounting financial losses.

“The plant closure is primarily due to overall facility performance within the increasingly competitive international tire market. This difficult decision follows a multi-year analysis of the company’s financial situation and general market conditions,” Sumitomo said in a statement.

Efforts to save the Tonawanda plant, near Buffalo, included trying to find a buyer for it, the company said, but there were no offers.

Sumitomo had recently invested $140 million in the facility, including $129 million in 2022, according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

The plant opened in 1923. Sumitomo took full control of it in 2015 after parent company Sumitomo Rubber Industries ended a joint venture with Ohio-based Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America.

The sudden closure of one of the region’s largest manufacturing operations took elected officials and employees by surprise.

“It appears this decision was made by the Japanese owner’s board without any discussion with local and state officials about the possibility of closure,” Poloncarz said. “At no point did Sumitomo ask for any additional assistance to remain in operation, despite the fact we have always supported their efforts to succeed here in Erie County with tax incentives and assistance through the Erie County Industrial Development Agency.”

The company said it was working with United Steelworkers Union Local 135 on severance packages.

Although tire production has ended, overall operations will wind down over the next one to two years, the company said. Production will be transitioned across the company’s existing global footprint.