Santa Ana -based Yokohama Tire Corporation, a manufacturer and distributor of tires for passenger, truck, motorsport, and off-highway vehicles, has announced it is reducing tire production at its manufacturing facility at its Salem, Virginia, facility as it prepares to permanently close the facility
The reduced production schedule will impact 392 hourly and salaried employees. According to an employee notice, all tire production could cease in July 2026, with plant closure on September 17, 2026.
According to the company, “The curtailment in tire production will be implemented beginning in March of this year, and is in response to the expiration of certain product lifecycles and reduced demand for other products manufactured at the Salem facility. In light of rapidly-changing customer requirements and dynamic market conditions, the Salem facility is not well equipped to manufacture Yokohama’s required product mix or achieve the company’s manufacturing objectives in the future.”
Change is constant, and it's coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, nor promises of a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something terrible hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, at any time, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. While many employees can read the writing on the wall, why do most assume it’s targeted at someone else? Are you now wondering, Am I Next?