LEETONIA Mitsubishi tire assembly plant to add about 30 employees

The Leetonia site is the company's only U.S. manufacturing plant.
LEETONIA -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America is adding about 30 jobs at its tire press assembly plant.
Tracy Drake, executive director of the Columbiana County Port Authority, said the plant is still Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' only manufacturing plant in the United States.
Bob Focht, deputy general manager, said the company has about 100 employees at its Leetonia site, with about 30 in the plant itself.
He said the additional workers are needed because the company is adding a new tire manufacturing process. He said the new process is a tire production system, rather than just the tire presses.
He said that about 25 to 35 workers are needed, and that he hopes more will be needed in the future.
Mitsubishi officials signed an agreement in September 1995 to locate the company's first assembly plant in the United States.
The plant began operations in 1996, and in 1997, chose to expand operations rather than move the facility to Kentucky.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America is a subsidiary of Mistubishi Heavy Industries, which in turn is a subsidiary of the 150-year-old Mitsubishi Corp. based in Japan.
Won out over 20 sites
Before locating in Leetonia, MHIA had several engineering design shops in the United States, but no assembly plants. The port authority's Leetonia site won out over 20 other sites Mitsubishi officials were considering nationwide at the time.
Mitsubishi officials said proximity of tire makers and machine shops, the strong work ethic of the region's residents and competitive transportation costs were deciding factors in the decision to locate in Leetonia.