FRANKLIN, La. — The Board of directors for Kumho Tires Inc., a global manufacturer of 17-inch passenger and light truck tires, approved an agreement with Melis Group LLC to establish a 350,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in St. Mary Parish.
Through a partnership with the Port of New Orleans, a major importer of natural rubber in the United States, the distribution and warehouse facility in Franklin will use the Port’s existing container services.
“We are thrilled Kumho Tire chose Louisiana for a new tire distribution facility,” said Brandy Christian, president and CEO Port of New Orleans, in a press release. “This is a testament to the work Port NOLA and our economic development partners have done to attract new imports and grow container business statewide. Kumho’s investment will also strengthen Louisiana’s position in the rubber and tire market as Port NOLA continues to be the number one importer of natural rubber in the United States.”
Stakeholders said the multi-million-dollar facility will have an annual capacity of five million passenger and light truck tires and create upward of 200 full-time jobs.
“This is an exciting project for St. Mary Parish,” said St. Mary Parish President David Hanagriff. “With three of the nation’s largest carbon black plants located right here in St. Mary, we have worked for decades to bring a tire company to St. Mary. I am very excited for the potential that this project will bring to our community. I applaud St. Mary Economic Development for taking the lead on this effort as well as the team effort it took to get us to this point.”
Approval from Kumho’s board for the St. Mary expansion focused on several factors, including access to multi-modal transportation, proximity to existing and potential markets and the ability to tap into the workforce training programs of the two SLCC campuses in the parish.