Cheng Shin Rubber Co (正新橡膠), a major tire maker, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Changhua County Government to invest NT$12 billion (US$372 million) to develop a zone in the county’s Changnan Technology Park (彰南科技園區), a county official said yesterday.
Development is scheduled to begin in March, and the company plans to start constructing a plant in June, with production expected to commence in 2011, the official said.
To speed up development of the zone, which covers an area of 98.87 hectares, Changhua County Commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) has instructed the county government to simplify the procedures for land procurement to meet the needs of interested companies, the official said.
Speaking at a signing ceremony for the MOU, Cheng Shin president Chen Rong-hua (陳榮華) said the company had been preparing to establish a new plant for more than a year, but had failed to find suitable land until it found that the base of the zone is just 1.5km from the company’s plant in Sijhou Township (溪洲).
The company exports its tires to more than 170 countries and is a leading manufacturer of tires for bicycles, motorcycles and beach-buggies.
Cheng Shin needs about 41 hectares for its new plant and expects to create about 2,500 jobs once it starts operations, it said.
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