A tire manufacturer that is building a plant at Charles City in northeast Iowa recently announced that it has changed its name. CGS Tires US, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Czech-based CGS Tyres, has changed its corporate name to Mitas Tires North America, Inc. In addition, Mitas Tires plans to relocate its U.S. principal office from North Carolina to Iowa.

The main office will be at Charles City, along with the tire factory. Company officials say the plant will start producing agricultural radial tires in 2012.

"Mitas is rolling into Iowa," says Vladimir Dusanek, U.S. project director of Mitas. "Mitas has bought the former Winnebago facility in Charles City and will remodel it. We have already finished the basic design of the new plant." The development is proceeding according to plan, he says, the plan company officials announced in Boone at the Farm Progress Show in August 2010. The Charles City factory will serve Mitas to expand sales in the North American market.

Firm has bought $10 million worth of equipment for new plant

"We are switching the subsidiary's name to Mitas in order to promote our flagship tire brand," says Andrew Mabin, sales and marketing director. "This change is made purely for marketing reasons in line with our North American expansion strategy in the ag tire market." Currently, Mitas Tires sells Mitas-brand and Continental-brand ag tires produced in Europe. The company commands a quarter of the European market with agricultural tires.

In January, Mitas Tires signed a contract to acquire 17 curing presses worth $10 million for its Charles City factory. The presses will be delivered and installed in August and September 2011. This is the first North American agricultural tire factory for Mitas.