Tokyo-The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., today announced that it would tomorrow start formally using a new management structure headed by new Chairman and Representative Director Yasuo Tominaga (current President and Representative Director) and new President and Representative Director Tadanobu Nagumo (current Executive Director and President of Tire Group). At the same time, the company implements organizational and personnel changes dated June 29 in order to more vigorously promote Growth, Globalization and Production Innovations that are three major guiding principles behind Grand Design 10 (GD-10), the long term strategic plan of Yokohama Rubber. Among the changes, those relating to the overseas business development in tire business are outlined as follows:

Export sales and overseas business promotion functions that have been the responsibilities of current Tire Overseas Business Division are divided into new Tire Overseas Sales Divison and existing Tire Planning Division.

Tire Overseas Sales Division is created to take responsibility for export sales and headed by Corporate Officer Takashi Fukui (current General Manager, Tire Overseas Sales Department No. 1). Tire Overseas Sales Division will have Tire Overseas Sales Department No. 1, Tire Overseas Sales Department No. 2, Tire Overseas Technical Service Department, and Tire Overseas Sales Promotion & Logistics Department. These departments will be headed by Mikio Sano (current General Manager, Tire Overseas Sales Department. No. 2), Fumihiro Nishi (current General Manager, Tire Asia & Oceania Business Department), Atsunori Agari (current General Manager, Tire Overseas Technical Service Department), and Hisao Hashimoto (current General Manager, Tire International Logistics Department), respectively.

Tire Planning Division, to which overseas business promotion functions are transferred, will be headed by Corporate Officer Toru Kobayashi (current General Manager, Tire Planning Department). Under the division, Tire Overseas Business Development Department will newly be created and headed by Takashi Kunieda (current General Manager, Tire Overseas Planning Department).

In order to strengthen global original equipment business response functions, Yokohama Rubber creates Overseas Original Equipment Tire Sales Department under Original Equipment Tire Sales Division that will be headed by Keigo Ueda who will be promoted to Director and Senior Managing Corporate Officer from current Managing Director. Overseas Original Equipment Tire Sales Department will be headed by Takao Oishi, current General Manager, Original Equipment Tire Sales Department No. 2. In addition, Overseas Original Equipment Tire Engineering Department will be created under Tire Technical Division headed by Managing Corporate Officer Takashi Yamashita. Overseas Original Equipment Tire Engineering Department is for the enhancement of technical services to overseas OEM customers and Tadashige Enomoto (current General Manager, Tire Technical Planning Department) will assume the position of General Manager.