Kumho Tire USA announced Mar. 27 that its Macon, Georgia manufacturing plant will be shut down from April 1-8 in response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation.

Plant leadership will use the downtime for a cleaning service to conduct a thorough cleaning and sanitizing of the plant as an additional COVID-19 health and safety precaution beyond those previously taken and currently in place, Kumho said. There have been no known employee or contractor confirmed COVID-19 cases at the facility, the company said.

“We are extremely proud of our team members accepting individual accountability in support of health and safety. We will continue to monitor our customers and suppliers’ actions regarding their operations and follow the CDC and other authorities’ guidance to best manage COVID-19 risks and make necessary adjustments,” said Keith Lolley, HR director at Kumho Tire’s Georgia Plant.

Kumho Tire’s plants located in South Korea and Vietnam will support all U.S. market needs. The company does not anticipate any changes to supply availability or SCM operations.

“Our decisions are being guided by the CDC and other local authorities, and we are committed to continuing to serve our customers in a safe and responsible manner,” said Yong Sik Shin, the head of America business division at Kumho Tire USA. “We are closely monitoring the situation to make sure we are taking all precautions to protect our employees and their families.”

*SOURCE: https://www.tirereview.com/kumho-to-shut-down-georgia-plant-in-response-to-covid-19/