Japanese tyre manufacturer Toyo Tire Serbia will lay the foundation stone on 19 March for a new research and development (R&D) centre in Inđija, marking the next stage of the company’s expansion in Serbia and the consolidation of its European operations around the country’s automotive manufacturing hub.
The ceremony is expected to be attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, representatives of the Japanese corporation including Satoru Mori, and officials from the Embassy of Japan in Serbia, highlighting the strategic importance of the investment for bilateral economic relations and for Serbia’s industrial development.
The R&D facility will be built within the industrial complex where Toyo Tire already operates its large tyre production plant. The company began production at the site in 2022, and the factory currently employs roughly 630 workers, producing around five million tyres annually for export markets.
The new research centre represents a strategic shift in the company’s European technology structure. Toyo Tire plans to move its existing European research activities from Germany to Serbia, establishing the Inđija complex as the primary European R&D hub, with operations expected to start around 2027.
The laboratory will focus on the development of new rubber materials, tyre compounds and manufacturing technologies aimed at improving performance, safety and energy efficiency. Engineers will also work on advanced processing technologies and testing methods designed to shorten development cycles and accelerate the commercialisation of new products.
By locating research, production and management functions in the same industrial cluster, Toyo Tire aims to strengthen collaboration between its global technology centres in Japan, the United States and Europe. This integrated structure is expected to improve product development efficiency and support the company’s competitiveness in global tyre markets.
The investment also reflects the growing importance of Serbia as a manufacturing platform for international automotive suppliers. Toyo Tire opened its first European tyre factory in Inđija with an investment of roughly €380 million, making it the company’s largest industrial project in Europe and one of the biggest Japanese investments in Serbia.
Once the R&D centre becomes operational, the Inđija complex will combine production, research and regional management functions in a single location. For Serbia’s industrial policy, such investments are significant because they move the country’s role in global supply chains beyond assembly and production toward technology development and engineering capabilities.
The construction of the research centre therefore signals a deeper stage of integration between Serbia’s manufacturing base and global automotive technology networks. By hosting both advanced production and research activities, the Inđija complex is expected to strengthen Serbia’s position as a key industrial hub within Toyo Tire’s European strategy and within the broader automotive supply chain across Southeast Europe.
