Hankook in bidding for Indonesia’s P.T. Multistrada

Hankook Tire Co. Ltd., which recently broke ground on a $353 million tire plant in Indonesia, is among the bidders to buy Indonesia’s P.T. Multistrada Arah Sarana Tbk., whose flag brands are Achilles, Corsa and Strada.

Hankook confirmed it’s involved in the bidding process for Bekasi, Indonesia-based P.T. Multistrada, which reported $220 million in sales in fiscal 2010 and $117 million through the first six months of 2011. The firm generates about three-fourths of its revenue from exports.

News reports from Indonesia also identify TPG Capital L.P.—which last year acquired Huntersville, N.C.-based American Tire Distributors Holdings Inc.—and Japan’s Yokohama Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. as companies engaged in the bidding process.

P.T. Multistrada has operated under that name since 2004, when investors took over P.T. Oroban Perkasa and undertook a three-year, $100 million modernization of the plant in Bekasi. The firm lists annual capacities of 8.3 million consumer and 4.7 million motorcycle tires.

Multistrada also produces private label tires for a number of U.S. distributors.

Hankook did not comment on its reasons for bidding on Multistrada. The plant that Seoul, South Korea-based Hankook is building in Bekasi is designed to be an export base for the North America and Middle East markets, as well as a regional business hub for emerging Asian markets.

During the first phase of development, Hankook said it anticipates initial capacity of approximately 6 million tires per year, with more than half of that capacity dedicated to the U.S. market. Source: Tire Business