Build a tire factory, they will come

Although Giti Tire is a significant player in China with multiple tire factories and more than 200 fitments there, the Singapore company remains largely unknown in North America's original equipment tire business. But that's changing. The company is building its first U.S. plant — in Richburg, S.C. — and has landed its first U.S. contract with an automaker — for the 2019 Volkswagen Passat, to be produced in Chattanooga. John Aben, 56, senior vice president of OE and consumer sales for North America at Giti Tire USA, spoke with Correspondent Stephanie Hernandez McGavin about Giti's arrival.