Takagi “will work with staff in all departments to continuously evaluate sales and marketing efforts in the United States and create plans for the future,” the company reports.
“Mr. Takagi brings with him extensive knowledge and understanding of Toyo’s global vision,” says Masaharu Yoshimoto, president and CEO. “This insight and strategic thinking is extremely important as we continue to grow the Toyo brand in the United States.”
From January 2006 to August of this year, Takagi served as general manager of the corporate planning department at the Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. parent firm. (Based in Cypress, Calif., Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. is a subsidiary of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas, Inc., which is a subsidiary of the Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. of Osaka, Japan.) In this role, he coordinated with all of Toyo’s entities, including involvement with both tires and Divertech – a company unit that manages and oversees chemical and industrial products along with an automotive parts division.
Takagi wrote the Mid-Term Plan ’08 and Vision 15, documents outlining strategies and setting goals for global expansion to be achieved prior to the company’s 70th anniversary in 2015. He also played a key role in negotiating a recent business alliance with Bridgestone Corp.
Prior to January 2006, Takagi held several international positions while in Europe for nearly 20 years, including director of Toyo Tyre LTD in the United Kingdom and president of Germany’s Toyo Reifen GmbH.
For more information, visit www.toyo.com.