Why Yokohama?

ーCompany Interview SeriesーCheng Shin Rubber Ind. Co., Ltd.
The opening of a Japan office
is a cornerstone of our furthergrowth. Hoping to advanceefforts to have our tires
chosen by Japanese
automobile manufacturers andincrease delivery to new cars.

At the time we opened the Japan office, I was the only resident
employee. The office was launched with support from WBC.
Cheng Shin Rubber Industry, founded in 1967, is the largest tire manufacturer inTaiwan. The company has many production sites in China and Southeast Asia.
Belonging to the Cheng Shin/MAXXIS Group, we have over the years beenachieving solid sales throughout the world, and are currently ranked ninth
globally. To achieve further growth, we are focusing on invigorating our businesswith Japanese automobile manufacturers. Our tire is already being used in a
number of vehicle models. However, a major challenge for us is to strengthen ourapproach toward automobile manufacturers from the developmental stage of
new vehicle models, and thereby increase the amount of tires delivered to newcars. This Japan office was opened in January 2017 in order to achieve this goal.
We decided on Yokohama as the location for our office after considering theconvenient access it offers to the various automobile manufacturers in Japan, andbecause of its superiority in terms of initial costs. However, we had very little
knowledge on how to go about opening an office. As such, we first went to JETRO
and asked for their advice, upon which we were introduced to the Yokohama
World Business Support Center (WBC). Since I was the only resident employee atthe time of the launch, it was very reassuring to have the comprehensive supportof WBC with regards to a foreign company opening an office in Japan; thus, weimmediately decided to lease an office with WBC.
Having opened an office in Japan, there has been a dramatic increase inopportunities for us to meet directly with Japanese customers—particularly
automobile manufacturers with whom we wish to expand business relationships
including new projects. Indeed, I am away half the week on business trips for
conducting sales activities or responding to customer needs. I am kept busy everyday.

Yokohama is not only a convenient location for offices, but alsooffers various attractive features as a place to live.
Mr. Henry Chiu, Representative of Japan Office

Like Japan, Taiwan is also an island country. And since Taiwan is surrounded bythe sea, I have an affinity with port towns. I personally love bay areas, so I
immediately fell in love with Yokohama, where you can smell the sea breeze.
WBC, where we have our office, is also close to the ocean. It is also convenient asa place for work, and there are many distinctive shopping centers in the area,including within Yokohama World Porters, which is the building where the office
is located. I never grow tired of the area, as I discover something new every day.
The place where I live is a quiet residential area about seven minutes away bytrain. I think another positive feature about Yokohama is its extensive residential
areas with lots of greenery, which are found very close to such modern businessareas as Minato Mirai 21. A second resident employee will arrive soon to work at
our office. I am sure that he will also love Yokohama. And I will work together
with him to gear up our Japan office for full-scale business operations in
preparation for its incorporation. We will be relying on the advice and assistanceof WBC with regards to procedures for the incorporation. If we increase ourbusiness with Japanese automobile manufacturers, it will also lead to increased
demand in markets in China and the United States. The Japan office is tasked withkeeping an eye on these markets as we strive to serve as a liaison between ourheadquarters in Taiwan and the Japanese automobile manufacturers. Therefore,
this office in Japan is an important site that will greatly affect the future growth ofour company.
Interviewed by Yokohama World Business Support Center, 8/1/2017