Dutch tire-building equipment specialist VMI has unveiled a brand-new service hub in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. The new site is built to deliver reliable technical maintenance and after-sales support for tire manufacturers operating across Mexico.
VMI Group’s Leon service facility is now fully operational. Located in the Bajio tire manufacturing cluster, the region hosts manufacturing plants owned by Michelin, Pirelli and other major tire producers. The installed base of tire equipment keeps expanding rapidly, creating strong demand for local technical services.
Covering around 1,000 square meters, this new hub features a dedicated drum workshop and offers equipment overhaul, technical assistance and hands-on customer training. The construction follows strict sustainability requirements for energy usage and waste handling. A tree-planting event took place after the opening ceremony to reflect VMI’s EcoVadis Platinum certification for sustainable operations.
Fonseca, state subsecretary, Rodriguez, deputy mayor of Leon and Harm Voortman, CEO of VMI Group attended the ribbon-cutting event alongside clients and VMI’s local technical team. During the launch event, a customer seminar was arranged to demonstrate VMI’s latest tire building systems and full-range tire component preparation technologies.
“Our new hub in Leon, the dedicated drum workshop and local team enable us to serve Mexican customers with greater efficiency, quicker response and higher service quality,” stated Harm Voortman.
This new Mexican service hub is a key step in VMI’s global service network rollout. Earlier, the group set up a sales and support office in Yokohama, Japan, a strategically important tire market for VMI.
Over recent years, massive tire manufacturing capacity has relocated to Mexico, pushing up the volume of installed tire building and component processing machinery. Service models relying only on remote guidance and overseas technicians suffer from long waiting times and high costs. VMI’s local workshop and resident technical team meet the on-site service needs of Latin American tire factories. The company evolves from simply selling machinery to offering a combined “equipment + local on-site service” package, which has become a widespread strategy among global tire machinery manufacturers.
