BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Sumitomo Rubber announced Tuesday its plans to open a technical center in Getzville for design and product testing.

The announcement follows the company's closure of its Tonawanda plant last November, which affected 1,550 employees. The plant manufactured tires for cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles. Its closure followed "an extended examination of the viability of the facility" and took both employees and local leaders by surprise.

Forty engineers and other salaried employees will be hired under Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI), according to a news release, and 10 employees will work out of Huntsville, Ala., at SRI America's test track.

The new technical center will support research and development initiatives for passenger, motorcycle and light truck tire

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