Japanese manufacturer Yokohama Rubber has gained a significantly larger presence in the agricultural tyres market with completion of its purchase of Trelleborg Wheel Systems for about £1.8bn.

Yokohama already owns Alliance Tire, which it bought in 2016 as part of a plan to reduce the group’s reliance on passenger car and other consumer products by expanding its off-highway portfolio.

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Acquiring Trelleborg Wheel Systems from the parent Trelleborg Group takes the split to roughly 50:50.

The newly acquired business will operate much as before as a separate company named Yokohama TWS and with the same portfolio of tractor, forestry and implement tyres carrying the Trelleborg, Maximo, Cultor and Mitas brands.

The business employs 6,600 people in 42 countries and generated £1bn turnover last year – a little more than Yokohama’s existing off-highway tyres operations.