In an announcement on its website on Wednesday, the company said the Slovenia facility would be a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Lonstroff, which Sumitomo Rubber took over in January of 2015.

The start of production at the Slovenian site is planned for April 2019. The investment would create 200 jobs.

With the investment, Sumitomo Rubber plans to triple its production capacity of primary packaging and rubber parts for medical applications in Europe compared with 2016.

The company said the investment was another big step in the expansion of its precision rubber parts for medical application business on a global scale.

According to the business newspaper Finance, the exact location of the 30,000 square-metre site in Slovenia will be revealed by the end of the week. The subsidiary will be named Lonstroff medicinski elastomeri.

Sumitomo Rubber Industries has been expanding its business since acquiring the Swiss company Lonstroff, which produces and sells rubber parts for pharmaceutical primary packaging and rubber parts for medical applications to major pharmaceutical and medical companies.

The Japanese company makes tyres for vehicles, aluminium wheels, precision rubber parts for office equipment, floor coating, marine fenders, rubber water seals, artificial turf for sporting facilities, rubber gloves, rubber gas tubes and portable wheelchair ramps, among other things.

It employs almost 6,700 people in 22 plants in Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brazil, South Africa, US, Turkey and Switzerland, according to information on its website.