Hankook's 10 millionth tire rolls off the production line in Hungary
Vice President Sang-Il Lee, Managing Director of Hankook Tire's Hungary factory (right) congratulates
Péter Lantos, manager of tire inspection (left) on producing the 10 millionth tire
Just two and a half years following the opening of its manufacturing plant in Rácalmás, Hungary, Hankook Tire rolled its 10 millionth tire off the production line in the Hungarian plant in January 2010. The world-class growth has been fuelled by the European markets that set high standards, bringing major challenges to manufacturers.
Hankook tyres in Europe are manufactured in the Rácalmás plant located 60km south of Hungary’s capital Budapest. The factory opened in 2007 as one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities in Europe. Employing more than 1,200 people after finishing the first investment stage, the plant currently produces about 15,000 tires a day (about five million annually) in various different specifications for passenger cars, SUVs, vans and light trucks.
“The demand for our tires has been growing steadily and dynamically all over Europe,” said Jin-Wook Choi, Hankook Tire Executive Vice-President and COO in Europe. “This has allowed our European plant to roll its 10 millionth tire off the production earlier than expected. Consequently,” Mr Choi continued,” we are investing further 230 million euros into the expansion of the plant to enable the production of 10 million tires a year or more than 30,000 tires a day from 2012.”
As the anniversary tire the Hankook Ventus V12 evo came out of the heating mold. This recently launched ultra-high-performance (UHP) wide base tire for sporty driving is one of the company’s most popular products and offers superb wet and dry handling performance as well as a sophisticated and stylish tread design. With its already proven low rolling resistance, the tire can also help to reduce CO2 emission and improve fuel efficiency.
Markets for UHP and environmentally friendly tires show particularly strong growth in Europe. Beside Hankook’s state-of-the-art European tire plant, the company runs its own R&D facility in Europe. At Hankook’s European Technical Center (ETC) located in Langenhagen, nearby Hannover, Germany, more than 40 engineers and technicians are researching to develop tyres specifically to meet future needs of the European markets, closely cooperating with the factory in Hungary.
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