Seoul, Korea / Clarksville, Tennessee, USA / Neu-Isenburg, Germany, October 18, 2017 – Premium tyre maker Hankook has conducted the grand opening ceremony for its first manufacturing facility in the United States. The Tennessee based plant stands for Hankook’s commitment to technology, innovation and growth in North America. The new facility will further strengthen Hankook Tire’s global production portfolio. The company now operates a network of manufacturing bases located in all major automobile regions, such as America (USA), Europe (Hungary) and Asia (Korea, China, Indonesia). The development of the Tennessee Plant is integral to Hankook Tire’s strategic vision of becoming a global top-tier tyre brand, while providing products of the highest quality to its customers. The grand opening celebration took place at the facility in Clarksville, Tennessee. In attendance were Governor Bill Haslam, United States Representative Marsha Blackburn, Korean Consul General Seong-jin Kim, and many other prominent state and local officials.
The Tennessee plant is Hankook Tire’s eighth plant worldwide and expands the company's global footprint of state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities that serve customers globally. It will produce 5.5 million units annually, enabling Hankook Tire to more efficiently provide customers and consumers with premium quality tyres and industry-leading services to meet the demands of the American market, while supporting existing and future global Original Equipment (OE) partners.
“The new Tennessee plant signifies Hankook Tire’s growing business in the United States and our continued journey toward being a global leader in the tyre industry,” said Seung Hwa Suh, Global CEO of Hankook Tire. “The investment in the U.S. is part of our ongoing commitment to innovation, state-of-the-art technology and service for our customers. This high-tech, sustainable facility will enable Hankook Tire to execute every phase of our business in the U.S., from R&D to production and sales.”
Hankook Tire incorporated sustainable design and construction practices in the development of the 1.5 million square foot facility, which spans 469 acres. The Tennessee plant will produce tyres for Passenger Cars, SUVs- and Light Trucks from Hankook Tire’s extensive North American lineup. Leveraging top-tier technology and highly automated processes, the new facility will be Hankook Tire’s key business growth driver in the North American market. The production plant is part of the company’s continued global investment strategy.
In Europe, Hankook Tire has recently made extensive investments as well. A state-of-the-art indoor testing facility has been installed to the company's high-end European production plant in Hungary. And Hankook Tire Technotrac, the new top class test centre and proving ground for winter tyres in Finland had been added to the company's Germany based European development centre. This integrated approach to tyre development and production in Europe has facilitated Hankook to become one of the main suppliers for many European premium automobile manufacturers, including top brands such as Audi, BMW, MAN, Mercedes Benz cars and trucks, MINI, Porsche, Scania and VW.
