Hankook Tire rolls its 10 millionth tyre off the production line in Hungary

• More European made Hankook tyres for the European market
• Plant’s capacity to be doubled within next two years

Rácalmás, Hungary, January 28, 2010 – Just two and a half years following the opening of its manufacturing plant in Rácalmás, Hungary, Hankook Tire, one of the world’s most dynamically growing and fastest expanding tyre manufacturers,  rolled its 10 millionth tyre 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 some 60 km 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 1^st investment stage, the plant currently produces about 15,000 tyres a day (about 5 million annually) in various different specifications for passenger cars, SUVs, vans and light trucks.

“The demand for our tyres 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 tyre off the production earlier than expected. Consequently,” Mr. Choi continues,” we are investing further 230 million euros into the expansion of the plant to enable the production of 10 million tyres a year or more than 30,000 tyres a day from 2012.”

As the anniversary tyre the Hankook Ventus V12 evo came out of the heating mould. This recently launched ultra-high-performance (UHP) wide base tyre 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 resistance¹⁾, the tyre can also help to reduce CO2 emission and improve fuel efficiency.

Markets for UHP and environmentally friendly tyres show particularly strong growth in Europe. Beside Hankook’s state-of-the-art European tyre plant, the company runs its own R&D-facility in Europe. Here 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.

The recognized high-quality products coupled with the cutting-edge technology have enabled Hankook Tire to partner with renowned car manufacturers like Volkswagen, Audi, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Opel and Renault. The Hungarian facility already directly supplies tyres to the European plants of Hyundai and Volkswagen for the Hyundai i30 and the Volkswagen T5 models. 

1) Germany’s biggest Automotive Magazine Auto Bild has tested several UHP-tyres in its issue 28/2008. Beside top notes in all perfor-mance criteria the Ventus V12 evo was also providing a remarkable 8.5 % average lower rolling resistance compare to all competitors.