Nexen Setting Up European Technology Centre

Korean tyre manufacturer Nexen is in the process of establishing a European Technical Centre in Frankfurt/Höchst, Germany. The company says that the Centre underscores its efforts to establish itself further on the European market. Two experienced tyre specialists and developers have been involved with the interface between Europe and Korea since the beginning of the year – engineer Hee-Jong Lee and Dr. Hendrik Stevens.

As general manager of the Nexen Tyre Europe Technical Centre, Hee-Jong Lee is responsible for the development of OE tyres in Europe as well as tyre testing. Nexen states that the start-up phase of a development centre is a familiar activity to Lee, thanks to his extensive research and development experience in the tyre industry in the German/European market. Together with his colleague Dr. Stevens, manager at the Nexen Tyre Europe Technical Centre, as well as other engineers and technicians who will be joining the team “in the coming weeks and months”, he will evaluate the special requirements of the European markets for certain tyre types and communicate this information to his colleagues in the development centre in Korea. Nexen says “tyre tests and other activities” will be designed to “raise the quality of Nexen products in Europe and allow the brand’s image to be established”.

Dr. Stevens, who is responsible for compound development and testing and has more than 27 years of experience in the chemical and tyre industry, says: “Although it has great products, Nexen has been less active in the European market so far due to limited production capacity. As the company is building a new factory which is scheduled to be completed in 2012, I am convinced that Nexen will be a very active player in the tyre market in Europe. I want to contribute to the growth with my knowledge and experience.”