Hankook to receive US plant site in August

According to local body the Clarksville-Montgomery County Industrial Development Board, the site of Hankook Tire America’s future 140,000 square metre (1.5 million square foot) factory in the US state of Tennessee will be ready by 31 August. Board executive director Mike Evans said “we’re going to do everything we can to get the site ready to turn over to them by that time.” Evans told the full board that a contractor to handle the site work is expected to be selected shortly after a meeting on 17 March.

The project will then involve preparing the large, open-field site, and taking it to “pad-ready” status. That process is expected to consume most of this summer. Evans said the formal name of the Clarksville facility will be Hankook Tire Manufacturing Tennessee L.P.

Hankook Tire announced last October it would build the US$800 million plant in Clarksville, Tennessee to produce high-end performance tyres at an annual production rate of about 11 million when it reaches full capacity in 2018. Groundbreaking for the consumer tyre plant is slated for late 2014, and the plant is expected to be in commercial production in 2016.