Hankook Tire has appointed Brett Emerson as managing director for the UK effective 1 January 2019. Emerson brings over 30 years’ experience in the tyre industry, including nearly five years at Hankook in the role of UK sales director. He takes over the position from Jong Jin Park who has now relocated to Hankook’s American Headquarters to assume a new role.
Hankook has supplied several demanding series in 2018, including the DTM, FIA Formula 3 European Championship, 24H Series powered by Hankook, the VLN Endurance Championship, and the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, with the Ventus Race tyre.
Startup Europe Partnership (SEP), an initiative of the European Commission, has distinguished Fiege – which has developed a tyre logistics specialism during the last 10 years – as an Open Innovation Challenger. 24 corporate partners are listed in this annual ranking, including multinationals like Amazon, Dell or Google.
Hankook Tire says it “is ready for winter” with its Winter i*cept RS 2, Winter i*cept Evo 2 and Winter i*Pike RS 2 ranges, and to prove points to the tyres’ performance in independent tyre tests conducted in Germany, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the UK. The tyre maker notes that the testers praised “above all” the handling and braking characteristics of the Hankook tyres on snow.
Quoting sources from the “investment banking industry,” BusinessKorea reports that “a number of global tyre companies” have shown interest in acquiring Indonesia’s second-largest tyre maker, PT Multistrada Arah Sarana Tbk. The publication names Hankook Tire and Michelin as two of the interested parties.
Hankook Tire has been named exclusive tyre supplier for two race series in the USA, the F4 United States Championship and the new F3 Americas Championship, and has announced its return as official sponsor for the 24H Circuit of the Americas (COTA) race in Texas.
Hankook Tyre UK has confirmed its continued support of the Air Ambulance charity, a partnership that began with a donation of tyres in 2017. Since then, Hankook Tyre UK supported the charity through tyre donations and by arranging multiple fundraisers, both internally and during popular company events. It has also made Air Ambulance its dedicated charity of choice.
Hankook recently celebrated a long service award for Richard Ettey, regional sales manager, who has been recognised for his 10-year service at Hankook Tyre UK Ltd. Hankook were first introduced to the UK in the early 1980s with just two employees. The company now employ a total of 50 staff in the UK head office; 16 of whom have completed 10 years of service or more.
Hankook Tire has announced its financial results for Q3 2018. In the three months to 30 September, the tyre maker achieved consolidated global sales of KRW 1.7557 trillion (£1.2 billion), 3.8 per cent less than in the third quarter of 2017. At KRW 184.6 billion (£126.0 million), operating profit was down 13.8 per cent.
Hankook Tire is the latest tyre maker to establish a policy setting out social responsibility within the natural rubber value chain. The policy aims to ensure each link in the natural rubber supply chain is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.
The European Union has made its conclusive statement on the introduction of anti-dumping tariffs on truck and bus tyres and retreads manufactured in China. As previously announced, the EU will impose fixed rate anti-dumping duties on the products, with the final regulation 2018/1579 implemented from 23 October. This ends speculation that percentage rates could be applied. In fact, the EU has revised tariff levels up, almost across the board.
Volkswagen has approved the all-season Hankook Ventus S1 noble 2 [Pattern H452] as an original equipment tyre for the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line. Two Ventus S1 noble 2 sizes – 255/45R19H and 255/40R20V XL – are being fitted to versions of the SUV sold in the USA.
Hankook Tire’s recently-released electric vehicle tyre has already snapped up its first award. At last month’s International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), the Hankook Kinergy AS EV was honoured in the automotive and transportation category. This is the first time Hankook Tire has received an IDEA award for a production model, having previously only gained this distinction with concept tyres, such as its ‘climate change’ concepts in 2015 and its ‘Birth On Nature’ (BON) tyre two years later.
A third-place finish at the Hockenheimring in Germany yesterday sufficed for Gary Paffett to clinch his second DTM title. The British driver ended the season with 255 points, four points ahead of last year’s champion René Rast. This year’s victory in the touring car championship comes 13 years after Paffett won his first DTM title.
Continental’s WinterContact TS 860 has won its third consecutive Auto Express winter tyre test. The tyre beat strong competition from major manufacturers, most notably Hankook, whose Winter i*cept RS2 received a “commended” rating in second place, in a test tweaked this year “to better reflect UK driving conditions”. Outside the winter tyre competition, Auto Express also commented that the all-season control tyre, the Michelin CrossClimate+, not only finished close to the top in dry and wet tests, but was also only behind Hankook’s star performer in the snow – a result Auto Express described as “remarkable”.
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