At Hankook Tire America’s annual ‘Partners Day’, the tyre maker gave an overview of its recent successes and shared it plans to build upon these accomplishments. US industry publication Tire Review was there and shares news of the event held in Cancun, Mexico.
According to a statement released by Hankook Tire, production has commenced at the company’s Liang Jiang Xin Qu factory in China’s Chongqing region. The tyre maker writes that the plant’s initial production capacity goal of 2,400 tyres a day is expected to be reached by mid-2013; upon breaking ground at the factory site in May 2011, Hankook said it aimed to produce 4,500 truck and bus radials and 30,000 passenger car radials a day in Chongqing by the end of 2015.
Hankook Tire has been awarded two iF Design Awards for its Ventus S1 evo2 Motion Graphic Brochure and Eco Motion Graphic Brochure animated product films. Both have both been awarded the 2013 iF Design Award in the ‘communication’ category. This marks the third time that Hankook has received the internationally recognised design award; the tyre maker also gained this distinction in 2009 and 2011.
Hankook Tire America Corp has named Thomas Kenny its new vice president of technology and head of its Akron Technical Center. Tire Review reports that Kenny will be responsible for managing various aspects of work at the Akron Technical Center, including development, testing and research for Hankook tyres sold in the US.
Hankook says its market share in Britain is on the rise, and this has led to the need for an additional local stock holding facility. The company has established a new warehouse in Daventry to meet its requirements, and recently celebrated the opening of the new facility. Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, patron of charity Transaid – a charity also supported by the tyre maker – joined staff at Hankook’s new Daventry warehouse on 7 February, where she officially opened the new stock holding facility.
Drummond Distribution, a logistic provider for Hankook, has rolled out new liveries featuring the manufacturer’s corporate identity. The family run business, Drummond Distribution has worked with Hankook for over 12 years providing a next day delivery service to customers across Scotland.
Tyre manufacturer Hankook has unveiled plans for the construction of the company’s new central R&D facility in Korea. The centre, covering the total area of around 100,000 m², will be located at Daedeok Innopolis, South Korea’s premier research complex located in Daejeon, about 150 km south of Seoul. The construction of the new facility is projected to be completed by the end of 2015.
Hankook Tire is tweaking its global management team. Soo Il Lee, who is currently president of Hankook Tire America, will as of 1 January take on the position of president and COO of Hankook’s China regional headquarters. The person he’s replacing, Byeong Jin Lee, has been appointed Soo Il Lee’s successor in the US-based position.
Barely a month has passed since the Hankook Masters Programme was launched in our part of the world, and Hankook Tyre UK reports having four outlets on board, the most recent sign-up being Corby Tyres. The tyre maker has big plans for Hankook Masters, and foresees a network exceeding 100 outlets in the UK within three years.
Hankook is sponsoring the Tune It! Safe! initiative in Germany for the eighth consecutive year. For 2013 the tyre maker will again serve as main sponsor for the safe and legal car tuning campaign, an initiative that enjoys the support of the German Association of Automotive Tuners (VDAT) under the patronage of the German Federal Transport Minister. At the start of the Essen Motor Show on 30 November, Hankook showed off its 2013 campaign vehicle, a Brabus-tuned Mercedes A-Class sporting the initiative’s now-familiar police livery. When on patrol, the modified Mercedes will roll on Hankook’s Ventus S1 evo2 tyres in size 235/35 ZR 19 XL.
South Korean tyre maker Hankook will serve as tyre supplier to next year’s FIA Formula 3 European Championship.
As part of its corporate social responsibility program (CSR) in Hungary, Hankook has donated over 1300 winter tyres to three organisations – National Ambulance Service, National Disaster Relief and Hungarian Red Cross – to support their invaluable services to the community. This is the largest tyre donation ever in Hungary.
In 2012, Hankook launched an overarching CSR strategy in Hungary, where the company's European production facilities are located. The "Hankook Value Creation Program" is based on three pillars: Environment, Health & Education and Social Campaigning.
Hankook launched the latest flight of its global television ad campaign "Be One with It" across Europe. Continuing from the "Sky Jumper" summer theme, the 2012 "Be One with It – Snowboarder" winter campaign will be aired on TV in October through to the end of December in the company’s key winter tyre markets Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Russia. The spots will also be shown online in various channels like social media in Sweden, UK, and France.
Hankook Tyre, reported in NZ News, says that its operating profit jumped 21.7 per cent in the third quarter from a year earlier, fueled by brisk overseas sales of its ultra-high performance (UHP) tyres. Operating profit reached 219.6 billion won (US$ 201 million) in the three months ending Sept. 30, up 21.7 per cent from the same period last year.
Hankook is introducing its Hankook Masters Programme in the UK with the recent launch of Mr Tyre in Leicester. According to the company, the Hankook Masters Programme has been designed to create a consistent retail expression across all shop formats to provide a unified brand experience to consumers. Hankook Tyre UK has been working in partnership with independent retail customers to identify depots situated in prime locations across the UK who stock and actively promote the Hankook brand. The Hankook Masters Programme is set to continue to expand into the New Year with plans to complete in excess of 100 new shops during the next three years across the UK.
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