Round the clock, seven days a week production will soon be reality at the Nokian Tyres plant in Nokia, Finland. The tyre maker says the change to this format should “significantly” increase production capacity for passenger car tyres. Nokian is creating approximately 80 new jobs at the factory to accommodate this higher capacity.
New sizes have joined the Nokian E-Truck medium/regional haul and Nokian R-Truck on-/off-road ranges. Nokian Tyres has introduced a steer axle Nokian E-Truck Steer fitment in size 385/55R22.5 as well as a Nokian R-Truck Trailer tyre in size 285/70R19.5.
Nokian Tyres has regained its operational strength. The Finnish manufacturer shares that its sales rose by more than a third in the first nine months of this year, while operating profit more than quadrupled over the same period, nudging the margin up to 17.9 per cent.
Finland’s Nokian Tyres says that its large investment phase is now over and, following revisions to the company’s mid-term strategy, the goal is now to “fully benefit” from these investments. The company aims for organic growth ahead of the market and increasing market share in all key regions, with a target to achieve net sales of 2 billion euros in the mid-term.
Under a new ten-year agreement, Nordic energy company Gasum will supply renewable wind energy for the electricity Nokian Tyres uses in its factory in Finland as well as its Vianor operations within the country. Supply of power produced at a new wind farm in North Ostrobotnia will start in 2023.
As the popularity of quiet electric cars increases, so has the focus on tyre noise. European tyre labelling has raised consumer awareness of pass-by noise, but it would be a mistake to assume that pass-by noise is the only noise category. Recently, Nokian Tyres has sought to highlight how it considers noise aspects in tyre research and development as well as testing.
After a Covid-enforced delay, Auto Express has published its 2021 Summer Tyre Test, with Hankook leading a list of nine top tyre brands. Each of the nine tyres displayed strengths in at least one of the test segments. The UK magazine used Continental’s Contidrom proving ground near Hanover in Germany to conduct its objective performance tests, enlisting the help of a local independent tyre tester to get around travel restrictions in the country before verifying the results. The problems of testing tyres in Europe with rules around travel in flux also affected the way Auto Express was able to get tyres to the proving ground; rather than acquire tyres on the open market, it asked manufacturers to send sets, verifying the test-topping tyres against regular production models after the fact. The magazine used the size 225/45 R17, as it had previously in 2018 – a very popular UK size for compact to medium-sized family cars, and in this case one fitted to the tyre test mainstay Volkswagen Golf.
Nokian Tyres’ board of directors has approved its revised mid-term strategy and updated financial and non-financial targets. The Finnish tyre manufacturer is targeting growth faster than the market to reach net sales of 2 billion euros, plus an increasing market share in its key markets. “Our large investment phase is completed, and we are well positioned for organic growth and strong performance,” said , Jukka Moisio, Nokian president and CEO.
A new commercial trailer tyre has joined the Nokian Hakka Truck range. With the launch of the Hakka Truck Trailer, Nokian Heavy Tyres now offers an all-weather fitment for every axle position.
The difference a year can make. Almost 12 months to the day after reporting an operating loss of 13.7 million euros for the first half of 2020, Nokian Tyres has announced achieving an operating profit of 126.1 million in the six months to 30 June 2021 with an earnings per share of 0.72 euros. It achieved this result on the back of net sales that were up 37.7 per cent year-on-year to 758.0 million euros. Nokian Tyres notes that when looking at comparable currencies, net sales increased by 41.5 per cent.
Nokian Tyres has added a fourth production shift at its North American factory in Dayton, Tennessee, and is now producing tyres around the clock at its 2019-opened facility. The switch to 24/7 production coincides with the Dayton plant’s ISO 14001 certification.
Contractors who operate tractors in regions where winters are harsh rely on tyres that provide grip in varying conditions, such as the Nokian Hakkapeliitta TRI. Nokian Heavy Tyres has expanded this range with the addition of two 65-series sizes, 540/65R28 and 650/65R38. A total of 29 dimensions are now available.
Railways are typically best suited to vehicles with metal wheels, and a backhoe is thus not on home turf in such an environment. It requires a tyre able to cope with driving over thin metal rails, something which can cause uneven wear and shorten tyre life. Nokian Tyres says it has been perfecting a specific tyre for railway use for several years and is now introducing the Nokian Ground Kare Semi-Slick. With this new tyre, the manufacturer says it “solves many problems that were previously typical when using a backhoe loader on railroads.”
Nokian Tyres has equipped its logistics centre in Nokia, Finland with solar power capabilities. The plant consists of 3,160 solar panels with a combined output of more than 1,100 kilowatts (kW). All electricity generated by the solar panels is used by the logistics centre, including to provide lighting and ventilation.
Nokian Tyres is adding third and fourth production shifts at its US factory to increase output capacity to 24/7 production at the facility, in response to rising demand in North America. The company launched its third production shift the week of May 17 and will add the fourth shift in mid-July. Adding shifts is on pace with Nokian Tyres’ plans to produce as many as one million tyres at the Dayton factory in 2021.
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