Nexen relocates North American headquarters to Ohio

RICHFIELD, Ohio — The Rubber City is getting a new tenant.

Nexen Tire America Inc. is relocating its North American headquarters to its technical center in Richfield, located 20 miles north of Akron, from Diamond Bar, Calif., where it's been for the past 16 years.

Yangsan, South Korea-based Nexen Tire Corp. joins several tire companies that have a presence in the Akron area in the form of technical centers, such as Bridgestone Americas; Goodyear; Kumho Tire U.S.A.; Kenda Tire U.S.A. Inc.; Linglong Americas Inc.; Triangle Tyre Group Co. Ltd.; and Hankook Tire America Corp.

Akron earned the designation Rubber City in the early 1900s, when it was home base for several of the world's largest tire makers. Of these, Goodyear is the lone remaining company headquartered in Akron.

Nexen will integrate its corporate and sales staffs into its North American technical center, a $5.2 million, 35,540-sq.-ft. facility that opened in 2019. The U.S. tech center is one of three that Nexen operates around the world.

Nexen—considered the No. 20 tire maker worldwide, with 2020 sales of $1.4 billion—said it considered several locations before opting to move to the Ohio technical center.

The key benefits of the move, the company said, are ensuring a central location for its U.S. customer, as well as allowing Nexen to strategize ways to increase frequency of traveling to customers, thus enhancing operating efficiency.

The company said it will continue to provide training and support to its network of dealers nationwide.

"Nexen Tire's road to growth is running straight through the middle of the country into Richfield, Ohio, and we're ecstatic to be reuniting with an already incredible and established team at our North American technical center," said Brian YoonSeok Han, CEO of Nexen Tire America.

"Our world-renowned technical center is best known for its unmatched tire testing and development and is now the official home of the Nexen Tire America team, where we will continue to develop top-tier tires for our customers."

John Hagan, executive vice president of sales for Nexen Tire America, has relocated to the facility.

The number of employees at the facility will increase to 50 from 20 as a result of the move. The headquarters in Diamond Bar will close at the end of November. Some employees will be relocating to the warehouse in California.

Nexen said it will continue to operate its three U.S. distribution facilities, located in Ontario, Calif.; Morrow, Ga.; and Lockbourne, Ohio; as well, "providing tires to its customers and its network of dealers faster than ever."

Yangsan, South Korea-based Nexen Tire has operated under that name since 2000. Prior to that it was known as Woosung Tire Corp. Nexen means "next century."

The company established Nexen Tire America in 2005. Nexen derived roughly 32 percent of its global sales revenue in 2020 in North America.