Nokian celebrates 5 years at first North American plant

DAYTON, Tenn.—Workers at Nokian Tyres P.L.C. gathered recently to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the tire maker's plant in Dayton, its first facility in North America.

The workforce has grown from an initial group of 60 in the spring of 2019 to approximately 500 that are employed at the Southeast Tennessee plant. The company said that since that time, it has manufactured millions of tires, been lauded for its sustainable operations, and expanded its workforce eight time, while navigating a global pandemic and shifting global production landscape.

Dayton Factory Operations Director David Korda called it "humbling" to celebrate the milestone.

"We are extremely proud of our colleagues and remain committed to helping them grow their career journeys, just as they are forming the foundation for our company's growth," Korda said.

Nokian Tyres manufactures all-season and all-weather products for consumers in the U.S. and Canada, as it aims to double sales in the region.

Nokian said it is launching new production lines, expanding output, growing its light-truck tire capacity and opening a finished goods warehouse at the facility, which is set to be completed this summer. The warehouse will have a capacity of 600,000 tires.

"It's hard to believe our team in Dayton formed five years ago," Nokian Tyres North America Human Resources Director Blake Markham said. "We've been through so much as individuals and as a company. And through it all, our team has remained eager to learn and grow."

Groundbreaking occurred in the fall of 2017, and the factory held its grand opening two years later. Commercial tire production began in the winter of 2020, and the third and fourth production shifts were added in the summer of 2021.

Capacity was expanded again in January, 2023, and five months later, Nokian announced it had completed another round of hiring, adding 125 employees.

In 2021, Nokian Tyres was named Manufacturer of the Year from the Chattanooga Regional Manufacturers' Association. The company was the first in Rhea County to earn the Tennessee Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award for Sustainable Performance, a top environmental honor.

The facility is the only LEED v4 Silver-certified tire production building in the world that is powered in part by solar energy, according to Nokian.

The company has set aggressive quality and safety standards, earning ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certifications.