Nokian Tyres produced the first tire at its new plant in Romania. The tire was the Nokian Tyres Snowproof 2 non-studded winter tire.
ORADEA, Romania—Nokian Tyres P.L.C. has produced the first tire at its new tire factory in Romania and said it is on schedule to start commercial tire production in early 2025.
Finland-based Nokian said the milestone was reached as planned and that the $700 million tire plant is progressing on budget. Groundbreaking at the facility in Oradea was celebrated in May 2023.
"With the first tire we have been able to test the production capabilities of the new factory, and the processes work as planned," Adrian Kaczmarczyk, Nokian senior vice president for operation excellence, said in a statement. "We have also successfully trained the new Nokian Tyres team members to produce premium tires in the same uncompromising way as our other factories."
Nokian said in a news release that recruitment for employees to staff the Romanian factory started last year, and that the tire maker has recruited employees for production and office positions. The 60-member launch team involved with the ramp-up of production trained in the Nokian Tyres factory in Finland during the spring. Altogether the factory will employ approximately 500 people.
"It is thanks to the hard work of the whole team that we are now celebrating the production of the first made in Romania Nokian Tyres tire," Kaczmarczyk said.
Annual capacity at the Nokian Tyres Romania factory will be 6 million tires once the factory is fully operational, with expansion potential in the future. The combined built-up area totals a bit over 1 million square feet, according to the company.
Tires produced in the Romania factory primarily will be sold in the Central European market, and the site is strategically located close to the customers of that area. The new plant is designed to take the place of the factory in Russia that Nokian divested in the wake of Russia's invasion of and ongoing war with Ukraine
The first tire produced in the Romania factory was the Nokian Tyres Snowproof 2 non-studded winter tire designed for Central European passenger car drivers. The tire was chosen, the company said, as Nokian celebrates the 90th anniversary of one of its top innovations, the winter tire.
"Nokian Tyres invented the winter tire in 1934. It is only fitting that 90 years later we commemorate the occasion by producing one of our flagship winter products in our newest factory," Kaczmarczyk said. "Our purpose is to make the world safer by reinventing tires, and how they are made, over and over again. This is exactly what we have done tire after tire, and what we are set to do with the new Romania factory."
Nokian also said the Romania facility will be the world's first zero CO2 emission tire factory. It will be an industry benchmark with a holistic approach to sustainability, including the use of solely CO2-free energy sources and energy-efficient and highly automated processes.
In addition, the factory aims for the same zero waste to landfill standard from production as the company's other factories in Finland and in the U.S.
Nokian Tyres posted sales of $1.2 billion in 2023, a 13-percent drop from the prior year. For the year, Nokian more than tripled segment operating profit to $70.4 million, from $18.7 million reported in 2022.
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