DIAMOND BAR, Calif.—When it comes to making tires, Nexen Tire America Inc. now has half a billion reasons to celebrate.
The tire maker recently announced it has manufactured more than 500 million tires without a recall since 2000.
"Nexen Tire is known globally for having some of the most stringent quality control standards in the tire industry, and we feel our milestone of 21 years with zero recalls is truly a testament to our commitment to safety," John Hagan, executive vice president of sales for Nexen Tire America, said.
"We plan to build on this incredible achievement with an aggressive growth plan to become a global top 10 tire manufacturer by 2025, and we are confident our proven manufacturing process will get us there."
Nexen has four plants around the world—two in the South Korean cities of Yangsan and Changnyeong, one in Qingdao, China, and its newest plant in Zatech, Czech Republic—and produces more than 42 million tires each year for passenger cars, CUV/SUVs and light trucks.
The company supplies OEM tires for more than 20 global car makers in North and South America, Asia and Europe.
Nexen said it uses a "highly sophisticated" seven-step process in its tire manufacturing. Each tire is subjected to a five-step checklist before shipping to one of Nexen's distribution centers.
This testing process includes:
- Visual inspection of the tire's interior, exterior and bead;
- Weight distribution, which is tested using an ultrasonic beam to verify consistent weight distribution before wheel assembly;
- Dynamic balance, which measures balancing and optimal air pressure after wheel assembly;
- Uniformity test, which ensures the uniformity and rigidity of the size of the tire; and
- X-ray, which verifies the inside of the tires and structure of belts are free of manufacturing defects and foreign materials.
Nexen operates three global tire technology centers equipped with rubber-testing labs and indoor test wheels capable of running both rolling resistance and high-speed uniformity simulations. The company's latest tire technology center opened last year in Richfield, Ohio.
