Watch: Nokian opens test center in Spain

SANTA CRUZ de la ZARZA, Spain—Nokian Tyres P.L.C. has begun to test tires at its new 740-acre test center in Santa Cruz de la Zarza, nicknamed the "Hakka Ring" by employees.

Nokian reports that all 10 tracks in the facility are being used to test tires in extreme conditions, including the 7-kilometer oval track the tire maker considers the crown jewel of the facility. The track allows testing at speeds of up to 190 miles per hour.

The facility, which represents an investment of $73 million, will be used to test all-season and all-weather tires—many produced at Nokian's North American plant in Dayton, Tenn.—in all kinds of summer conditions.

"Hakka Ring" emerged as the winner of an internal name competition Nokian conducted with employees. Around 150 different nicknames for the new test center were suggested, and Hakka Ring was chosen as a tribute to Nokian's well-known product line, Hakkapeliitta, combined with the fact that several tracks around the world are called "ring."

Olli Seppala, head of research and development for Nokian, said each test center represents an investment "in innovativeness, and the expansion of testing activities is a big and important leap for us. The versatile tracks and modern equipment of the Spain test center enable us to test tires on wet and dry, so that heavy rain or intense heat will not bring any surprises."

Nokian has two of its own winter testing facilities near its global headquarters in its home country of Finland—one in Nokia and the second in Ivalo, Finland, north of the Arctic Circle. At both tracks, Nokian tests its portfolio of winter and all-weather tires.

Nokian said the test center enables the company to speed up the product development and "to strengthen its position as a manufacturer of premium tires."

"Now we can test our tires in our own test center in all the conditions they are developed for," Seppala said. "This is a big competitive advantage for us—especially when considering the products developed for the Central European market as well as for the North American market."

Construction of the test center began in 2018, but it was temporarily halted due to COVID-19.

"Similar test centers are rarely built in the world, and the world-class test conditions increase our credibility as a premium tire manufacturer," Jukka Kasi, SVP products and Innovations, said.

The center also houses a Visitor Center, which is also ready for use.

Nokian said the center utilizes many environmentally friendly technologies, including more than 1,000 solar panels, water recycling and white roofs.

Nokian said it is researching new bio-based materials near the site to enable even more sustainable tire production in the future.