Hankook to open winter test site in Finland

Patrick Raleigh, Crain News Service

IVALO, Finland (Dec. 10, 2015) — Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. has contracted Finnish tire testing company Test World Oy to build it a winter testing facility near Test World's existing facilities in Ivalo.

The site will be Hankook's “exclusive venue” for the expansion of its future winter product testing, starting from next December, Hankook said.

The secure proving ground, around 180 miles north of the Polar Circle, will incorporate new test tracks for different test situations and will be equipped with connecting and service roads, according to Hankook.

Preparations for the site have already started. Hankook did not disclose its investment in the project.

Hankook premium tires “must be developed and tested within their designated region, reflecting their specific road and weather conditions, to fit exactly to the local market needs during the entire year,” said Ho-Youl Pae, head of Hankook Tire in Europe.

As also a product's time to market is a key decisive factor nowadays, the new proving ground in Ivalo shall boost effectiveness of our winter testing here in Europe,” the Hankook boss added.

Another project driver, according to Hankook, has been the increasingly varying conditions and the uncertain winter in southerly parts of Scandinavia and other Alpine areas over recent time.

Test World Oy was founded in 1991 and is an independent vehicle and tire testing company owned by Millbrook Group Ltd. since earlier this year.

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This report appeared on the website of European Rubber Journal, a United Kingdom-based sister publication of Tire Business.