ORADEA, Romania — Workers at Nokian Tyres P.L.C.'s passenger tire factory being built in Oradea produced the $697 million plant's first tire on July 1.
The milestone was reached as planned and the building project is progressing on budget and on schedule for commercial tire production to start in early 2025, the company said. The groundbreaking of the factory was celebrated in May 2023.
Nokian Tyres has recruited 60 employees for both production and the office. The factory eventually will employ about 500 people.
"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, senior vice president, operation excellence, for Nokian Tyres, said.
"We have also successfully trained the new Nokian Tyres team members to produce premium tires in the same uncompromising way as our other factories. 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."
The annual capacity of 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 some 100,000 square meters. The investment is estimated to total about $697.3 million.
The tires produced in the Romania factory will be sold primarily in Central European markets