Hankook Tire has revealed its investment plan to build Hankook Tire Test Engineering Center in Sangju City, Korea. Today, Hankook Tire signed MOU with Sangju City, located in the northern Gyeongsang province, and the company will invest a total of KRW 240 million until 2020 for the construction of a top-tier proving ground and a tire R&D facility.
Covering a total area of 132 hectare, the Hankook Tire Test Engineering Center will be the largest proving ground in Korea, incorporating state-of-the-art test facilities. Upon its completion, the facility will be another key innovative factor driving the company’s future-oriented tire technology development.
The Hankook Tire Test Engineering Center will be a fully-equipped proving ground with top-tier global standard tire testing facility. For instance, the facility will enable tire tests with ultra-high performance (UHP) tire products, simulating extreme driving conditions. Even further, tests with truck and bus tires (TBR) can also be conducted.
In addition, the testing track at this engineering center, approximately 30 km long, will be able to emulate all road conditions around the world at all weathers, allowing Hankook Tire to conduct a prior quality and performance tests in order to ensure its products accommodate each market’s demand and also different conditions.
Upon its completion, the Hankook Tire Test Engineering Center will become the company’s a key R&D facility that allows its engineers to design, produce, test, and analyze tires as a one package process in one location.
Construction of the Hankook Tire Test Engineering Center will also contribute to the local economy through job creation due to the planned hiring of approximately 370 research and operational personnel. The proving ground, in addition to the Driving Center and Children’s Safety Experience Zone, both of which are still undergoing the planning process, will bring in a gamut of visitors from all fields and interests.
“The Hankook Tire Test Engineering Center in Sangju City, in addition to our new Central R&D Center, will become the center of global tire technology and development,” said Mr. Seung Hwa Suh, Vice Chairman and CEO of Hankook Tire. Mr. Suh also added, “As a global top-tier tire brand, Hankook Tire will continue our endeavor to provide drivers around the world with a premium driving experience with our unique advanced tire technology.”
Subscribe to Motor Age and receive articles like this every month…absolutely free. Click here
