Tyres Nokian

The history begins in distant 1898, when the first rubber factory was founded in Finland. At that time, rubber was produced only for household use. And in 1904, a plant was founded in Nokia. As the volume of transportation increased at the beginning of the 20th century, in 1925, the Finnish company decided to start producing bicycle tires. At that time, there were already over 30,000 vehicles of various types in Finland. In 1926, tire production increased significantly, and the company began to sell its products in other countries. Before that, it also sold tires to other countries, but very rarely. Now, the company's specialists began to closely engage in foreign trade. The main task was to meet the demand for bicycle tires in the domestic market, and the surplus was sold in other countries. But the company's management began to realize that exports provided information about international markets for rubber products.

Starting from 1932, the company began to produce car tires. And from 1939, the tire production technology improved significantly (100 car tires were produced per day).

The key year in history is 1936, when the Hakkapeliitta tire was created. In that year, the company producing rubber products set a goal to start selling tires designed for operation in the northern climate. The first such tire was the Hakkapeliitta model, which features a special tread pattern, which increased traction on snowy roads. This made it possible to no longer use special chains to improve passability.

The export of products grew rapidly, but before the start of World War II, the country's need for tires increased sharply, so the company limited the export of products. Sales to other countries completely stopped when the war began. After the end of the war, a new plant appeared in Nokia. Until almost the end of the 1960s, products were sold only on the domestic market, and then tires began to be supplied to various countries again. Most of them were sold in the northern regions, but over time, the area of distribution expanded significantly. In 1964, sales of products to the USSR began.

In the domestic market, the company's products had no competition, but in the external market, there were many competitors, including the well-known Goodyear and Michelin. But the company had been creating tires for drivers who lived in harsh northern conditions for many decades, which allowed it to compete with competitors who could not boast of products for northern regions.

Tires are built on the principle of active safety: safety should be constantly present in tires throughout the entire period of use. This made Nokian tires so popular all over the world and especially in Russia.

The technology for producing Nokian tires consists of 4 stages. At the first stage, rubber compounds are created, everyone knows that their recipe is a commercial secret. Among the raw materials, there are soot, oil, natural and synthetic rubber, and many other elements. At the second stage, the tire carcass is manufactured, consisting of a steel breaker, textile cord, and rim rings. Sometimes, various structural reinforcements are added to them. At the third stage, using the latest equipment, specialists assemble the tires, combining the carcass and breaker package. The final shape of the tire is taken after vulcanization, receiving the necessary strength and pattern in a metal mold.

The main enterprise, located in Nokia, produces 4,000,000 tires per year. The second plant in Vsevolozhsk (Russia) produces 8 million tires per year. It is planned to open another plant near St. Petersburg.

At present, Nokian is the largest tire manufacturer in Northern Europe.