Hankook received an award from Ford

At the end of 2025, Hankook received the QR Zero Award from Ford, "confirming the highest level of competitiveness in the global market". The QR Zero Award is considered the most prestigious award from Ford, awarded to global partners who have ensured a zero percentage of defective products supplied and the complete absence of warranty claims, the tire manufacturer's press service reported.

The Hankook plant in Gunsan, Korea, which currently supplies tires for the F-150, the most popular pickup in the American brand's lineup, was awarded. The Gunsan plant was the first of Hankook's eight production sites to receive the QR Zero award, and the company says this was facilitated by the introduction of quality management systems based on big data and artificial intelligence technologies.

In 1999, Hankook became the first Asian tire company to start supplying products to Ford, and the F-150 pickup has been equipped with Korean brand tires since 2003. In addition, Hankook tires have been approved for a wide range of other American brand models, such as the Mustang, Explorer, Ranger, Focus, and Mondeo, and not so long ago it was announced about the homologation of tires for the electric crossover Mustang Mach-E.

Previously, all Hankook plants received Q1 Awards from Ford, and the first on this list was the site in Daejeon (South Korea) in 2000, and the last was the production complex in Rácalmás (Hungary). This award is given to suppliers for meeting Ford's quality standards, implementing innovations, etc.

"Hankook Tire will continue to develop technological innovations through constant investments in R&D and modern infrastructure, as well as strive for further expansion of cooperation with more than 40 global automotive manufacturers, including Ford," the company notes.