Nexen's test center opens in Finland
On February 12, Nexen Tire held the official opening ceremony of its new testing center in Ivalo, Finland, called the Purple Snow Ivalo Center, named after the signature color of the Korean tire manufacturer and located on the territory of the UTAC proving ground.
To expand its capabilities in the development of winter tires, Nexen has entered into a long-term lease agreement for a specially designed proving ground, which includes snow testing tracks with various inclines and turns. The testing center also features a laboratory for studying the characteristics of surfaces on which tires are operated in cold weather. A special track is available for evaluating the durability of studded tires designed to enhance traction on ice in extreme winter conditions, such as those found in Northern Europe. This will help the company respond more effectively to changes in market requirements.
By opening the new center, Nexen aims to further strengthen its position in the key European market, which accounts for more than 40% of the company's total revenue. Currently, several European countries, such as Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Sweden, require winter tires to meet the 3PMSF standard, which must also be considered in the development process, the company notes.
Last year, Nexen became the first Korean tire company to use a high-performance driving simulator, and now the results of virtual tire tests will be immediately verified in real-world conditions on snow tracks. This approach will allow Nexen to refine its artificial intelligence-based virtual tire development technologies and open up new opportunities for collaboration with automakers.
As noted by John Bosco (Hyun Suk) Kim, CEO of Nexen, the new center has advantages in its unique and highly beneficial location in Northern Europe, as well as the opportunity to leverage UTAC's expertise as a leader in tire and vehicle testing in winter conditions.
"The new center will play a key role in the development of winter and all-season tires," he said. "We will continue to develop our R&D capabilities in line with the requirements of the European and global markets, which will enable us to strengthen our competitive position."
Last year, Nexen launched its new winter tire, the Nexen Winguard Sport 3, in the European market, and continued to expand the size range of its all-season Nexen N'Blue 4Season 2, and it does not intend to stop there.
UTAC (Union Technique de l'Automobile, du Motocycle et du Cycle) is the largest organization in Europe that specializes in testing vehicles and their components, with a well-developed infrastructure for conducting tests both outdoors and indoors, including simulations of extreme winter conditions.