The first Romanian Nokian tire

On July 1, the Nokian Tyres plant in Oradea (Romania) released its first tire, while the start of commercial production is planned for early 2025, and the laying of the first stone in the foundation took place in May 2023.

Recruitment of employees for the new plant also began last year, and during 2023 and 2024, Nokian hired workers for both production and office work. In the spring of 2024, the first employees underwent training at the plant in Finland, and the total staff of the enterprise will be around 500 people.

"By releasing the first tire, we are demonstrating the production capabilities of our new plant and that all work is proceeding according to the planned schedule," noted Adrian Kachmarczyk, Senior Vice President of Nokian. "We have also successfully trained new members of the Nokian Tyres team, who produce tires with the same high quality as at our other plants."

The annual capacity of the new plant will be 6 million tires per year, and the total area of the complex will eventually reach 100,000 m2. The project will be invested with approximately 650 million euros, and the Romanian tires will be intended primarily for the Central European market.

The first Romanian Nokian tire was the friction winter Nokian Snowproof 2 of the European type, which coincided with the celebration of the 90th anniversary of one of the main innovations of the Finnish manufacturer - the first winter tire in the industry.

"Nokian Tyres became the creator of winter tires in 1934, so it is more than appropriate that 90 years later we are celebrating the release of the flagship model in this segment at our newest plant," said Kachmarczyk. "Our goal is to make the world safer, again and again improving the characteristics of our tires."

The Nokian plant in Romania will be one of the first sites in the tire industry with zero carbon dioxide emissions, and the enterprise is equipped with highly automated and energy-efficient equipment, the company says.