The first Attar tires shipped to Russia
In June 2024, the KamaTyresKZ tire plant in Saran, Kazakhstan, a joint venture between Russia's Tatneft and the local Allur Group, launched serial production of passenger car tires. On July 15, the tires were shipped to Kazakhstan's dealer centers, and on July 17, they were exported to Russia. This was announced by Andrey Pantiukhov, head of the Tire Business division at Tatneft, at a press conference.
The Saran facility will produce passenger and commercial tires under the Attar brand, and the first models presented will feature tread patterns taken from the Kama and Viatti tires of the Nizhnekamsk tire complex Kama Tyres, which previously belonged to Tatneft. The plant plans to produce up to 3 million passenger tires and 500,000 commercial tires per year.
In addition to the Saran plant, Tatneft currently also owns tire plants in Uzbekistan (BRZ, which produces budget tires under the Bars brand) and Russia (Ikon Tyres, which produces premium Ikon Autograph tires, as well as mid-range Nordman tires, which will be replaced by Ikon Character). The total project capacity of the three plants exceeds 23.5 million tires per year, and the range includes almost 1,200 products for all price categories. In total, more than 2,800 people work at the plants, and the staff will increase as production capacities grow.
According to Pantiukhov, who is also the general director of Ikon, unified quality standards for production and products, corresponding to the best global practices in the tire industry, have been implemented at all three enterprises. "This allows us to say that regardless of which brand the consumer chooses from the Tire Business division of the Tatneft Group - whether it's a premium or budget tire - they receive unified quality standards," he added.
It is also noted that all tires undergo a so-called 200% quality control, both visual and automated, and in 2022, a proprietary scientific and technical department was established in Vsevolozhsk, "uniting professionals of international level". One of the first projects was the development of new studs for Ikon tires, which ensured the uninterrupted operation of the enterprise after the departure of the previous owner, Finnish Nokian Tyres. Currently, the department's employees are working on tires of all brands in Tatneft's portfolio, and a schedule has been set for the creation of new products until 2035.
At the moment, the company is mastering new tire sizes for Ikon, and this year, the Leningrad Region plant has already launched production of over 30 new sizes, including 245/45 R20, which is popular among Chinese automakers. Ikon tires of their own design (with patterns created by the company, rather than "inherited" from Nokian) are expected to be presented in 2025-2026.