Within the next few hours, production will recommence at Hankook Tire & Technology’s Geumsan plant in South Korea following a 48-hour pause that began on 24 July after a number of workers tested positive for Covid-19. Health authorities have set up a test centre at the plant and intend to test around 3,000 employees early this week.
Hankook & Company Co., Ltd., the holding company of Hankook Tire & Technology Co., Ltd., has expanded its cooperation with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) through the signing of a memorandum of understanding with its College of Engineering. This latest MoU centres on the ‘Symbiotic Transformation for AI-infused Reality (STAR) Project’ and seeks to “build a data infrastructure platform and strengthen cooperation in researches for the post-AI age.” One potential outcome of this collaboration is that data will later be used in Hankook’s tyre research and development.
The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has determined that passenger vehicle and light truck (PLT) tyres imported from Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand are being sold in the USA at prices that materially injure the local tyre industry. In addition, the U.S. Department of Commerce has determined that Vietnam’s government is subsidising PLT tyres that are then sold in the USA at “less than fair value.”
Under extensions to an agreement first signed in 2019, tyre maker Hankook and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) will continue and expand operations at the HK-KAIST Digital Innovation Center, which is located within the Hankook Technodome in Daejeon, Korea.
Hankook Tire will work together with Hyundai Motor and Kia to develop intelligent services for consumables management based on the three companies’ data and technologies. This collaboration will take place under a Memorandum of Understanding that the companies sealed through a virtual signing ceremony yesterday.
Cho Hyun-bum is now the sole head of Hankook & Company, the holding company that oversees Hankook Tire & Technology and seven other affiliates. Older brother Cho Hyun-sik announced his resignation as vice-chairman in a letter to shareholders yesterday
Hankook Tire has released a video that explains its work on pre-emptive road risk detection technology in collaboration with data and technology company SK Planet. The result of this joint effort is the Road Hazard Prediction & Detection Solution.
Cho Hyun-bum, chief executive of tyre maker Hankook Tire & Technology, has received a suspended prison sentence after being indicted on charges of accepting bribes and embezzling corporate funds.
Hankook Tire signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 16 April with Korean fleet management service provider UB1st. The cooperative relationship between the two companies focuses on creating a new type of fleet management service by combining Hankook Tire’s offline service capabilities with vehicle data collected by UB1st’s platforms, such as UbiKhan.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital sensor technology is being employed to automate the inspection of freshly-manufactured tyres at Hankook Tire & Technology’s production facilities. Hankook says its automatic inspection system will improve efficiency and consistency at the final stage of product testing.
Hankook Tire will support its product development with a new in-house creative database that offers “unique industry insights and new concepts.” The tyre maker has set up this ‘CMF LAB’ database together with Model Solution, its prototype and manufacturing solutions company. Model Solution will use the CMF LAB as a strategic springboard for new business expansion.
Tyre manufacture at Nexen Tire’s Changnyeong plant in South Korea resumed yesterday after a two-day break in production in order to implement “protective measures” against coronavirus. In disclosures submitted to the Korea Exchange (KRX), the tyre maker reported its intention to suspend tyre production in Changnyeong on 1 and 2 March, and resume operations on 3 March.
The latest global tyre market share figures from tyre industry analyst Astutus Research show how long-established, leading players headquartered in Japan, Europe, and North America have seen their volume share diminish, while Chinese, ASEAN, and selected other markets’ tyre manufacturers’ share has risen. The analyst states that in aggregate, the ten leading PCLT tyre manufacturers based in Japan, Europe and North America (J-E-NA) have lost almost 6 percentage points of market share since the end of 2011 (OE and replacement segments combined, volumes in tyre units). In part this reflects a strategic choice of some to focus on the higher value premium segments of the market.
It may not be the best-selling Korean tyre brand worldwide, but at home Kumho outsells its domestic rivals. Data from the Korea Tire Manufacturers Association (KOTMA) indicates that 6.52 million replacement market Kumho tyres were sold in South Korea in 2018. This is more than 40 per cent of all locally-made tyres sold in the country.
A ceremony was held on 6 July to mark to completion of Doublestar Tire’s acquisition of a 45 per cent share in Kumho Tire. The event in Seoul was titled ‘Celebrating New Beginning’ and was attended by the Chinese and South Korean tyre makers’ management teams as well as representatives from Korea Development Bank, which together with other creditors still maintains a 23 per cent share in Kumho Tire.
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