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.
Nexen has held its second Nexen Point Driving Experience in association with UK distributor Stapleton’s at Palmersport Autodrome in Bedfordshire, UK. The key draw at the 5 September 2019 event, which was attended by around 70 tyre dealers, was the presence of the new N’blue 4Season.
Michael Haupt, formerly a tyre development specialist at Porsche, has been appointed head of the ‘Premium OE’ business sector at the recently-opened Nexen Central Research Institute (Nexen univerCITY). In his new position, Haupt will be responsible for creating premium tyres for OEM customers.
Nexen Tire has extended its sponsorship deal with German football club Eintracht Frankfurt through to the 2021/22 season. With the newly extended contract, Nexen Tire enjoy visibility at the Bundesliga club’s home stadium including in broadcast feeds, perimeter boards and commercials.
An official opening ceremony is being held today for Nexen Tire’s new tyre factory in Žatec, Czech Republic. Numerous dignitaries have attended the event, including Petr Očko, the country’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Travis Kang, Nexen Tire’s global chief executive officer, and Byung-Joong Kang, the company’s chairman.
Last season’s engagement with ‘domestic treble’ winner Manchester City F.C. gave Nexen Tire abundant exposure. The tyre maker returns again in 2019/20 as an Official Partner, its fifth season with the club and its third as Sleeve Partner. The current season got underway with a 5-0 win against West Ham last Saturday.
Directional or v-shaped treads offer several advantages on wet and snow-covered roads. Such patterns provide good levels of traction and also effectively remove water from the contact patch, thus offering stability and protection against aquaplaning. These characteristics make directional patterns an obvious choice for winter and all-season tyres, and it’s no surprise that the v-shaped tread is well-represented in these segments.
Nexen Tire has formed a strategic partnership with Plug and Play, the world’s largest corporate innovation platform and startup accelerator. Plug and Play was an early investor in Silicon Valley’s most renowned firms including PayPal, Lending Club, Dropbox and SoundHound. In doing so Nexen has highlighted its view of the importance of start-up thinking, future mobility, open-R&D and the Internet of Things (IoT) – all trends that the wider tyre industry is predicted to become increasingly involved in over time.
Following on from the two tyres launched last year, the N’Fera Sport and Winguard Sport 2 SUV, Nexen Tire has introduced further additions to its portfolio. The company presented the new pair, the Nexen N’Fera Primus and Nexen Roadian AT 4×4, at the Autopromotec show in Bologna this month.
Nexen Tire has a new R&D hub – the Nexen Central Research Institute, or Nexen univerCITY. Located in the Magok Industrial Complex in Seoul, South Korea, the 57,000 square metre facility will act as a research and development hub for Nexen Tire’s centres in the USA, Europe and China. More than 300 people attended an official opening ceremony for the Nexen univerCITY late last month.
