Many tyre makers have faced difficult decisions in the weeks and months since Russian troops first marched across Ukraine’s border on 24 February. Companies such as Nokian Tyres, Bridgestone, Continental, Michelin, Yokohama and Pirelli have needed to decide whether to continue operating their Russian plants. Four of these manufacturers are turning their backs on Russia or considering doing so, but two apparently are not.
Global tyre businesses have exited the Russian tyre business as a direct consequence of the Russian government’s decision to invade Ukraine. We all knew this was coming, following initial announcements from the likes of Michelin, Bridgestone and Nokian along those lines in the second quarter of 2022. However, the news that Nokian sold its much-lauded St. Petersburg operation to Tatneft at the end of October indicates that the exodus is underway. And that, in turn, means significant tyre production capacity within Russia has changed hands, something that has an inevitable impact on those departing, those remaining and the wider tyre business. In this column, we take a look at how Michelin, Bridgestone and Nokian have been negotiating their respective exits from Russia and ask what it might mean for the future.
Nokian Tyres’ is investing around 650 million euros in a new passenger car tyre factory in Romania. The new greenfield factory will be located in Oradea in the North-West of Romania, near the Hungarian border. The annual capacity of the factory will be 6 million tyres, with expansion potential for the future. According to an official statement, the site will also house a distribution facility for storage and distribution of tyres. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2023 and the first tyres are estimated to be produced in the second half of 2024. Commercial tyre production is expected to start in early 2025.
The EU ban on tyre imports from Russia has hit one company particularly hard: Nokian Tyres. Prior to February 2022, the Finnish manufacturer produced 17 million tyres a year in a factory near St. Petersburg, 82 per cent of its global output. Ten million of these were exported, mainly to Europe. This has no longer been possible since 10 July, with consequences for Nokian Tyres’ Central Europe sales region.
In light of strongly rising energy prices in Europe, chemical firm and synthetic rubber manufacturer Synthos has announced that it can no longer produce Emulsion-SBR (ESBR) at full capacity. It will thus reduce ESBR output by approximately 30%, equivalent to around 100,000 MTPA, effective immediately.
At a time when it is investing in new European capacity and exiting Russia, Finland’s Nokian Tyres has announced a reorganisation of its structure and management. These measures centre upon a combining of all Passenger Car Tyres commercial operations under the leadership of Anna Hyvönen, who currently serves as executive vice-president North America, Nordics and Vianor. Bahri Kurter, executive vice-president Central Europe at Nokian Tyres, is leaving the company to “pursue his career outside of Nokian Tyres.”
Even though ANO Rosgonki, organiser of the Russian Grand Prix, paid “better than good” to bring Formula 1 to the Sochi Autodrom, Stefano Domenicali stands by the decision to cancel this year’s event and to wipe it from future F1 calendars.
After an April to June period punctuated by negative EBIT and a net loss, tyre maker and automotive components supplier Continental says it is “looking ahead to the second half of the year with optimism.” It is also maintaining its full-year outlook despite a current headwind that chief financial officer Katja Dürrfeld describes as being “rather like a hurricane.”
In a market hit by the systemic impacts of the conflict in Ukraine and the health crisis, the Michelin Group reports that its net income fell by 18.3 per cent despite a year-on-year increase in sales. The tyre maker nevertheless considers this a good result “in an extremely unsettled environment.”
UK car production in grew in May 2022 for the first time since June 2021. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) report that a total of 62,284 units left factory gates during the month, a rise of 13.3 per cent. SMMT notes, however, that the increase must be viewed in context against May 2021, which was still suffering significantly from pandemic-related headwinds. Output remains 46.3 per cent below the pre-pandemic month in 2019, with ongoing supply chain issues, increasing economic uncertainty, rising business costs and disruption caused by the war in Ukraine.
Due to the war in Ukraine and subsequent, tightening sanctions, Nokian Tyres plc has determined that it is “no longer feasible nor sustainable” to continue operations in Russia. The Finnish tyre maker’s Board of Directors thus decided today to initiate a controlled exit from this market. Exit preparations start immediately and Nokian Tyres will evaluate different options for its departure, with “due consideration to local employees and legislation.”
After suspending its manufacturing activities in Russia on 15 March, Michelin now confirms that it is “technically impossible to resume production,” due in particular to supply issues, amid a context of general uncertainty. It says Michelin Group is “therefore compelled” to plan the transfer of all of its Russian operations by the end of 2022.
When the going gets tough, diversify. This strategy helped storage systems specialist Arcom weather the storms of the past two years. The Polish company is once again enjoying strong demand, both within the tyre industry and beyond. We caught up with sales manager Marcin Smulski during The Tire Cologne to find out more.
Although the war in Ukraine and subsequent sanctions continue to “cause significant uncertainty” for Nokian Tyres’ operating environment, especially in regards to its business in Russia, on Friday the company reported that demand for its tyres has nonetheless remained good. For this reason, and after successfully implementing price increases to mitigate the impact of inflation, Nokian Tyres has raised its net sales guidance for 2022.
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