SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexen Tire, a leading global tire manufacturer, held the official grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the up-and-running North America R&D Center in Richfield, Ohio, on November 13, wrapping up a milestone investment in the United States, one of the company's four major global networks.
Built on the outskirts of the U.S. rubber capital, Akron, the $5.2 million facility is the newest addition to Nexen's four major global R&D and production networks; 'THE NEXEN univerCITY,' the global R&D hub located in Seoul, South Korea, a technical center in Kelkheim, Germany and the Europe Plant in Žatec, the Czech Republic. The North America R&D Center will be responsible for OE tire development for US-based car makers and select replacement tire product development.
Nexen Tire's Global CEO Travis Kang, accompanied by his wife Wonsun Jung, Mayor of Richfield Bobbie Beshara, Joe Welch and Dan Wysocki of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, President of Nexen Tire America Jong Sun Kim, Head of North America R&D Center Don Lee, and Gary Zolton, a retired Nexen engineer who was instrumental in the building's design and overseeing construction attended the grand opening to do the honor of ribbon-cutting.
"We are very excited to introduce the new R&D Center in the United States, where we plan to devote our efforts to developing the best quality of OE tires and other products for the American customers and partners," said Travis Kang, the Global CEO of Nexen Tire. "We hope that this facility stands as a testament to Nexen Tire's long-term commitment to our customers in North America."
Recently, the North America R&D Center saw the ROADIAN HTX tires fitted on the 2019 Ram 1500, which won the Motor Trend Truck of the Year, and the ROADIAN GTX tires developed for the revolutionary Canoo EV revealed in September. In addition, the North American team also designed and developed the ROADIAN MTX tire, which has received positive reviews from off-road enthusiasts.
The grand opening ceremony of the North American R&D Center marked the completion of Nexen Tire's four major global R&D and production networks. The extensive global networks demonstrate Nexen Tire's determination and commitment to offer differentiated products and services for its worldwide partners and customers.
About Nexen Tire
Nexen Tire, established in 1942, is a global tire manufacturer headquartered in South Korea. Nexen Tire, one of the world's fastest growing tire manufacturers, currently interacts with approximately 150 countries around the world (as of August 2019) and owns four manufacturing plants - two in Korea (Yangsan and Changnyeong) and one in Qingdao, China. Another plant in Žatec, the Czech Republic has also begun operation in 2019. Nexen Tire produces tires for passenger cars, SUVs, and light trucks with advanced technology and excellence in design. The company also focuses on producing UHP tires, which are based on advanced technologies. Nexen Tire supplies OE tires to global car makers in various countries around the world. In 2014, the company achieved a grand slam of the world's top 4 design awards for the first time amongst the various tire makers in the world. For more information, please visit http://www.nexentire.com.
