Nokian Tyres has produced the first test tire at its factory in Dayton, the largest milestone yet at the global tire company’s first production facility in North America.
The first tire, a Nokian eNTYRE 2.0 in size 205/55R16, marks the beginning of trial production, as Nokian Tyres remains on schedule to start building tires for commercial sale in the early part of next year.
Between now and the end of the year, Nokian Tyres will produce thousands more tires for testing and machine calibration purposes. Annual capacity at the factory will be 4 million tires, with further expansion potential.
Now that trial production is underway, Nokian Tyres will soon turn its attention to growing its team at the factory. The company currently employs approximately 70 team members.
Available positions will range from entry-level production roles to engineering and management opportunities. At full capacity, the company will employ approximately 400 workers at the factory.
The factory’s production team recently returned home from a six-week training experience at Nokian Tyres’ other factories in Russia and Finland.
Last year, the company opened a new headquarters in Nashville.
Nokian Tyres’ aim is to double North American sales by 2023.
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Source: Nokian Tyres