Nokian Tyres’ new passenger car tyre factory being built in Oradea, Romania produced its first tyre on July 1. The milestone was reached as planned, and the building project is progressing in budget and on schedule for commercial tyre production to start in early 2025. The groundbreaking of the factory was celebrated in May 2023.
The recruitment for the new Nokian Tyres employees for the Romania factory started last year, and during 2023 and 2024 Nokian Tyres has recruited employees for both production and the office. The 60-member-strong launch team involved with the ramp-up of production trained in the Nokian Tyres factory in Finland during the spring. Altogether the factory will employ approximately 500 people.
“With the first tyre we have been able to test the production capabilities of the new factory, and the processes work as planned. We have also successfully trained the new Nokian Tyres team members to produce premium tyres in the same uncompromising way as our other factories. It is thanks to the hard work of the whole team that we are now celebrating the production of the first made in Romania Nokian Tyres tire”, says Adrian Kaczmarczyk, SVP, Operation Excellence from Nokian Tyres.
The annual capacity of the Nokian Tyres Romania factory will be 6 million tyres once the factory is fully operational, with expansion potential in the future, and the combined built-up area totals some 100,000 m2. The investment is estimated to total approximately EUR 650 million. The tyres produced in the Romania factory will be primarily sold in the Central European market, and it is strategically located close to the customers of that area.
The world’s first zero CO2 emission tyre factory
When finished, the Nokian Tyres Romania factory is making history as the world’s first zero CO2 emission tire factory. It will be an industry benchmark with a holistic approach to sustainability, including the use of solely CO2 free energy sources and energy-efficient and highly automated processes. In addition, the factory aims for the same zero waste to landfill standard from production as the company’s other factories in Finland and in the US.
