Production Starts at Nokian's Plant in Tennessee

March 9, 2020

Nokian Tyres plc’s Dayton, Tenn., plant is now manufacturing tires. The 830,000-square-foot plant will produce four million passenger and light truck tires a year at full capacity and will fuel Nokian’s goal of doubling its sales in North America by 2023, according to company officials. The facility produced its first test tire this past July.

“The start of commercial production at the Dayton factory is a significant milestone for our customers and employees,” says Nokian Tyres President and CEO Hille Korhonen. “We are eager to provide North American drivers with a larger volume of high-quality tires as we grow our relationships with our partners.”.

Nokian will ultimately employ as many as 400 workers at the facility, which is 40 miles north of Chattanooga. The plant currently employs around 100 workers.

“The Dayton factory is a vital growth driver for us in North America, and we’re glad it remains on track to deliver premium value to our customers and drivers,” says Mark Earl, senior vice president, Americas. “It will enable us to shorten delivery lead times, satisfy rising demand for our products and help the southeast Tennessee community grow in the process.”

Nokian Tyres broke ground on the factory in September 2017.

The plant is the company’s third global production facility, joining factories in Nokia, Finland, and Vsevolozhsk, Russia.

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