Nexen Tire Corp. officially opened its new factory in the Czech Republic on Aug. 28, 2019.
More than 300 guests attended the ceremony, which featured the theme: “The New Wave for the Future.” The company says the new plant, which is located in Zatec, marks a “new era of global Nexen.”
The new Nexen plant began operations in April 2019. Located in the Czech Republic, the new factory has excellent access to Europe's largest markets, such as Germany, France and the United Kingdom, according to Nexen. The plant will serve as a production base with a research and development center. In addition, the plant is a highly digitized and connected production facility known as a “Smart Factory.”
Participants in the ceremony included Travis Kang, global CEO of Nexen, Petr Ocko, deputy minister of industry and trade of the Czech Republic, Oldrich Bubenicek, governor of the Usti nad Labem Region, Zdenka Hamousova, mayor of Zatec, and Moon Seoung-hyun, Korean ambassador to the Czech Republic. Also attending were business partners, local press, construction staff and employees.
The guests celebrated the completion of Nexen’s four major global R&D and production networks and shared detailed information on the company’s strategies and technologies.
"The opening of the Europe plant will see an increase in Nexen Tire's efficiency in addition to a faster response to the neighboring automakers. Recognizing the importance of being closer to our customers, we have established a production base to respond to their needs in a more prompt and flexible way," said Kang.
"As Korea's leading manufacturer with a 77-year history of knowledge and technology in the tire industry, we plan to increase global production capacity, going beyond the challenges and making big steps in the global tire industry."
Following the opening and the ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests toured the plant. They were introduced to the Smart Factory, which makes zero-defects in product quality through an operating system that can find any faults in advance, according to Nexen.
Established in 1942, Nexen is a global tire manufacturer headquartered in South Korea. Nexen works with more than 500 dealers based in 137 countries around the world (as of May 2019) and owns four manufacturing plants – two in Korea (Yangsan and Changnyeong) one in Qingdao, China, and one in Zatec, Czech Republic. Nexen Tire produces tires for passenger cars, SUVs, and light trucks. Nexen Tire supplies original equipment tires to global car makers in various countries around the world. For more information visit the company’s corporate website at www.nexentire.com or its U.S. website at www.nexentireusa.com.
