Nexen Tire to establish its own testing facility in Finland to expand into European market (Korea)

Nexen Tire, a major tire manufacturer, will strengthen its research and development (R&D) by establishing a winter tire testing center for its own use at the UTAC Proving Grounds in Ivalo, Finland.
The UTAC proving ground is the largest automotive testing facility in Europe, located about 300 kilometers from the Arctic Circle, allowing the performance of tires to be tested even in winter.
With the establishment of a dedicated testing center, the company will be able to carry out research and verification more systematically, so that it can carry out thorough testing even in extreme cold and meet technical needs.
The company has been using the same test site for a long time, but by building a dedicated test site, it will be able to continue using it throughout the winter. The tire test period, which was previously one month at a time, will be extended to a maximum of four months.
In addition, the UTAC test track is testing the "Three Peak Mountain Snowflake MARK (TM)," which is an international standard for winter tires and meets the standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
It is also possible to conduct testing to obtain the "3PMSF" certification, which the company hopes will help strengthen its competitiveness in the European market.
A Nexen Tire official said, "The establishment of the dedicated testing facility will amount to approximately 40% of our sales.
"We plan to further strengthen our position in the European market, where we currently hold 100% of the market share."